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Atrium Smoke Control per the IFC

jar546

jar546

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I'm conducting a fire inspection of a new commercial building and noticed an atrium connecting multiple floors. I'm aware that atriums present specific fire and life safety challenges. According to the International Fire Code (IFC), what is the primary requirement for this atrium regarding smoke control?
 
Number of stories connected. A 2-story atrium doesn't require smoke control, except in groups I-1, Condition 1 & I-2.
 
Ditch the IFC and go to IBC 404 for compliance with all portions. The IFC doesn't go into the detail you'll need for an atrium IMHO
 
princeofpen said:
Ditch the IFC and go to IBC 404 for compliance with all portions. The IFC doesn't go into the detail you'll need for an atrium IMHO
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Can't the fire inspector use the IFC for this question, especially if he is certified as an IFC inspector and the municipality he works in adopted the IFC by ordinance?
 
jar546 said:
I'm conducting a fire inspection of a new commercial building and noticed an atrium connecting multiple floors. I'm aware that atriums present specific fire and life safety challenges. According to the International Fire Code (IFC), what is the primary requirement for this atrium regarding smoke control?
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There should have been a thorough engineering analysis of how the smoke control system was intended to perform, reviewed and approved by the fire code AHJ. See IFC section 909, and particularly 909.9. Going from memory, an atrium smoke control system has to be capable of removing smoke from the open atrium itself plus any spaces on the connected floors/stories that are part of the same atmosphere as the atrium (meaning on the atrium side of any smoke barriers). Some fire marshals I've known liked to run a full-scale test before acceptance, using "cold smoke" to verify that the smoke evacuation system actually evacuated the smoke. Others take the view that cold smoke doesn't behave like smoke from a real fire, so they tend not to rely on cold smoke for in situ testing.
 
"Per what code?"

2018 IBC 404.5 IFC 909.1 refers back to the IBC.

The 2021 & 2024 IBC consider "connecting" as extending through, and only allow the lowest 2 stories to be open to the atrium with upper stories separated by shaft walls (and horizontal assemblies).
 
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I was taught that the Fire Code was a maintenance code and not a construction code. Building plans and constructions should be reviewed and inspected to the building code. Once signed off and CO issued, any follow-up inspections should be to the Fire Code, or other appropriate maintenance code.
 
Joe.B said:
I was taught that the Fire Code was a maintenance code and not a construction code. Building plans and constructions should be reviewed and inspected to the building code. Once signed off and CO issued, any follow-up inspections should be to the Fire Code, or other appropriate maintenance code.
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It depends on the jurisdiction and the enabling legislation.

My state has had a fire safety code since 1955 -- long before we had a uniform, statewide building code. The fire safety code has always been based on the NFPA 101 Life safety Code, which has chapters for new occupancies and corresponding chapters for existing occupancies. The new occupancy chapters applied to new construction, and the existing occupancy chapters applied after the issuance of a certificate of occupancy, and is what the fire marshal's used in their annual or bi-annual inspections.

A couple or three code cycles back, the state decided to also adopt the ICC International Fire Code along with NFPA 101. We still adopt NFPA 101 and we still call it the state fire safety code, but the adoption now deletes all the new occupancy chapters. The fire marshals now also have what we call the state fire prevention code, which is based in the IFC and which is used to regulate new construction. Both the state fire safety code and the state fire prevention code are administered by the fire marshals, independent of the building officials. People often call our office to ask about "the fire code," and they aren't aware that there are two "fire codes" in our state.

The department I work in currently has a good, cooperative working relationship with our fire marshal and the fire inspectors. At the department I worked in previously, I also had a very good relationship with my fire marshal. It's getting better across the state, but when I first started working as an architect the fire marshals generally wouldn't talk to the building officials and, in some cases, fire marshals refused to make their final C of O inspection at the same time as the building official's final inspection. It was a nightmarish situation for architects.
 
Yankee Chronicler said:
There should have been a thorough engineering analysis of how the smoke control system was intended to perform, reviewed and approved by the fire code AHJ. See IFC section 909, and particularly 909.9. Going from memory, an atrium smoke control system has to be capable of removing smoke from the open atrium itself plus any spaces on the connected floors/stories that are part of the same atmosphere as the atrium (meaning on the atrium side of any smoke barriers). Some fire marshals I've known liked to run a full-scale test before acceptance, using "cold smoke" to verify that the smoke evacuation system actually evacuated the smoke. Others take the view that cold smoke doesn't behave like smoke from a real fire, so they tend not to rely on cold smoke for in situ testing.
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Just "removing smoke" would be a horrible miss on smoke control as it doesn't address the most important portion which is air movement at feet per minute (not cubic feet per minute btw) at the base of the fire in the atrium lowest level. Smoke control is engineered for a reason and inspected based upon design of fan sizes and openings as designed and not a "lets do a smoke test" by a fire guy who has no idea of what they are actually doing.
 
jar546 said:
Can't the fire inspector use the IFC for this question, especially if he is certified as an IFC inspector and the municipality he works in adopted the IFC by ordinance?
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IFC doesn't give the information needed to inspect an Atrium. Atrium construction by IBC and ventilation by IMC. IFC would cover if it is maintained as originally accepted/designed and you could inspect maintenance of systems etc. I've always seen IFC as a "more information" code as referenced by the IBC and not a construction or acceptance code
 
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