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Fire sprinkler trade off

cda

Sawhorse 123
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So a proposed building is not required by code to be sprinkled,

But

Because of access, terrain, or other site features good access is not possible.

Have you accepted a fire sprinkler system as a trade off??

If so any code section you used to do it??
 
I have not, But I would think you would still want to have FD access in any case, sprinklered or non
 
I’m not familiar enough with the code ... is one of the factors for exempting sprinklers a function of FD site access?
 
Sprinklers are intended in the code for fire suppression, not fire extinguishment. They'd have to work pretty hard to convince me that this would be an acceptable tradeoff.
 
I still don’t understand the question about it being a trade off if code does not require them.
 
I still don’t understand the question about it being a trade off if code does not require them.


Say the project needed a fire lane to the building, and only could get with in 100 or 150 feet,

Or There have been some examples of parks or golf courses, where they want to put a building in the middle of a field

Or other similar, The occupancy or sq ft would require one, so instead of killing/ redesign the project fire sprinkle it, and leave it stuck in the middle of the field.
 
Fire Departments need access for more than just putting out the fire. And as said by tmurray, sprinklers are for "fire suppression, not fire extinguishment".

How do EMT's get to the building when Joe Blow has a heart attack?
 
Fire Departments need access for more than just putting out the fire. And as said by tmurray, sprinklers are for "fire suppression, not fire extinguishment".

How do EMT's get to the building when Joe Blow has a heart attack?


Ok maybe they don’t have full access, as in drive the truck to the front door.

Say walk the last 100-150 feet or so
 
FIRE APPARATUS ACCESS ROAD. A road that provides fire apparatus access from a fire station to a facility, building or portion thereof. This is a general term inclusive of all other terms such as fire lane, public street, private street, parking lot lane and access roadway.
503.1.1 Buildings and facilities.
Approved fire apparatus access roads shall be provided for every facility, building or portion of a building hereafter constructed or moved into or within the jurisdiction. The fire apparatus access road shall comply with the requirements of this section and shall extend to within 150 feet (45 720 mm) of all portions of the facility and all portions of the exterior walls of the first story of the building as measured by an approved route around the exterior of the building or facility.

Exceptions:

1. The fire code official is authorized to increase the dimension of 150 feet (45 720 mm) where any of the following conditions occur:

1.1. The building is equipped throughout with an approved automatic sprinkler system installed in accordance with Section 903.3.1.1, 903.3.1.2 or 903.3.1.3.

1.2. Fire apparatus access roads cannot be installed because of location on property, topography, waterways, nonnegotiable grades or other similar conditions, and an approved alternative means of fire protection is provided.

1.3. There are not more than two Group R-3 or Group U occupancies.

2. Where approved by the fire code official, fire apparatus access roads shall be permitted to be exempted or modified for solar photovoltaic power generation facilities.
 
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