Does a standalone mass notification system (MNS) require a smoke detector in front of the panel for a drug reduction facility?
The facility is 2,100 sqft and houses a minimum of 11 persons. Basically a drug testing and counseling facility. No Fire Alarm required for the building; being governed by UFC 3-600-01 for the US Air Force. Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe
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What are the requirements for installing a smoke detector above a suspended ceiling?
Is it simply the same spacing rules as if the smoke detector were below the ceiling? Thanks in advance. Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe We have an airline opening a training facility in our jurisdiction. The building is fully sprinklered and has a fire alarm.
They wish to install a static airplane fuselage for training airplane cabin personnel. This would be a functioning fuselage with standard airplane doors with ramps. Has anyone had an experience with this? This is a fully sprinklered building so our thinking is the fuselage needs sprinkler coverage inside. Is this correct? This building has a fire alarm system so our thinking is the fuselage needs notification devices. Is this correct? The fuselage doors do not meet the code requirement for egress doors (locks, swing, etc), how is this addressed? Thanks in advance. Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe From the 2023 Edition of NFPA 855, Section 14.6.4 "Outdoor storage areas with an aggregate area greater than 400 sqft (37.1 sqm) shall be provided with a fire alarm system activated by a radiant-energy detection system with occupant notification installed in accordance with NFPA 72."
How do you interpret this requirement if there is outdoor storage of Li-Ion batteries without any sort of structure and 300' from any building, and there are no occupants to notify? Thanks for your help! Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe Does a security grill utilized in school corridors required to be tied into the fire alarm?
If so, the concept should be that the grill in the closed position should return to the open position when fire alarm is activated, correct? Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe Is there any code that requires that fire alarm coverage be provided in areas that are in the process of major modifications, including asbestos abatement work?
We have a project which will undergo major asbestos abatement and are getting pushback that the fire alarm system must remain operational in the space during the renovation work. Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe Looking to learn more about NFPA 72-2019 18.5.5.7 Performance-Based Alternative for visible notification.
Currently have a single 95cd wall-mounted horn-strobe approximately centered in an club office room that is approximately 41-ft by 34-ft, ceilings at 11-ft. The is a wall on the far end that is about 10-ft and 9-ft off the back wall and full height. Table 18.5.5.5.1(a) is based off direct line of sight is my understanding, but would give a maximum room size of 50-ft x 50-ft. Are there any resources available to help understand how to quantify the that 0.0375 lumen/ft² of illumination is met from reflection of surfaces behind the wall? I'm sure there are more inputs that are needed but just looking to get started at how to attack the problem. Thanks in advance Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe Sometimes we would not want to evacuate entire buildings in a fire alarm condition, even outside of healthcare facilities.
If a fire alarm is programmed to evacuate only "affected" areas, what defines the boundaries of the affected area? What building features are required to implement a defend-in-place strategy, in a large Industrial Facility F-1? Where can I find the specific rating requirements for the fire and smoke barriers separating "affected areas"/zones? Looking to understand this concept and the requirements around it better; thanks in advance. Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe Fire alarm question for an ICC state that adopts 2012 IBC/IFC & NFPA 72, 2010 edition.
I have an existing mixed use F-1 & S-1 occupancy. This building was originally built in 1910 with two additions over the years. The building sustained fire damage a year ago and is undergoing repairs, no additions, just repairing fire damage that was quite extensive. The building is not sprinkled (not required when built). They had a partial alarm system installed about 35 years ago. The insurance will cover the cost to repair/replace the partial system only, which will require a new FACP, wiring and initiating devices. Insurance will pay for a new system to cover the entire building, if required by code. We cannot find anything in NFPA 72 that requires the entire building to have alarm coverage. There is no requirement in the IBC for F occupancies (single story, grade level) to have an alarm system. We do see where non-required systems shall be allowed to be partial. The question is, since this alarm system is being modified, is there any requirement for the entire building to be alarmed in NFPA 72? The AHJ would also like to see the entire building to be alarmed, but doesn’t think he can require it by code since it would technically be a non-required system per the IBC. The only thing he could think of was the requirement for manual pull stations at each exit since the building is not sprinkled. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance. Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe We have a passenger elevator that is a traction, machine room-less (MRL).
Under NFPA 13, 2013 Edition, Section 8.15.5.2, a 'sprinkler shall not be required for enclosed, non-combustible elevator shafts that do not contain combustible hydraulic fluids.' NFPA 72, 2013 Edition, Section 21.3.6 states that 'smoke detectors shall not be installed in unsprinklered hoistways unless they are installed to activate the elevator hoistway smoke relief equipment.' I believe these would apply to this elevator. Does the elevator only require lobby smoke detectors, including first floor for recall and second floor for alternate recall? Is a smoke detector actually required within the shaft? This is my first MRL elevator and I want to make sure we cover everything that's required. I would appreciate you views on this, thank you! Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe Fighting with myself this morning on whether interior horn/strobes are required for a project going on in my jurisdiction.
It's a 14,000 sqft tenant space in a sprinklered strip mall. The landlord fire alarm panel only monitors sprinkler system and three duct detectors. Under the 2018 IBC / IFC, no manual fire alarm system is required. Section 907.2.7.1 adds confusion for me regarding occupant notification. It allows an exception for a constantly attended locations to provide instructions in the event of alarm activation from manual pull OR waterflow. Given no constantly attended location exists, would the sprinkler system in this case require interior horn/strobes within the tenant space? The exterior bell is on the rear of the building with a landlord maintenance space in-between. If there was a sprinkler flow in the adjacent tenant space, how would the space in question be notified to evacuate? The architect on the project feels nothing is required inside the space. Maybe I'm taking a common sense approach to this but want to be sure I have code to back me up in requiring interior occupant notification. This is for a discount retail tenant. Thanks in advance. Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe In NFPA 72, does Pathway Survivability apply only to Emergency Communication systems?
In the 2019 Edition of NFPA 72, Section 12.4 stipulates required protection regarding various levels. Section 24.3 Pathway Survivability defines requirements for different levels of declaration. Chapter 12 applies for all fire alarm wiring. However, the title of Chapter 24 is for Emergency Communication systems. Does pathway survivability apply only for Emergency Communication systems only? Thanks in advance. Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe Can a zone control valve assembly be installed downstream of another zone control valve assembly?
If there is a fire in Zone A (the primary zone), Zone A's flow switch would activate. If there is a fire in Zone B (the secondary zone), Zone A and B's flow switches would activate. Not sure whether this is permitted under NFPA 13 or 72. Thanks in advance. Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe Four-story office building wants to shut down five large air handlers nightly. Purpose is to lower energy costs when building is unoccupied. This will cause all fire/smoke dampers (FSDs) to close (the smoke detectors in return ducts need minimum operational air velocity).
The FSDs are mostly original from 1985-1988. Only UL tested for 5000 cycles and no dynamic. I cannot find a code reference to prohibit this and believe that the FSDs are already near the end of their functional lifespan. Many have been replaced due to bad actuators, binding jack shafts and missing blades. Anyone know of a code reference to prohibit this use or when a FSD must be replaced? Thanks in advance. Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe Is a Pathway Survivability of Level 1 allowed for an elementary school and high school?
If not, what kind of protection would be required? Are there any performance alternatives? Thanks in advance. Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe If I have a machine with a carbon dioxide extinguishing system in a room equipped with an automatic sprinkler system.
Does the carbon dioxide system panel need to be tied into main fire alarm control panel? Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe I have a Business occupancy building that is being remodeled and new RTUs units are being installed.
There was a mechanical inspection done recently and the inspector is asking for duct smoke detectors on the supply-side of units under 2,000 CFM. The units supply air to common areas to a single floor and don’t physically share ducts or plenums. There is no smoke detector coverage since it’s a sprinklered building. We do have smoke detectors above fire alarm equipment are required. I tried searching for an answer in IBC, IFC, and NFPA standards, but couldn’t find a definite answer. Thanks in advance. Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe 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! Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe I'm currently looking at a water treatment plant.
Electrical design wanted to coordinate using the same horn/strobes to notify for a chlorine gas leak, as it would avoid being redundant and putting up their own horn/strobes to go off during a leak. This would require hooking up a non-fire related notification appliance to the fire alarm panel. What are thoughts on this? Thanks in advance. Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe An engineering firm has insisted that a waterflow activation shutdown the HVAC system and cited NFPA 90A: A.6.4.3.
A.6.4.3 Where automatic water sprinklers are provided and zoned to coordinate with the HVAC zones, their water flow switches should initiate devices for the functions described in Chapter 6. Each floor of the building has one HVAC zone and one sprinkler zone (floor control valves). The HVAC system has the appropriate duct detectors and functions. The only instance I have experienced using flow switches for HVAC control is when there is no automatic smoke detection and the flow switch is used to start the smoke control system for that zone. What are your thoughts? Is a waterflow switch required to shutdown an HVAC system on this premise? Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe We have a 3-story building using machine roomless elevators (MRL).
I have an inspector asking for a smoke detector at the top of an elevator shaft even though there is no sprinkler at the top of the shaft. There are roomless machine rooms on the first/ground floor lowest level. We installed smoke detectors in each of these roomless machine rooms putting the smoke/heat detector as close to the object it is protecting. There is no ceiling for these. The inspector says he wants the smoke at the top of the shaft because of the machine room at the bottom floor and says the smoke will rise and we need the detector at the top of the shaft. I wrote him a book report that NFPA 72 allows for smoke detectors to be installed close the object they are protecting. There is a sprinkler in the pit and we have a heat next to it within 24 inches. I really think that the heat in the pit should generate a recall to the alternate level and they have us shunt tripping it? Some details on the equipment location: the machinery is on the lowest-level inside the shaft. It is accessible by a man door from the side of the shaft. Because of the machine being inside the shaft, is a smoke detector required at the top of the shaft? The inspector is asking for the smoke detectors at the top of the shaft because the Machine room is in the shaft at the 1st floor. He says there is no ceiling in the machine room so he wants the smoke detector at the top of the shaft. Thanks in advance. Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe I had always been taught that we do not allow more than one fire alarm system within the same building.
Does anyone know where that might come from (NFPA 72 or International Fire Code)? Do you allow a Dedicated Function (sprinkler monitoring system) in addition to a fire alarm system, which are separate? We have a multi-tenant strip shopping center, where developers used to build the shell with sprinkler and a sprinkler monitoring system, but a tenant like a restaurant might come in later to build out and need to put in a fire alarm system. Thanks in advance. Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe How would you typically access a smoke detector at the top of an elevator shaft to change a battery or test it?
Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe We have a Type-I, non-combustible condominium building over 75-feet tall.
The existing ceiling is concrete coated with filigree, then a popcorn finish. For the renovation (and adding lighting), a new ceiling is being dropped using a 1-1/2" steel hat track then 1/2" drywall for a total of a 2-inch drop. Existing smoke detectors are 10-year battery, surface-mounted to the filigree ceiling. They are not linked or part of the building fire alarm system. There is one fire alarm speaker in each unit tied to the building fire alarm system. Do the smoke detectors have to be flush with the new drywall surface, or could they be left on the filigree ceiling? I believe the speaker can be left attached to the filigree ceiling and be in a pocket (or a void) in the new drywall ceiling with a metal speaker cover. The sound is actually amplified. I've never heard or seen a smoke detector being installed below or even with the surface of the ceiling, though. Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe Looking for some back history here - why is heat sensor detection temperature 57 degrees C?
On what basis was sprinkler temperature determined to be 68 degrees C? Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe |
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