Hydrant Spacing & Location for Industrial Plant?

6/20/2025

For a newly built steel smelting plant, how should the layout spacing and protection range of private fire hydrants be considered?

I have checked that NFPA 1 states the maximum spacing for "Buildings Other than Detached One- and Two-Family Dwellings" is no more than 500 feet, but NFPA 850 specifies a maximum spacing of 300 feet.

Do both govern?

If so, does the more-restrictive one apply?

What should be the protection range of each hydrant?

Thanks in advance.

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11 Comments

Pete H

6/20/2025 07:56:11 am

When two codes are in conflict, the more restrictive one generally applies.

Glenn Berger

6/20/2025 08:17:22 am

You need to identify which codes and standards apply your project. I would not expect NFPA 850 to be applicable.

Dan Wilder

6/20/2025 08:30:13 am

NFPA 850 is currently a "Recommend Practice" (moving to a standard for 2026) which is less than a "Standard" and 3rd in line from NFPA 1 "Code".

850 will contain a lot of "Should" statements and also has the inclusion of a FPDBD - Fire Protection Design Basis Document - which can address this discrepancy within that report. As an order of operations, NFPA 1 (and AHJ approvals) would be the guiding document however the differing distances should be noted for review.

**As a voting member of NFPA 850, my statements above are my opinion and have not been processed in accordance with Section 6 of the Regulations Governing the Development of NFPA Standards and shall not be considered the official position of NFPA or any of its Committees and shall not be considered to be, nor be relied upon as, a Formal Interpretation.

Ricardo Gonzales Jr

6/20/2025 08:55:57 am

Is NFPA 1 & 5000 adopted or are the I-Codes adopted? Other NFPA documents are standards in which can be used as a best practice approach.

The IFC provides guidance in Section 507 and if Appendix C is included in that adoption provides the minimum quantity of hydrants.

There are also other restrictions if standpipes are in the design.

Sanjeev

6/20/2025 08:58:12 am

You apply NFPA 850 as it is applicable for industrial plant. We use the same in our industrial project.

Jesse

6/20/2025 09:00:47 am

I'm with Dan re: 850. But that's not one of my committees so I don't need to use that disclaimer - but I'm gonna steal and use it in the future!

So NFPA 1 is going to govern on the NFPA side of things. But, IBC gets a vote and your AHJ may have amended it further than what the IBC text says.

I do a lot of underground fire line design work, and my default to this is work with the AHJ. Ask what they want.

CONNOR R

6/20/2025 09:28:33 am

NFPA 850 is the Recommended Practice for Fire Protection for Electric Generating Plants and High Voltage Direct Current Converter Stations. The scope of NFPA 850 does not directly include steel smelting plants:

1.1 Scope.
This document provides recommendations for fire prevention and fire protection for electric generating plants and high voltage direct current converter stations, except as follows: Advanced light water reactor electric generating plants are addressed in NFPA 804; nuclear power plants are addressed in NFPA 805; and fuel cells are addressed in NFPA 853.

I know that steel mills often have onsite power generation, so NFPA 850 may be applicable to a portion of the facility but would not apply to the whole plant. Consider spacing at 300 ft around the generation facility and 500 ft everywhere else.

Franck

6/20/2025 01:13:12 pm

You should definitely ask the AHJ and to a certain extent the Insurance Company as well.
In my previous insurance company we were asking a maximum spacing of 250 ft for industrial facilities (and we were insuring many steel mills worldwide).

NFPA 850 might not be the most appropriate standard for steel mills (even though it provides excellent recommendations for large transformers, cable spreading rooms, turbines, and other facilities and equipment found at steel mills, including guidelines for coke storage and transportation that is often used at steel mills (depending on the process on site)).

Jack G

6/20/2025 02:56:08 pm

NFPA 850.
However I would consult the AHJ before installing.
Also use some common sense for locations and maybe additional hydrants to simplify .

Nimal Tissa Wijetunga

6/21/2025 08:40:27 pm

Please refer NFPA 24 if the system is external hydrant points of 21/2"inch in size.

Johannes

6/23/2025 12:24:57 am

Another aspect I would take into account, should be: What is your standard hose length? On ships and offshore structures, it is required to reach any point of the vessel with two jets of water, each supplied from different hydrants, where one nozzle must be connected via only one hose and the second nozzle maybe connected via two.

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