Minimum Distance of Remote FDC from Building?

1/11/2022

For a fire department connection that is remote (freestanding) from the building, what is the minimum distance between the building and the remote fire department connection?

I've seen some authors recommend a distance equal to the building height, but others recommend half the building height.

Is there a code or standard reference that indicates this?

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13 Comments

Alex

1/11/2022 07:42:14 am

Hi,

I would say that the more important question is how close does the FDC need to be to a hydrant? The further the FDC to the building, the more friction loss you will have to account for but that number is never too large (in the grand scheme of things).

You want the FDC to be close to a hydrant so when the first truck arrives on scene, they don't need to stretch hundreds feet of hose to connect to the building. NFPA 14 - 19' Edition states in 6.4.5.4 the the maximum distance is 100' between the FDC and the nearest fire hydrant unless allowed by the AHJ to be further.

Thanks,
Alex

Anthony

1/11/2022 08:13:22 am

Requirements are vague for this kind of this I think by design so as to give an AHJ as much flexibility as possible. Defiantly call a fire official for guidance on their preferences as they can vary widely from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

I would recommend closer being better as Alex states due to friction loss especially in a residential commercial or urban applications. However, if you're looking at an industrial application or anywhere with explosive possibilities further might be better with a larger feed to a building. I thinking about an oil and gas or fertilizer plant.

Todd Wyatt

1/11/2022 08:16:48 am

Per IBC (the scoping Code) FDC shall comply with Section 912. 912.2 Location ststes FDC shall be "so located that fire apparatus and hose connected to supply the ssystem will not obstruct access to the building for other fire apparatus. The location of FDC shall be approved by the fire code official." 912.2 goes on to identify visibility requirements (912.2.1) and FDC signage on existing building where visbility is an issue. The IBC does not include prescriptive requirements regarding building height and FDC locations but it does include access requirements per 912.34 Access. (https://codes.iccsafe.org/content/IBC2021P1/chapter-9-fire-protection-and-life-safety-systems#IBC2021P1_Ch09_Sec912)

Wes

1/11/2022 08:19:19 am

One of the reasons that a remote (freestanding) FDC is beneficial to firefighters is that it is distanced from the building, which protects firefighters from the radiant heat from the building but also keeps the FDC outside of the building collapse zone.

Some US Federal project requirements we've been involved with actually require the remote FDC to be at least 1.5 x the exterior building height, which effectively tries to keep the FDC outside of the building collapse zone.

Wes

1/11/2022 08:21:12 am

I'm not a fan of remote FDCs myself - they introduce a much higher potential for corrosion, freeze-ups, can get run over by vehicles, and are more expensive. But when jurisdictions have required them, that's the reasoning that I typically hear behind their use.

Wes

1/11/2022 08:22:22 am

... and that's 1.5 x the building height, "away from the building". So a 20-ft tall building exterior wall would require the FDC to be 30-ft away from the building.

1/11/2022 08:30:24 am

The remote FDC must be located on the same side of the fire lane as the nearest fire hydrant to prevent obstruction of the fire lane by fire hoses. (NFPA 1:18.2.4.1, NFPA 24:5.9.5.2)

The fire hydrant must be 40+ ft. from the building. (NFPA 24:7.2.3)

Where a PIV is required, it must also be 40+ ft. from the building. (NFPA 24:6.2.9(1))

Backflow preventers must also be 40+ ft. from the building. (NFPA 24:6.2.9(4))

All of these requirements should result in an easily accessible remote fire lane with all required fire protection system appurtenances located conveniently in proximity to each other, with all required minimum spacing.

Dan Wilder

1/11/2022 08:56:07 am

The "collapse zone" is defined as 1.5X where X is the wall height so anything within this zone is subject to impact from debris and should be avoided if possible.

However, I can't say that the remote FDC location has ever been defined by this zone....it's typically put remote to keep the FDC-Hydrant distance within the required 100' (cheaper to add the new pipe than relocate/add a hydrant) or due to the backflow having the FDC on it and its location already being remote.

This isn't in the IBC/IFC to my knowledge, it's out of NFPA 1006 & 1500 but that only discusses operations in those zones, not actually putting the FDC outside of it (apparatus, equipment, and personnel are teh focus). This is more just an extremely forward looking approach.

Wes

1/11/2022 09:01:08 am

Agreed Dan. Where I've seen the 1.5x required, it has been written-into the project by RFP writers who were aware of their department needs. It has not come from model codes or standards.

Glenn Berger

1/11/2022 11:25:28 am

Back to the original question - I am not aware of any published requirement that provides a minimum (or maximum) distance from a building wall to a remote FDC.

John Culpepper

1/12/2022 02:53:01 pm

I am in the Fire Department and one of my City’s Site Plan Reviewers. In my city there are City Utility Guides Lines which says the "Siamese connections must be located within 50 feet of a dedicated hydrant." This is more stringent than the Fire Code, so I go by that guideline. It also says, "The dedicated hydrant is not credited toward external protection requirements." The 50' distance works good for commercial and residential sprinkler systems in my city because the only thing the Fire Codes talk about is the 100' distance for building with standpipe systems but nothing about buildings without standpipe systems. These two distances allow me to give the designer an extra couple of feet depending on the circumstances. If there is plenty of room around the building being constructed, I ask for a remote FDC and if building is in part of the city with no room or open area, a wall mount will do. The remote FDC keeps crews from hooking right at the building wall and helps protect the firefighters. If there is a collapse, it’s not going to make much of a difference because if you are using a wall mount and/or a remote FDC in the collapse zone it will probably be damaged or blocked. There are many locations you cannot put an FDC far enough from the building. I try and keep it far enough from the building when I can. The whole idea is to keep the FDC close to the fire hydrant.

Rob Neale

1/13/2022 08:06:21 am

Just a few thoughts:

1. Having a remote FDC allows the pumping apparatus to stay away from the building so other incoming vehicles have more likelihood of being able to maneuver freely around the building.

2. An aggressive ITM program will minimize the likelihood of a poorly maintained FDC.

3. If the building collapses, you're well beyond worrying about pumping the FDC; you'll be onto heavy stream appliances.

4. With large diameter hose, the distance from a hydrant to the FDC is almost moot unless no one likes draining and reloading 5-inch.

5. Can we even say "Siamese" anymore?

John Culpepper

1/13/2022 08:57:22 am

I agree with what you say, the remote protects apparatus and firefighters. Being a Fire Inspector, it is out job to confirm the fire codes are met during annual inspections and part of that is to confirm that the fire protection system has been inspected and passed all required inspections; it shall be maintained.
The fire code says . . .

901.6 Inspection, testing and maintenance.
To the extent that equipment, systems, devices, and safeguards, such as fire detection, alarm and extinguishing systems, which were provided and approved by the building official when constructed, shall be maintained in an operative condition at all times. And where such equipment, systems, devices, and safeguards are found not to be in an operative condition, the fire official shall order all such equipment to be rendered safe in accordance with the USBC.

912.7 Inspection, testing and maintenance.
Fire department connections shall be periodically inspected, tested and maintained in accordance with NFPA 25. Records of inspection, testing and maintenance shall be maintained.

Minimum Distance of Remote FDC from Building?

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