NFPA 2001, Standard on Clean Agent Fire Extinguishing Systems now require an egress time study to show that the design limits exposure to halocarbon agents is no longer than 5 minutes, like FK-5-1-12 (NOVEC 1230), HFC-227ea (FM 200).

This comes from 2018 Edition Section 1.5.14, 2020 Edition Section 4.3.4, and 2022 Edition Section 4.3.4.

Exposure time for inert gas agents will depend on the oxygen levels within the space or room. Concentration below 43 percent shall be permitted where exposure is no longer than 5 minutes. Concentration between 43 and 52 percent shall be permitted where exposure is no longer than 3 minutes.

The annex of NFPA 2001 tells us to review the NFPA Handbook and the SFPE Handbook for more information.

Is anyone doing these calculations, and if so, what exit flow, movement speed, and reaction time would you consider appropriate for spaces using these systems?

​Thanks in advance.

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Subject: Two story convenience opening separation from corridors.

NFPA 101 (2021 edition) Section 8.6.9.1 permits convenience openings for two adjacent stories. But, these convenience openings shall be separated from corridors (requirement #3) and further states that separation should be by a smoke partition (requirement #5).

How do you define a corridor versus an open floor area or lobby per NFPA 101, since no definitions are given within the code?

Jurisdiction is required to follow NFPA 1 and NFPA 101.

For example, a building has a large assembly space on the second floor. All doors from the assembly space lead to a ~40'-0" wide circulation space (+200'-0" long in the other direction). To reach the building exit stair, occupants from the assembly room must traverse the 40'-0" wide circulation space. Within this circulation space is a ~20'-0" x 40'-0" vertical opening that connects the 1st and 2nd floor.

Should this circulation space be considered a corridor, and should the vertical opening be prohibited from being classified as a convenience opening without a smoke partition separating from the corridor?

Or is the 2nd floor space to be considered an open floor area, with exits immediately accessible in different directions (NFPA 101 7.5.1.1.1) and not consider it a corridor?

​The width of the circulation space seems too wide to be defined as a corridor but NFPA only provides minimum width requirements for corridors, and no maximum width for a space to be considered a corridor as far as I can determine.

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NFPA references are based on current editions. While NFPA 101, Section 30.3.1.1.4 (New Apartments) allows vertical penetrations to be protected with a 1-hour rating when sprinklered, NFPA 101, Section 30.5.2 requires HVAC equipment to comply with NFPA 90A.

According to NFPA 90A, Sections 9.1.3 and 6.8.3, a higher level of protection is required for shafts that penetrate more than four floors (2-hr fire rated and fire dampers).

Does the exception provided in NFPA 101 permit reducing the required fire rating to 1-hour for duct shafts, or does NFPA 90A take precedence?

I'm curious to hear different perspectives on this.

I can understand both sides of the issue but find it challenging to justify allowing a 1-hour fire rating for a vertical exit within a New Apartment while requiring a 2-hour fire rating for the duct shafts.

Thanks in advance.
​
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UFC 3-600-01 (with change 6, 2021), Section 4-29.2.1 requires a manually activated smoke exhaust system for Limited-Access Structures three stories or more in height, with 6 air changes per hour throughout the entire building.

NFPA 101 (2024), Section 11.7.3.1.2 and 11.7.3.2 outlines that if there are no unobstructed operable openings, openable from both the exterior and interior of the building, the building is defined as a Limited-Access Structure.

Most DoD buildings have security requirements that do not permit operable windows, especially not from the exterior or the interior. Therefore, most DoD structures over two stories in height would require these post-fire smoke purge systems; however, I have not seen them actually being implemented on projects.

Is there an alternative code path I am missing, or have you designed and installed these systems in UFC projects?

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​I am in the process of bidding an existing building.

Here is the rundown: the ground level has parking. Above that is a 3-hour horizontal separation between the parking and the first floor. Then there are three stories of apartments above the separation.

I’m looking at this as two separate buildings and am proposing NFPA 13 for the parking and NFPA 13R for the apartments above.

If a stair structure is supporting the fire barriers that enclose the exit enclosure, does the stair structure have to be fire rated as well?

Looking specifically at IBC 2018 Section 707.5.1 and NFPA 101 (2018) Section 7.1.3.2.

If there is a fire inside a stair, the means of egress is no longer usable and at that point are you protecting the interior of the building from the fire inside the exit enclosure?

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Water curtain using automatic sprinklers to avoid providing opening protectives - there's a lot of confusion on this.

Exception stated under Section 705.8.2 of 2021 International Building Code (OBC) states that Opening protectives are not required where the building is equipped through an automatic sprinkler system in accordance with Section 903.1.1 and the exterior openings are protected by a water curtain using automatic sprinkler systems approved for that use.

Can we use this exception and provide a water curtain using automatic sprinklers to avoid fire rated doors in the loading dock of a building?

Is there anything else that I need to be concerned about while designing these sprinklers for the water curtain?

Need more clarity here before recommending an approach. Thanks in advance. 

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What code or standard prescribes the location and/or number of heat / smoke / gas detectors needed for an industrial / chemical plant?

We have an open steel structure with processing equipment on most floors, which are essentially grating – no roof and no walls – containing flammable and toxic chemicals. 

We’ve planned to place some detection in strategic spots downwind of the flare (southmost) and tankfarm (same flammables) and there are some single-story buildings and other outside equipment like a cooling tower, nitrogen generation, boiler – all downwind of the tankfarm and open structure mentioned. 

So, some of all types where personnel could be in any area especially the lab/control room and electrical building mentioned above.  The modular building supplier may have those taken care of but I need to check behind them. 

The majority are outside and in the nine-story structure.  I plan to have flame and gas detectors throughout depending on the correct guidance.  Thanks in advance for your take!

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UL designs discuss loading-bearing and non-load bearing walls.

I haven't seem many where they discuss when, say, electrical, fire pump, fire alarm panels or other equipment are mounted on the walls.

At what point do you have to consider the objects on the wall and consider the wall as load-bearing?

It may just be a structural question, but my structural contacts have said not to worry but I wanted to hear others opinions. Thank you in advance!

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Is there an egress requirement for a garage structure that only houses the car stacker, with 10 bays and 3 levels?

What would a code path be for or against such a requirement?

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I am overseeing an NFPA 101, Chapter 43 reconstruction project in an existing storage occupancy that is changing to an industrial/high hazard occupancy.

I am trying to coordinate the means of egress during construction.

Other parts of the building are currently occupied and the new area is less than 50% of the building.

Section 43.7.2.3 requires that the area comply with the applicable new construction chapters of the occupancy. The hazard category per table 43.7.3 leads me to believe this would be a hazard category 1.

The question is: when is the construction area considered to be high hazard?

The contents of the hazardous occupancy will not be present through the entirety of the construction and will only be put in place after the space is ready to be occupied and compliant with all means of egress requirements. During construction, the "high hazard contents room" is just a small room with nothing located inside.

Even with no high hazard contents present until the space is ready to be occupied, does it need to meet the egress requirements of new industrial/high hazard or can it meet the egress requirements of existing for storage?

Thanks.

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I have a new construction 5-story residential (dormitory) being constructed under UFC.

The architect inquired if lobbies need to be provided for the elevators, and, if not, do smoke protection (draft-curtains) need to be provided?

My immediate thought was of course, something needs to be provided. However, when I follow the code track of NFPA 101, it is not exactly clear in comparison to IBC.

The IBC is very clear, Section 3006 regarding the protection of hoistway openings.

Without going through the entire NFPA 101 code-track here, we end up back at NFPA 101 Chapter 8. Section 8.5.3 states a fire barrier can be used as a smoke barrier, provided it meets the requirements of Section 8.5. Hoistway openings, specifically elevator doors are not specifically mentioned in NFPA 101 Section 8.5. The only thing I can point to is Section 8.5.2 Continuity and Section 8.3.5.2 Joint Systems for Fire Barriers.

Other items: The hoistway is to be protected with a 2-hour fire rating, which requires the elevator door to be 1.5 hour rated (Section 8.6.5), and the building is protected throughout with automatic fire sprinklers, including the elevator shaft.

By definition, the building is not considered a high-rise. The hoistway height is ~57 feet.

​What are everyone's thoughts on this?

Thanks in advance.

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I understand that Chapter 7 of NFPA 101 applies to stairs on the means of egress.

However, in the case of a feature stair, does the same dimensional requirements and handrails on both sides still apply?

In theory, should a person be on the feature stair when the fire alarm activates, they would need to traverse the stair to escape and it therefore forms part of the means of egress?

Thanks in advance.

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I’ve been reviewing standards to determine the equivalency between fireproofing thickness and the fire resistance rating.

This is for an industrial plant structure. I realize there are many factors but at some point I need a reference to determine what the rating is required to be.

What is the process to determine what the required fire-resistance-rating of a component needs to be?

In this case, it is for structural steel supporting columns of the open structure. The structure is composed of the main support columns and those supporting vessels, etc. The structure is about 5-6 levels tall.  For simplicity I wanted to address the main columns starting on floor 1 where a pool fire may start.  If I could find the standard / guidance for this then I can adapt for vessel supports, etc.  

I’ve been through calculations and information from API 2218 to determine the fireproofing thickness for a certain hour rating. However, I have yet to determine or find the hourly rating requirement.

I’m assuming it will be 1-3 hours, for example, using API 2510 (LPG) as a guide with reference to UL 1709. It does specify a 1½ hour time rating which then gives a fireproofing thickness. Further, the fire protection requirements will come from a risk assessment of the system. I have to be able to give guidance to the risk team to help them come to suitable answers.

What can I use to provide a best answer to an hourly rating, hopefully, chapter and verse?

Thank you for your help in advance.

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I have a highrise that exceeds 400-ft in height. The engineer designed a combination riser with all of the floor control assemblies coming from one riser, and not alternating as is in code. 

I'm wondering if there's something I'm missing - any way around alternating the floor control assemblies, like upper-level pumps being considered separate systems or something of the like?

​Looking for better understanding here and being sure I'm not missing something bigger picture. Thanks in advance.

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​In the corridors of an apartment building (wrap) there are fire doors that are double-egress pairs that are left-hand-reverse by left-hand reverse which follows the natural traffic pattern within the corridor.

However, there are also several right-hand-reverse by right-hand-reverse in the same corridor.

Is there a requirement one way or another on which direction these are supposed to be?

​I informed the project manager that the egress needs to follow the natural traffic pattern. I was curious about the different flow patterns of the doors so I researched the code but was unable to locate anything in the code regarding whether it was code or not, except for the AHJ. The county where I live also agreed with me but if someone out there knows if this is code please respond.

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A business occupancy we're working on has 550 occupants, and requires three means of egress per Section 7.4.1.2 (NFPA 101, 2018 Edition).

Section 7.5.1.1.1 indicates that egress shall be arranged such that each occupant has access to not less than two means of egress.

When the three means of egress are required per Section 7.4.1.2, does access to all three means of egress need to be provided to each occupant?

Or will providing access for each occupant to a minimum of two means of egress satisfy the code requirement?

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NFPA 101, Section 39.2.2.2.2* Door Locking to Prevent Unwanted Entry. Where approved, doors, other than those complying with 39.2.11.2, shall be permitted to be locked to prevent unwanted entry provided that all of the following conditions are met:

1. The locking means shall be capable of being engaged without opening the door.
2. The unlocking and unlatching operation from the egress side of the door shall be accomplished without the use of a key, tool, or special knowledge or effort.
3. Egress shall require not more than one releasing operation.

​Question on Item (3) above: Is a knob on a (exit) door considered a 'one releasing operation' or two releasing operations (i.e., turning the knob to unlatch and push it to open the door)?

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If a material has a Class A flame spread rating, can I assume that it does not diminish the rating of a fire-rated assembly?

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