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    panic hardware

    Since you're obviously either too inexperienced or too unimaginative to grasp the points being offered, perhaps you should quit typing and try to learn something. It's not my fault you've never seen the code compliant scenarios the rest of us are discussing.
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    panic hardware

    Right, because if I have a 10x10 office, it's a code violation for me to let a visitor in (meaning that it never happens). Oh, and every cubicle layout allows 100 sf/occupant evenly distributed over the entire floor area of a story so there would never be a rush of >50 occupants getting to a...
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    N.Y. Chief Blames Fatal Fire on Lightweight Construction

    Somebody should take a class on Covey's Circle of Influence . . .
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    panic hardware

    If you can't recognize that those weren't the occupant load factors I was concerned with... you aren't a very good designer.
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    N.Y. Chief Blames Fatal Fire on Lightweight Construction

    If the fire reaches flashover, the chances of survival are already gone. Flashover is a function of the contents and compartment size, not the materials used for construction. Sprinklers prevent flashover. Lightweight materials may fail faster, but if you weren't out long before failure in...
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    N.Y. Chief Blames Fatal Fire on Lightweight Construction

    A couple of points: 1. The times given seem consistent with UL study that was done, but I believe they measured the failure time from flashover, not ignition. This is an important distinction that I feel we should be more careful to note. The time needed for flashover to occur will vary...
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    panic hardware

    If someone thinks that 500 people trying to get out of a cubicle farm looks any different than 500 people trying to get out of a convention space, I could just as effectively argue I wouldn't generally take it that far, but . . .
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    Fire Station sleeping area

    Has the FD in this case taken a formal position on sprinklers? It almost sounds like they built an unmanned station at some point in the past, but now want to man it. Did they build the facilities separately simply to avoid sprinklers? If so, I agree that's a deplorable action for a FD...
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    Smoke/CO detectors

    . . . and basements (regardless of habitability). Crawl spaces and uninhabitable attics are exempt, but not basements.
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    Final inspection without power

    I don't know about NC, but a "Certificate of Compliance" is generally not the same thing as a "Certificate of Occupancy". It's usually a piece of paper that tells the utility provider that the AHJ has approved an inspection and is allowing the subsequent connection to the utility to be made. I...
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    Final inspection without power

    The argument against power at final comes largely from electricians who want to imply that "inspectors don't need power to verify my installation complies with the IRC/NEC". They're missing the point, though. The need for power goes far beyond verifying a compliant electrical installation...
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    E occupancy reduced occupant load

    Could I? Sure. Would I? Not a chance. How much do you think they'll care about today's admission rules in 5, 10, or even 50 years?
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    Building Safety Month now only 3 weeks long

    I guess I'm way behind the times. I still thought it was "building safety week"!
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    Negligence?

    Not fire doors, but you should Google the "Lofgren" family. They lost their lives due to carbon monoxide poisonging from an improperly installed boiler vent. The installer and inspector were indicted for criminally negligent homicide, but the charges were later dropped due to an issue with the...
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    Are you kidding me?

    Is this controversial somehow? What's the big deal?
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    Fire Watch

    We wouldn't require a fire watch in this situation. We generally reserve it for situations where required fire alarms/sprinklers are off line for extended periods of time (more than a few hours, or any amount of time in R occupancies). When we do require fire watch, we design it for the...
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    Occupancy Grouping

    Separate COs for each building, with each CO stating the specific occupancy classifications, divisions, and use for that particular building.
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    Trust the FD?

    I don't feel challenged. I simply pointed out the obvious to anyone willing to look at this objectively. I promise you that you're wrong on this point . . . The pictures are great. The lesson is important. All I'm saying is "don't bury the message". Thanks for posting!
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    Trust the FD?

    The title of this thread seems to point the finger at Fire Departments collectively. To be fair, any number of fire OR building departments would have failed to properly account for the risk seen here. It's more about individual training and knowledge than it is about what department the...
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    2009 IRC1411-6 Locking access port caps

    I'd say they need to be installed on installations/replacements requiring permits. Most service work falls outside that scope. IMO, they're worthless for anyone serious about access to the refrigerant. The tool to remove them properly can be purchased online for less than the cost of a case...
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    Polyethlene storage

    It is the storage arrangment that determines whether additional requirements apply, not weight or volume of the commodity being stored. If they stay under 6' in height, they're fine (see definition of high-piled combustible storage). If they exceed 6' in height, see table 2306.2 for additional...
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    Plan Expediter legislation

    I'd say they need a thorough process evaluation. If it's truly inefficiency on the part of these reviewers, another angle they could consider is utilizing third party plan review for larger projects. If public works and the pretty police can't get it together, let someone else do it. If this...
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    NFPA 101 just what is it?

    Respectfully, I think you're obscuring the larger point. Regardless of the idiosyncracies of the stat, it certainly establishes the need to regulate stairways for occupant safety. As long as we have had such regulations being enforced in this country, and as rare as spiral stairways are...
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    NFPA 101 just what is it?

    As already posted, the IRC has recognized the problem with falls from windows and addressed it. Unless of course someone calls it "an operable piece of transparent art installed in plane with the wall." Then I guess it doesn't have to meet those requirements.
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    NFPA 101 just what is it?

    Installing a guard around a code violation does not make it disappear. Would you let them build a guard around the entire house and then say the code doesn't apply to said house? I hate to break this to some of you, but if you're uncomfortable having to sometimes tell people "no", you chose...
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