Skip, reluctant to say may want to post the question on the VBCOA. Hope the info. is useful as a search of ICC resulted with several attempts to put this exception back;
F10306/07
905.2 (IBC [F] 905.2)
Proponent: Moriel Kaplan, P.E., Schirmer Engineering Corporation
Revise as follows:
905.2 Installation Standard. Standpipe systems shall be installed in accordance with this section and NFPA 14.
Exception: A manual standpipe system shall be allowed when all of the following are met:
1. The water supply provided by local fire department equipment at the fire department connection can provide the minimum system demand requirements of NFPA 14 at the most remote hose connection as shown in hydraulic calculations,
2. The highest hose valve connection is not more than 75 feet (45720 mm) above the lowest level of fire department vehicle access,
3. The building does not contain a stage greater than 1,000 square feet in area or Class II standpipes, and
4. The building is equipped throughout with an automatic sprinkler system installed in accordance with Section
903.3.1.1 and 903.3.1.2.
Reason: The purpose of this revision is to provide relief from the installation of an automatic standpipe system when local fire department resources
are adequate.
The current text is overly restrictive as it requires a standpipe system to be supplied by both an attached water supply and the fire department connection. Many attached water supplies are not capable of providing the minimum design requirements without the use of a fire pump. The proposed text eliminates the need for, or the over-sizing of, a fire pump solely for the use of the standpipe system when fire fighting will be done by fire department personnel only.
With the exception of buildings containing stages over 1,000 square feet or Class II standpipes, the Code does not require hose to be located at the hose connections. The omission of the hose is to deter building occupants who are not physically able or adequately trained from trying to fight the fire. As such, the only users of a buildings standpipes are the fire department personnel, who arrive at a fire scene with their own pump with which to pressurize the system.
Numbers 1 and 2 of the proposed exception ensure that the fire department pump will be capable of supplying the demand flow and pressure to the most remote outlet of the standpipe system. Number 3 of the exception is provided to eliminate the possibility that occupants may utilize any installed fire hoses without the required amount of water flow and pressure.
Number 4 of the proposed exception is provided to ensure that the time it takes for the fire department to pressurize the standpipes will not delay the fire suppression activities. This sentence acknowledges the success rate of automatic sprinklers to either extinguish or control a fire. When all four of the proposed exception criteria are met, the standpipe system will be able to function as intended by the Code without placing overly restrictive requirements (i.e., the need to provide a fire pump) on buildings.
NFPA 14 requires a design pressure of 100 psi at the most remote hose connection when the building is not sprinklered. Provisions to reduce the required pressure are included in NFPA 14 based on suppression tactics and the installation of an automatic sprinkler system, although permission to utilize the exceptions must come from the authority having jurisdiction. It is implied that if the jurisdiction has the necessary fire department equipment the omission of the pressure requirement is acceptable.
The proposed text, without utilizing any permitted reductions in required pressure, includes both a 18 psi safety factor over the requirements of NFPA 14 as well as the requirement for a sprinkler system in accordance with either Section 903.3.1.1 or 903.3.1.2 of the Code. In addition, hydraulic calculations are provided to ensure that the minimum flow will still be maintained and the friction loss in the horizontal lengths of piping will not diminish the factor of safety to below that which is required.
Text similar to that being proposed is included in the BOCA National Building Code (BOCA). BOCA recognizes the capabilities of pumper fire apparatus and the practicality that where hose is not installed, the standpipes will not be used until the fire department personnel arrive. As such, the pressure requirement for standpipes is permitted to be relieved entirely from the original requirement of 65 psi when the building is equipped with an automatic sprinkler system and where there is not more than 150 feet between the lowest level of fire department access and the highest floor level. The commentary to 1999 BOCA Section 915.4 indicates that the reason for the allowed reduction in design pressure is two fold. First, a height of 150 feet is well within the limitations that most fire department vehicles can effectively pressurize and supply and second, automatic sprinklers will continue to operate and suppress a fire.
The Uniform Building Code and the Standard Building Code do not contain requirements for standpipe design pressure. Instead, they reference NFPA 14 for the design criteria. As such, when the Code was formulated, all standpipe design requirements were left to the referenced material.
Cost Impact: The code change proposal will not increase the cost of construction.
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