Annunciation Deviced required???

[Fireprotection]

Hello All - I am working on a 2700 sf of tenant build-out space for a massage place. It is B occupancy with a total occupant load of 32. The existing building is 2-story with Gross Area of 24,000 sf. The tenant space is on the first floor. Existing building is fully sprinklered and has alarm mounted on the outside the building and in the lobby. It is said the alarm is very loud and anyone inside can hear it. So I was not sure if horn/ strobe existed in any of the current tenant space.

Code: 2012 IBC, IFC

Questions:

Do I need to install h/s inside the 2700 sf of tenant space?

Thank you very much!

 

[mtlogcabin]

It is said the alarm is very loud and anyone inside can hear it

As long as you are not hearing impaired

 

[cda]

Welcome

How did you find us??

 

[cda]

I would say yes required

I would also check other tenants in building to see if they have some in their spaces

Requirement is 15 db above ambient noise

Most of time hard to reach without a/v in the space

 

[mtlogcabin]

If this is new construction the yes 907.5 requires installation of horn strobes

If this is an existing building that you are doing a remodel the 907.5.2.3 has some exceptions for visual notification

 

[Builder Bob]

Depends upon local AHJ interpretation - If the threshold for a manual fire alarm system is not exceeded....... it may not be required.

 

[FM William Burns]

Need to know if the remainder was/is B use and the criteria of the building required a fire alarm system.

 

[Fireprotection]

Thank you everyone for your response. I found this forum on Google, and it is very helpful.

Existing building is almost 10 years old. It was designed to be M occupancy on the 1st level with Occupant load of 121, and B for 2nd level with occupant less than 100. In reality, most 1st level is B, and half of the 2nd level still vacant. Per code, this building does not need fire alarm. But building owner elected to put in some kind of fire alarm, maybe it is just a sprinkler monitoring panel. Property Manager does not want anyone to touch his alarm system, let alone tie-in. Current base building appears to have 2 H/S in the small lobby, one alarm bell outside fire riser room, maybe another one at front of the building. Some big tenant space has H/S. But I suspect they are connected to Duct detectors only based on "Property Manager's Policy". Our space also will have duct detectors. To make it simply and compliant with code, can we just install some H/S devices inside space and have them connected to duct detectors only since we cannot identify/ make the connection to the existing building alarm system?

Thanks

 

[cda]

Is there a building department or fire department that enforces a building code/ fire code??