Corridor with a Non-Exit Door at End a Dead-End?

6/18/2024

We have a sprinkler protected facility where we have a corridor that exceeds 50-ft in length.

At the end of the corridor is a door that leads to the apparatus bay. It's not a means of egress leading to an exit (higher hazard on the other side). The required means of egress are at other locations in the facility.

Is this considered a dead end corridor under NFPA 101?

In all the examples I've found on the topic, the end is truly dead-end with no means of exiting.

What's your take on this?

Thanks in advance.

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7 Comments

Glenn Berger

6/18/2024 08:17:23 am

This question has a lot of buzz words that can lead to a response of yes to the question of is this a dead-end corridor. A floor plan with a compliancy write-up is required to ensure if the correct answer is given.

Greg

6/18/2024 08:28:06 am

The mention of an apparatus bay would give the impression personnel in the building would be familiar with the hallway. Similar to a fire station, possibly. The door arrangement and ladder may require signage as a component of occupational safety, to caution or warn of what is on the other side. If signage were on the door, would that improve the awareness of the corridor, and provide readable information ahead of the 50 ft distance?

Todd E Wyatt

6/18/2024 08:34:41 am

NFPA 101-2024 restricts Exit Access (EA) passing through “any intervening rooms other than corridors, lobbies, and other spaces permitted to be open to the corridor” per Chapter 7 Means of Egress.

Occupancy Classification (OC) chapters (12-43) have additional Means of Egress (ME) requirements.

Dead-end corridor permissible lengths vary based on the OCs of the building, typically requiring compliance with the most restrictive.

The Means of Egress (ME) includes (3) main components : the Exit Access (EA), the Exit (EX), and the Exit Discharge (ED) that leads to the Public Way (PW).

The EA includes the circulation path from an occupied room, area, or space that typically leads to an Exit Access Corridor (EAC). Depending on the OC and if the Building is protected by an automatic sprinkler system (ASPS), the EAC may or may not be required to be protected by fire-resistive rated (FRR) assembly. The EX is the next ME component and is typically more “protected” than the EAC serving it. Last, the ED discharges to the exterior (typically although interior discharge is permitted in specific conditions). The intent of the (3) ME components is for the occupants to go from less “safe” areas (e.g. kitchen, storeroom, etc) to more safe (EAC) to even more safe EX and finally to the ED and to the exterior. Once an occupant is in a EAC during the ME process, they are not permitted to access less “safe” areas on their way to the EX and ED.

Since the apparatus bay would be considered less “safe” than the Corridor accessing, most AHJs would not permit this intervening room/space/area between the EAC and the EX & ED.

Todd E Wyatt

6/18/2024 08:35:09 am

REFERENCES
Chapter 7 Means of Egress
7.5 Arrangement of Means of Egress.
7.5.1 General.
7.5.1.2
Corridors shall provide exit access without passing through any intervening rooms other than corridors, lobbies, and other spaces permitted to be open to the corridor, unless otherwise provided in 7.5.1.2.2 and 7.5.1.2.3.
7.5.1.2.1*
Exit access shall be arranged so that there are no dead ends in corridors, unless permitted by, and limited to the lengths specified in, Chapters 11 through 43.
7.5.1.2.1*
Exit access shall be arranged so that there are no dead ends in corridors, unless permitted by, and limited to the lengths specified in, Chapters 11 through 43.

A.7.5.1.2.1
The terms dead end and common path of travel are commonly used interchangeably. Although the concepts of each are similar in practice, they are two different concepts.

A common path of travel exists where a space is arranged so that occupants within that space are able to travel in only one direction to reach any of the exits or to reach the point at which the occupants have the choice of two paths of travel to remote exits. Part (a) of Figure A.‍7.5.1.2.1 is an example of a common path of travel.

While a dead end is similar to a common path of travel, a dead end can exist where there is no path of travel from an occupied space but can also exist where an occupant enters a corridor thinking there is an exit at the end and, finding none, is forced to retrace his or her path to reach a choice of exits. Part (b) of Figure A.‍7.5.1.2.1 is an example of such a dead-end arrangement.

Combining the two concepts, part (c) of Figure A.‍7.5.1.2.1 is an example of a combined dead-end/common path of travel problem.

Common paths of travel and dead-end travel are measured using the same principles used to measure travel distance as described in Section 7.6. Starting in the room shown in part (d) of Figure A.‍7.5.1.2.1, measurement is made from the most remote point in the room, A, along the natural path of travel and through the doorway along the centerline of the corridor to point C, located at the centerline of the corridor, which then provides the choice of two different paths to remote exits; this is common path of travel. The space between point B and point C is a dead end. (See 3.3.49 for the definition of common path of travel.)

ENHANCED CONTENT
A dead end exists in a corridor where the corridor continues past an exit and creates a pocket into which an occupant might travel. The occupant then recognizes there is no exit at that end of the pocket and is forced to retrace the original path to reach the exit. Although relatively short dead-end corridors are permitted for all occupancies by the chapter applicable to that occupancy, it is a better practice to avoid them; dead-end corridors increase the danger of people becoming trapped during a fire. Note that compliance with the limits on dead-end corridors does not necessarily mean that the requirements for remoteness of exits are met. Requirements for remoteness are especially difficult to meet in small buildings or buildings with short public corridors.

Exhibit 7.156 illustrates examples of two common types of dead-end corridors. In moving toward exits, occupants from building spaces other than the rooms served by the dead-end portion of the corridor could mistakenly travel into the dead end. Similarly, any occupant of the floor might mistakenly travel into the dead end created by the elevator lobby, which is connected to the corridor so as not to be discerned by the occupants as being anything other than a corridor. Neither of the dead-end corridor pockets leads to an exit.

For persons occupying the two rooms located at the very end of the dead-end corridor section at the top of Exhibit 7.156, the travel from those rooms through that portion of the corridor system involves the concept of common path of travel, not dead-end corridors. Because the concepts of dead-end corridors and common path of travel are often confused, dead-end corridors have been blamed for fire deaths more correctly attributable to common path of travel problems. For example, the report on a 1977 Rhode Island dormitory fire in which 10 people died reads:

Dead-end corridors approximately 61 feet long existed at each end of the dormitory. These dead ends were allowed by the Rhode Island building code in effect at the time when the building renovations were made in 1972. A factor contributing to four of the deaths and several of the injuries was the long, dead-end corridor. Residents who left their rooms in this dead end were [kept from reaching] their only exit.

For the occupants of the other five rooms with door assemblies opening into the dead-end corridor section at the top of Exhibit 7.156, the concepts of both dead-end corridors and common path of travel are applicable. Although occupants must travel in one direction to reach an exit, they also might mistakenly turn the wrong way when leaving their

Rick Sellek

6/18/2024 10:06:51 am

Todd E Wyatt’s response where he provides the enhanced content tells you everything. The dead end is measured when you pass the exit and no other exit is available from that point on. Your condition could just as easily be a residential occupancy with unit entry doors located beyond the distance limits set forth in the code.

Todd E Wyatt

6/18/2024 11:13:31 am

While the "ENHANCED CONTENT" from NFPA LiNK and the NFPA 101 Commentary can both aid in understanding the intent of the Code, AHJs (Authority Having Jurisdictions ... Code Official) are not required to enforce it (nor consider it) so use it cautiously. Recommend always confirming your interpretations with the AHJ (in writing).

I have worked with AHJs that interpret Dead Ends (DE) as any Corridor that could be accessed from an occupied room where an occupant could mistakenly egress the "wrong way" requiring them to backtrack to the Exit.

Jack G

6/18/2024 11:08:05 am

Todd is spot on.
If I were the AHJ I would ask tor egress signs in front of each door in the dead end corridor so occupants aren’t confused. No big deal for a few signs. Saves liability.
Inside of occupants doors should have the same signs like a hotel/ motel.

Corridor with a Non-Exit Door at End a Dead-End?

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