​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 09/09/19

Solution | Posted 09/05/19

I'm looking for basic to intermediate online training for means of egress and passive fire protection topics for myself and my team.

Any tips for finding quality continuing education in this arena? We work mostly with the IBC, but occasionally with NFPA 101 as well.

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Solution | Posted 09/03/19

Our project has a proposed layout includes convenience stairs next to a corridor that serves restrooms, utility spaces, and doors to large open office areas. It's a B-occupancy subject to NFPA 101 requirements.

As a side note, the International Building Code (2018) makes it clear that two-story openings are permitted in occupancies other than I-2 and I-3 when they meet certain limitations, per section 712.1.9. One of the limitations it that is it not open to a corridor, but that's in Group I or R occupancies only. Group I and R occupancies require special treatment for corridors.

NFPA 101 has similar provisions for Convenience Openings (Section 8.6.9). One of the requirements is that "such openings shall be separated from corridors", per section 8.6.9.1(3). If corridors in a building are not required to be separated (such as for an open-office B occupancy), does this requirement still apply, or is this section saying that we have to have rated corridors whenever we have convenience stair openings?

   8.6.9 Convenience Openings.
  8.6.9.1 Where permitted by Chapters 11 through 43, unenclosed vertical openings not concealed within the building construction shall be permitted as follows:
   (1) Such openings shall connect not more than two adjacent stories (one floor pierced only).
   (2) Such openings shall be separated from unprotected vertical openings serving other floors by a barrier complying
with 8.6.5.
   (3)* Such openings shall be separated from corridors.
   (4)* In other than approved, existing convenience openings, such openings shall be separated from other fire or smoke compartments on the same floor.
   (5) In new construction, the convenience opening shall be separated from the corridor referenced in 8.6.9.1(3) by a smoke partition, unless Chapters 11 through 43 require the corridor to have a fire resistance rating.
   (6)* Such openings shall not serve as a required means of egress.

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Do you have any thoughts or input on the interior exit stair penetration limitations of Section 1023.5 of the IBC? 

I have someone contending that you aren’t allowed to run a “bulk feed” main into a stairtower and then back out again on a different level.  They claim that 1023.5 limits penetrations only to MEP equipment that serves the stairwell itself.  I contend that, especially as clarified in the 2018 edition (although I contend that it was always the intent), any fire protection system is allowed to penetrate such a stairtower as needed, as long as the penetrations are correctly firestopped etc…
 
The confusion comes from the 2015 edition, which reads (emphasis added to indicate the confusion that I think this person is having):

“Penetrations into or through interior exit stairways and ramps are prohibited except for equipment and ductwork necessary for independent ventilation or pressurization, sprinkler piping, standpipes, electrical raceway for fire department communication systems and electrical race-way serving the interior exit stairway and ramp and terminating at a steel box not exceeding 16 square inches.  Such penetrations shall be protected in accordance with Section 714.  There shall not be penetrations or communication openings, whether protected or not, between adjacent interior exit stairways and ramps.”
 
I believe that that person is seeing that “serving the interior exit stairway and ramp” portion of that snippet, and they are applying it to everything.  However, I contend that that is actually applying specifically to “…and electrical race-way serving the interior exit stairway and ramp and terminating at a steel box not exceeding 16 square inches”.  I think that the person is cherry picking what they want it to say, although it is somewhat confusing the way it’s all written on one line.  I believe that if that person really wanted to apply this verbatim, then you would not even be allowed to have combined standpipes that feed sprinkler systems outside the stairwell, or even dedicated sprinkler risers in the stairwell wouldn’t be allowed to serve any floor area outside the stairwell.  Basically any sprinkler riser in a stairwell would only be allowed to feed that specific stairwell…  I think it’s clear that this is not the intent of the code.

Read More Here

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Solution | Posted 08/21/19

The International Building Code requires identification of fire partitions, barriers, or fire walls with 3" letters identifying the wall itself.

I've seen (especially in hospitals) labels for each through-penetration with a UL Listing sticker right below each penetration. Is this a requirement by code, or just a hospital standard?

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Solution | Posted 08/16/19

Solution | Posted 08/08/19

The International Building Code Section 707.5.1 (2015 Edition) requires structure to have at least the level of fire resistance as the element it is supporting:

707.5.1 Supporting construction. The supporting construction for a fire barrier shall be protected to afford the required fire-resistance rating of the fire barrier supported. Hollow vertical spaces within a fire barrier shall be fireblocked in accordance with Section 718.2 at every floor level.

   Exceptions:

1. The maximum required fire-resistance rating for assemblies supporting fire barriers separating tank storage as provided for in Section 415.9.1.2 shall be 2 hours, but not less than required by Table 601 for the building construction type.

2. Supporting construction for 1-hour fire barriers required by Table 509 in buildings of Type IIB, IIIB and VB construction is not required to be fire-resistance rated unless required by other sections of this code.

The project is a three-story hotel and each unit is required to have a 1/2-hour fire resistance rating between units and between the unit and the corridor. 

Is the building structure required to have at least a 1/2-hour rating on account of these separations?

I see two potential outs that would not require it - first being that the 1/2-hour fire resistance rating could be considered a "fire partition" and not a "fire barrier". Second out is exception #2 listed above although it speaks to a 1-hour rated fire barrier and not a 1/2-hour fire barrier.

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Considering all potential components in a building, which of the following occupancies has 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 07/22/19

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 07/11/19

​We are working on a temple project that will be constructed using solid natural stones (Sandstone and Marble). All structural members of the temple will also be made of stones to be cut and taken directly from the mountains. Ferrous materials will not be permitted in the construction of the Temple.

The AHJ is requiring us to present theoretically the default fire ratings of these natural stones to be used with particular thicknesses. What resources exist to help calculate/determine the fire ratings of these solid natural stones?

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Up through the 2015 Edition of NFPA 101, membrane penetrations in 1-hour or more rated walls/partitions allows any "steel electrical box not exceeding 0.1 sqft" to be addressed by several options. 

The IBC has a similar provision, although it talks about 16-square-inch boxes instead of 0.1 sqft.

NFPA 101 2012
8.3.5.6.3 Where walls or partitions are required to have a minimum 1-hour fire resistance rating, recessed fixtures shall be installed in the wall or partition in such a manner that the required fire resistance is not reduced, unless one of the following is met:
(1) Any steel electrical box not exceeding 0.1 ft2 (0.01 m2) shall be permitted where the aggregate area of the openings
provided for the boxes does not exceed 0.7 ft2 (0.06 m2) in any 100 ft2 (9.3 m2) of wall area, and, where outlet boxes are installed on opposite sides of the wall, the boxes shall be separated by one of the following:
(a) Horizontal distance of not less than 24 in. (610 mm)
(b) Horizontal distance of not less than the depth of the wall cavity, where the wall cavity is filled with cellulose loose-fill, rock wool, or slag wool insulation
(c)*Solid fireblocking
(d) Other listed materials and methods

The 0.1 sqft threshold seems overly vague - a 4-inch x 4-inch electrical backbox, for instance, is 16 square inches while 0.1 sqft = 14.4 square inches.

Has anyone come across this part of NFPA 101 before and addressed this issue with anything other than a listed box or puddy pad? My understanding is that the only way to address these 4x4 boxes, since they don't qualify as being 0.1 sqft or less, is to have a listed electrical outlet box or to use a listed assembly around the box (like a puddy pad).

After looking into this question a little more, it looks like the 2018 Edition of NFPA 101 even clarified this section to change 0.1 sqft to 16 square inches, but we're not under the 2018 Edition for this project.

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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 barrier 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 06/19/19

A hospital's patient tower has an an exit access corridor with 1/2 hour partition fire resistance rating on the first level. If the interior architect would like to provide side transoms (narrow windows) along the side of the doors that lead to the exit access corridor, what fire resistance rating must the transoms have?
a. 1/3 hour
b. 1/2 hour
c. 3/4 hour
d. 1-hour

Solution | Posted 06/8/19

I've taken technical writing courses and have experience working with MasterSpec, US Military specifications, vendor specifications, and various ownership standard specifications.

I'm giving an internal training to our younger staff and I'm particularly interested in opinions from contractors and vendors who regularly read a variety of specifications for bidding.

What advice would you give for those who write specifications? I'd be interested in helping train our staff as well as improve myself.

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In my experience I've seen a handful of methods in Revit to create life safety plans, and in general they're all developed by the teams I've worked with using a combination of "rooms" and "railings" to calculate occupant loads and travel distances. 

Is there any third-party add-ins or software that others use that could possibly help streamline these efforts?

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A dormitory has 1/2-hour fire barriers separating each residential unit. On each side of the 1/2-hour wall, penetrating the 5/8" gypsum, are shower valves that serve showers within bathrooms on each side.

The shower valves have the valve assembly itself and an opening that's covered with a metal escutcheon. These would qualify as a membrane penetration under the International Building Code.

For back-to-back vales in the wall, how is this commonly addressed to still maintain the 1/2-hour fire resistance rating?

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Is it necessary to provide a UL firestop for a sprinkler through a fire-rated partition?

I would think that since the penetrating item is a sprinkler that it would not require an actual UL firestop penetration, however I am having trouble finding a code reference to back up my thoughts. My scenario is a sidewall going to through a vertical double layer gypsum partition. 

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I've had the request multiple times from architects to provide closely spaced sprinklers near interior windows to provide the equivalent of a 1-hour wall. 

The only support I see for such an arrangement in the International Building Code or in NFPA 13 for glass is specific to the "Enclosure of Atriums," Section 404.5 (2003-2009 Editions) or 404.6 (2013-2015 Editions).

If someone is looking to provide the equivalent of a 1-hour wall, with glass, that is not a part of an atrium enclosure, then are the only options to provide rated glass or the Tyco WS Window Sprinkler?

I sense a lot of confusion on this topic from architects, whom I guess see other project arrangements and just assume they're standard closely-spaced sprinklers.

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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 08/22/18

An equivalency is being developed for a building with unprotected steel W24x76 columns. Determine the fire endurance time (in minutes) for one of these columns W24x76 columns have an approximate flange and web thickness of 0.68 inches, and a flange width of 8.99 inches.
a. 4.3 minutes
b. 7.8 minutes
c. 9.7 minutes
d. 55.3 minutes

Solution | Posted 08/14/18

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 barrier 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 06/27/18