We have an auditorium project with a walkway that is constructed beside the seating area at the first and second levels. The second level has been provided with beam-type smoke detectors. 

There is a suspended ceiling below the walkway which is approximately 6-feet (2 m) from the wall. Do we need smoke detectors below this suspended ceiling?

The design currently has smoke detectors only inside ceiling void spaces below the walkway - is this in compliance with NFPA 72?

The fire alarm contractor is arguing that if a fire originates at the floor level below this walkway, it will be easily detected by the beam detector at the second level due to the smoke buoyancy. 
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We are in a fire sprinkler retrofit and we have steel joists and decking throughout the building, with mostly masonry block walls. It's a single-story structure.

Where there are doors, however, there is wood framing above the grid ceiling.

How much wood constitutes an issue requiring fire sprinklers above the ceiling?

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Who has dealt with the question of egress from the vault of a linear accelerator (used to treat patients)?

The vault can only be opened from the inside by a button which can be disabled from the outside! The only manual opener is a crank on the outside!

I realize the patient could be incapacitated but what about maintenance and cleaning crews? Any recommendations, especially from those with experience, would be appreciated.

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I'm working on a project with an overhang that has patient rooms above. The ceiling of the overhang serves as a "canopy" for ambulances, which will back in under the overhang to protect patients from the elements when unloading the ambulances.

The design and completed construction do not include any fire suppression including sprinklers.

Are sprinklers required for this canopy?

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I have a double fire wall (two masonry walls next to each other with small air gap in-between). I need to have a door in each wall.

The doors would have to swing opposite directions, I think, which means a double Firewall could not be used in an egress condition where doors both have to open in the direction of travel to the exit.

It sounds like I need a tied or cantilevered Firewall instead of a double Firewall. Is this correct, or are there any other approaches to a door within a double Firewall?

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We have an existing building were the highest occupied floor is less than 30'-0 above fire vehicle access. This building is being renovated.

Part of the renovation involves the construction of a new building to be connect to the existing building. The new building is higher than 30'-0 above fire vehicle access. The exit stairwells in the new building need a standpipe system.

Does the existing building need a standpipe system since it is connected even though the existing building stairways and floors are not higher than 30'-0 above fire vehicle access?​

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We have a project where the general contractor is stating that the vertical penetration in the stairwell landing, where the standpipes are located, need to be sealed.

They are not asking for it to be a fire-rated seal, but they say some sort of seal will be required. I know on past projects this typically was never a requirement. I have searched NFPA and the IBC with no luck on finding something that would insinuate that no seal is required for the vertical standpipes openings within the rated stair.

Is a seal required for these stair landing penetrations?

Any input is much appreciated.

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Have a project at a local grocery store that has an end cap kiosk with a Class 1 commercial kitchen hood. The kiosk is 6-foot wide by 8-foot long and has one means of egress out of the kiosk. The kiosk is used for cooking demonstrations and to hand out food samples to the customers.

​The predicaments we (AHJ, owner, designer of record, and contractor) are having is the location of the manual release station. There are no structural columns or architectural surfaces that are within the minimum distance of 10 feet or a maximum of 20 feet from the cooking surface to mount the manual release stations that are within the means of egress.

Any thoughts or suggestions on where to mount the manual release station?

Thanks in advance.

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Have a four-story project that is under 2015 IBC and NFPA 101. NFPA 101, for fully-sprinklered buildings with accessible floor levels (floors 2-4 included) - designates the entire floor level as accessible and an area of refuge. Reference NFPA 101 7.2.12 and NFPA 72 24.10.

Along with that designation includes a requirement for a two-way communication system generally next to the elevator bank for the building. There's not much detail out of NFPA 101, and I'm finding very few people are familiar with these systems.

Who typically specifies and provides details/locations on these systems?

It is not tied into the fire alarm system - yet is related to life safety - so we're getting some feedback that these systems should be shown on fire alarm plans. However, the fire alarm subcontractors have nothing to do with these systems. Low voltage / specialty consultants are stating that the systems are code mandated and aren't looking to coordinate these locations with fire marshals and plan review.

It's not a cost item and no one is pointing fingers - but I am trying to understand going forward where these systems are typically shown on plans and who should be specifying them? 

Thanks in advance.

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I'm an AHJ and I know many plan reviewers and inspectors in my area are new to the trade. 

Does anyone have recommendation(s) for good plan review checklists or tools for plan review that would be helpful to rookie and intermediate-level plan reviewers?

Thanks in advance.

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Working with a 10,500 square foot building that is primarily a wood shop (as the AHJ, fire official). In this building they basically saw cut raw lumber on a large gasoline powered (vented) saw mill inside of the building (this is an issue I question as well). This is a two-part question, at the least!

The occupants claim they are a E occupancy (based on the 2012 IBC/IFC) and that they fall under the 12,000 square feet for automatic fire sprinkler requirements in chapter 9.

I look at this as a woodworking facility over 2,500 square feet per 903.2.4.1, that would require automatic fire sprinklers.

The organization is not a school, but rather consider themselves as a vocational school that serves students working on their G.E.D. along with troubled students needing extra guidance, and they pay these students. They teach life/work skills and help with job placement.

I feel this would either fall under a B-Occupancy for training and skill development not within a school or academic program, or an F-1.

Thoughts on this part?

Next, even if we would call this an E-Occupancy, would sprinklers be required since it is under the 12,000 square feet? I would think yes because of section 903.2.4.1, however the organization says no because they believe they are an E.

​I know where I am leaning on this issue, but would welcome any other input. ​I am all about helping this organization out, but also need to take safety and property preservation into account. This place keeps me up at night with all of the students and hazards present.

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I am a municipal fire inspector. We have a new high school, fully sprinklered, that has residential stoves in a classroom. These are protected with UL300A hoods.

Are these hoods required to be connected to the fire alarm?

Common sense would indicate that if there was a fire hot enough to release the UL300A system, that the building occupants could be in danger and the fire alarms should activate, however, I cannot find a code reference for this. The architect is saying the stoves are residential so only residential requirements apply.

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Is there a standard spacing for private fire hydrants?

No applicable code for this project, but looking for guidance in what would be common under NFPA 24, NFPA 1 / 101, and/or the IBC. Thanks in advance.

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A building owner has an existing mixed-use building which has approximately 6,000 sqft of storage space (S-1 Occupancy) and offices (larger than 6,000 sqft). The offices and storage appear to have a rated separation (steel studs, 2x gypsum on at least one side of the wall) in-between them.

The owner is looking to store new product in the warehouse, but would like for it to be sprinkler protected. This building, if new, would be under the 2015 International Building Code. 

As the building currently stands, it is a code-compliant mixed-use separated, non-sprinklered occupancy. 

Can the owner voluntarily provide a sprinkler system above code, but only for the warehouse portion?

If so, does anything with the fire barrier between the warehouse and office need to change?

As this is only a voluntary improvement to the property and life safety systems, I could see it being an alternative design method and seek approval from the AHJ under IBC Section 104.11 as a partially-protected building - I just wasn't sure if it even needed to come to that. Would be interested in other opinions, thank you in advance!

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An existing F1 occupancy with no high-piled storage is getting an addition, resulting in the total square footage for the entire F-1 area (all open) being over 50,000 ft sq, thus requiring smoke and heat vents per the 2012 IBC and IFC.

The question was asked if smoke and heat vents can just be added to the new addition and install a draft curtain to separate the existing from new, so smoke and heat vents will not be required in the existing space.

My question is, would a draft curtain be sufficient for creating a divided area in this regard?

There is no true definition of a divided area in either the building or fire codes. I wouldn’t think it would necessarily need to have a fire barrier or partition. I would assume a properly sized trap curtain would be sufficient?

Does anybody have any experience with this unique type of issue, or have any comments or suggestions?

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We have a new 3,300 square foot dental facility that is single story with a basement. Is a fire sprinkler system required?

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Does anyone have much experience with fire pins/plugs as part of a fire door?

I came across some during a project to replace fire doors. There's a male and female component but ultimately a pin/plug is released at high temperature and goes into a hole to secure a pair of fire rated double doors.

My question is: are the pins just a substitute for a lower latch or is there some special code or regulatory driver for them?

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I recently investigated some fire doors at one of our older buildings and saw they have an FM Approved label on them instead of a common UL Listing. I'm used to the UL listing label which clearly states the fire rating in minutes or hours. The FM label I saw gives some outdated ASTM standards and references a CABO report but doesn't clearly state the fire rating.

Does anyone have experience with the FM Approved fire door labels?

Based on my research, FM stopped approving fire doors a while ago. Thanks in advance.

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I have a covered mall under 30' tall that requires hose valve connections in accordance with the International Building Code, Section 905.3.3.

Do these hose valve connections count as a standpipe that requires a monitored isolation valve as per NFPA 14 6.3.2?

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Anybody in this group has experience to design or approval of parking stackers inside the building?

This is outside the code will be reviewed as Amended Means & Methods.

They occur on two different projects (1) The Car's engine shall be off when enter the parking garage and electronic left will park the cars in stack, and (2) The car will be driven inside the garage to platform to be parked.

In both cases the fire sprinkler design density, exhaust system and means of egress requirements are in question.

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We have an exit enclosure that is rated as Class I Division I. My understanding of an accessible route and means of egress, is that it is a "safe" means of egress.

Can an accessible route have a Class I Division I (explosion hazardous classification), or does it need to be purged and pressurized according to Type X requirements?

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Design criteria for storage occupancies have changed substantially over the years from pipe schedules to the NFPA 231's to NFPA 13, 2016. Everyone talks about "grandfathering" old system designs, but no one can ever point out any specific codes, standards, or formal documents that give any solid guidance on this matter.

In our state, this situation varies by jurisdiction, but the opinions are all over the place and usually wind up at the classic "ask the AHJ". This is very time consuming and often times not very helpful since most of them enforce the newest NFPA editions when unless you can provide as-built documentation which we can't do 95% of the time for old buildings. We all know that it depends on the situation, but there has to be some level of formalized consistency out there to start with.

As a NICET certified Fire sprinkler designer, I have my own professional opinions on the matter based on my understanding of the intent of grandfathering and my own project experiences.

​That said, can anyone point me to specific codes, standards, or formal documents that I can utilize to create a formalized opinion that can be submitted to local AHJ's for a more "standardized" understanding?

I'm pretty well versed in NFPA 13 so I'm really looking for IBC, NFPA 101, NFPA 1 references, but all feedback is appreciated.

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I have a new highrise building with a water storage tank/room for the fire sprinkler system. The entire room is the storage area.

Is sprinkler coverage required for this room?

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I am dealing with a Military building. It is an H-1 occupancy. The building is currently 4 stories high.

This is not allowed per IBC based on means of egress.

Has anyone made an argument based on UFC referring to NFPA 101 for means of egress related items to make an H-1 occupancy allowed to be more than 1 story?

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Hello Fire Pro People! I am retrofitting an existing stand alone fire pump room.

The existing design had both an electric fire pump and diesel fire pump for back up. We are getting rid of the diesel, and going with just one electric fire pump. The existing building has a sprinkler system, fed from the piping in the Fire Pump room. We would like to get rid of sprinklers. Are they required by code? And can anyone tell me what classification this building is by IBC standards? I read through them all, and I didn't feel that the Fire Pump building fit into any of the categories. Thanks for any love you can send my way!

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