A stair is 59 inches wide, with a handrail on one side with a centerline of 1.5 inches from the edge of the stair. The other side of the stair is a wall. For the purposes of calculating a speci􀃎c 􀃏ow, what is the effective width of the stair?
a. 47 in.
b. 48 in.
c. 53 in.
d. 59 in.

Solution | Posted 09/25/20

​A continuous membrane with a fire protection rating constructed to limit the spread of fire is which of the following?
a. smoke partition
b. fire compartment
c. fire barrier
d. proscenium wall

Solution | Posted 09/24/20

If, during a fire, a total occupant load of 185 people are exiting through a building's main entry (a 7-foot double door with an effective width of 6.5 ft) and the density near the main exit door results in about 0.25 persons/sqft, the time (in minutes) it would take for all of these occupants to exit the main doors is most
nearly:
a. 1.3 min
b. 1.4 min
c. 2.0 min
d. 5.7 min

Solution | Posted 09/22/20

An existing warehouse storing flammable and combustible liquids, considered high-hazard storage, has a ramp at the back of the building used for egress. If the ramp serves an egress load of 79 persons, what is the required minimum ramp width?
a. 30 inches
b. 31.6 inches
c. 39.5 inches
d. 40 inches

Solution | Posted 09/14/20

A new healthcare building is being designed with a suite with no sleeping areas and full smoke detection. What is the required construction for the corridor walls?
a. smoke partition only
b. smoke barrier only
c. 1-hour fire resistance and smoke barrier
d. none of the above

Solution | Posted 09/03/20

A new community college building contains 26,000 sqft of small instructional classrooms, an entry lobby, restrooms, offices, and a 15,000 sqft auditorium is considered what type of occupancy?
a. Group A, Assembly
b. Group B, Business
c. Group E, Education
d. Mixed Use

Solution | Posted 09/02/20

An open, unobstructed space connects an entry level lobby with a balcony on the level above in a fully sprinklered residential building while separated from the remainder of the building with a smoke barrier. If the space only has low hazard contents and meets egress requirements, what type of space does it qualify as?
a. Atrium
b. Communicating Space
c. Convenience Opening
d. Two-Story Opening with Partial Enclosure

Solution | Posted 08/26/20

If Element A is a 45-minute interior door, B is a corridor, C is a 2-hour rated stair, and D is a non-rated exterior door, which element identified would be considered an exit?

​a. 45-minute Interior Door A
b. Corridor B
c. 2-hour Rated Stair
d. Non-Rated Exterior Door

Solution | Posted 08/20/20

Considering all potential components in a building, which of the following occupancies have the most restrictive requirements for material flame spread and smoke development
a. new day-care centers
b. existing duplex home
c. existing Class B department store
d. new large warehouse

Solution | Posted 08/12/20

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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A building addition is to connect two existing buildings of different construction types. Which of the following construction type arrangements is always permissible?
a. Provide the least fire-resistive construction type of the connected portions with no fire barrier separation
b. Provide 1-hour vertically aligned fire wall is installed between them to create separate buildings
c. Provide any construction type for the connection portion with 2-hour fire barrier between buildings
d. none of the above

Solution | Posted 07/22/20

Solution | Posted 07/09/20

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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I am working on a project with male and female restrooms in separate structures located near a park. The structures are roughly 500 sqft. The structures must comply with NFPA 101 for means of egress. I am trying to figure out travel distance requirements.

What occupancy would you classify the restrooms as? And in turn what would be the maximum travel distance if there is only a single door?

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This building is an H-1 occupancy. There is an area of refuge on the 4th floor. The shelter-in-place Class 3 area of refuge is protected from interior and exterior hazards. There are vertical openings through all 4 floors. The UFC is governing.

Based on this, do the stairwells need to be intertied directly to the shelter-in-place area of refuge for an exit enclosure that is a direct accessible means of egress (we are providing accessibility provisions)? Does the shelter-in-place area need to be a smoke enclosure as well as the interconnected stairwell system?

Based on this will both the stairwell and the shelter-in-place need to be pressurized to meet design intent?

Both exterior and interior air is hazardous and a scrubber would be needed to inject air for stairwell pressurization.

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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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When does NFPA 101 take precedence over NFPA 13 in regards to omitting sprinklers in closets less than 12 sqft in area in individual dwelling units of new apartment buildings?

We have a 44-story high rise with 10 sq ft closets that are 2'x5' and we are trying to eliminate the sprinklers. NFPA 13 would require them since it is not a hotel or motel but NFPA 101 allows for the omission.

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Could Fiberglass Reinforced Polymer materials be considered non-combustible? For this project it's intended to be used as an interior building material.

NFPA 130 & NFPA 101 definition of non-combustible material:

4.7  Non-combustible material
A material that complies with any of the following shall be considered a noncombustible material [101:4.6.13.1].

1. A material that, in the form in which it is used and under the conditions anticipated, will not ignite, burn, support combustion, or release flammable vapors, when subjected to fire or heat. [101:4.6.13.1(1)]
2. A material that is reported as passing ASTM E136. [101:4.6.13.1)2)]
3. A material that is reported as complying with the pass/fail criteria of ASTM E136 when tested in accordance with the test method and procedure in ASTM E2652.  [101:4.6.13.1(3)]

Fiberglass Reinforced Polymer (FRP) materials can meet the following minimum standards for flammability:

• ASTM E84:  Standard Test Method for Surface Burning Characteristics of Building Materials:  Flame spread 25
• ASTM D635:   Standard Test Method for Rate of Burning and/or Extent and Time of Burning of Plastics in a Horizontal Position:  Self-extinguish
• UL 94 Tests for Flammability of Plastic Materials for Parts in Devices and Appliances:  V-0

Can this material be considered an equivalent to non-combustible material?

​While Fiberglass Reinforced Polymer (FRP) materials have an excellent fire resistance rating under ASTM and UL tests, it is not specifically classified as non-combustible under ASTM E136.

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We have a dormitory project where, on the first floor, and entry lobby at the front entrance connects directly into a main corridor that runs the length of the dormitory. On either end of the corridor are exterior exits. There are also exit enclosures from the two upper levels that discharge to the exterior on both ends of the building. This project is under NFPA 101-2018 and is fully-sprinklered.

NFPA 101-2018 7.1.3.1 and 28.3.6 state the following:

7.1.3 Separation of Means of Egress.
7.1.3.1 Exit Access Corridors. Corridors used as exit access and serving an area having an occupant load exceeding 30 shall be separated from other parts of the building by walls having not less than a 1-hour fire resistance rating in accordance with Section 8.3, unless otherwise permitted by one of the following:
(1) This requirement shall not apply to existing buildings, provided that the occupancy classification does not change.
(2) This requirement shall not apply where otherwise provided in Chapters 11 through 43.

Because this is a new dormitory, Chapter 28 also applies:
28.3.6 Corridors.
28.3.6.1 Walls.
28.3.6.1.1 Exit access corridor walls shall comply with 28.3.6.1.2 or 28.3.6.1.3.
28.3.6.1.2 In buildings not complying with 28.3.6.1.3, exit access corridor walls shall consist of fire barriers in accordance
with Section 8.3 that have not less than a 1-hour fire resistance rating.
28.3.6.1.3 In buildings protected throughout by an approved, supervised automatic sprinkler system in accordance with
28.3.5, corridor walls shall have a minimum 1∕2-hour fire resistance rating.

Our question is - is the lobby, by code, considered part of the corridor (and therefore need to be rated)?

Two ways of looking at this - one is that the code is strictly only discussing requirements for the corridor and not a lobby. The other way of looking at it is that the lobby is acting as the corridor when it serves as part of the exit access for the building. 

Normally a 1/2-hour rating wouldn't make all that much of a difference, but there's storefront in the lobby space between an adjacent office and the lobby which would have a cost impact to the project.

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Are exits in industrial occupancies required to have panic hardware if the overall number of employees is 50 or more?

This is under NFPA 101 Life Safety Code, 2018 edition. Thanks.

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I'm working on an exercise studio with one big open room and dealing with a plan examiner who insists travel distance is measured along walls leading to an exit, rather than diagonally across the space. To me this is absurd. Thoughts?

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Are there any scenario where the means of egress can be routed from a corridor, through a room, to the exterior? Must all egress corridors discharge to the exterior?

I would assume panic hardware would have to be provided and the room couldn't have a means of being locked, but if a room is relatively low-hazard (like a classroom) could it be used for egress between a corridor and the exterior?

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A small core area of a two-story office building has two stairs. One is a traditional enclosed exit stair fire-rated at 1-hour. The other stair is intended to be an "open access stair". The project is under NFPA 101 for means of egress and is sprinkler protected under NFPA 13.

NFPA 101 Chapter 38 New Business Occupancies
   NFPA 101 38.3 Protection
      NFPA 101 38.3.1 Protection of Vertical Openings
         NFPA 101 38.3.1.1 Vertical openings shall be enclosed or protected in accordance with Section 8.6, unless otherwise permitted by any of the following: (4) Exit access stairs in accordance with 38.2.4.6 shall permitted to be unenclosed.

         NFPA 101 38.2.4.6 A single means of egress shall be permitted for a maximum two-story, single-tenant space or building provided that both of the following criteria are met:
            (1) The building is protected throughout by an approved, supervised automatic sprinkler system in accordance with 9.7.1.1(1).
            (2) The total travel to the outside does not exceed 100 ft.

The only way to have an unenclosed stair for this building is if the "total travel to the outside" can include travel through the unenclosed "exit access stair". 

Is it permissible to have one open stair and one enclosed stair with "total travel to the outside" going through the open access stair?

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I have a 2-hour fire rated barrier and need to choose code-compliant firestop. The firestop has different ratings (F, T, and L) - which is applicable?

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