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commercial truck parking

Mr. Inspector

Mr. Inspector

SAWHORSE
Joined
Nov 28, 2009
Messages
4,136
Location
Poconos/eastern PA
903.2.9.1 Provide sprinkers if commercial truck parking fire area is over 5,000 sq. ft..

This is under 903.2.9 group s-2. Does this mean if there are commercial trucks pariking in other groups (s-1,U,F,H) this section is not used?
 
Re: commercial truck parking

Exactly!!!!

btw: read the 2009 edition, It cleaned up the screwy language that made it seem like there was an exception that didn't exist.
 
Re: commercial truck parking

If the truck parking garage is going to be sprinklered what is the design?

In my view it depends on the type of trucks being parked in the garage. Are they just the drive units, straight job with a box, or trailers empty or loaded? You may want to look at NFPA 13, 07 see below, take a look at the last line "occupancies where shielding of combustibles is extensive" Do you have this or can you have this condition? Full trailer loads of stock inside of the trailers?

Extra Hazard (Group 2).40/2500

5.4.2* Extra Hazard (Group 2). Extra hazard (Group 2) occupancies shall be defined as occupancies or portions of other occupancies with moderate to substantial amounts of flammable or combustible liquids or occupancies where shielding of combustibles is extensive.

In the annex A it lists the following:

Manufactured home or modular building assemblies (where finished enclosure is present and has combustible interiors)

I am not saying you have this condition, what I am saying is you need to ask these questions. You may just get an Ordinary Grp 1 .20/1500

A.5.3.1 Ordinary hazard occupancies (Group 1) include occupancies

having uses and conditions similar to the following:

Automobile parking and showrooms

Is truck parking the same as automobile parking?? Perhaps not???

What does the group think??
 
Re: commercial truck parking

The code doesn't care what type of commercal trucks they are. I made a firehouse put in sprinklers because of fire truck parking. They didn't like it but they couldn't prove that their trucks are not commercal. I am not sure what makes a truck commercal so I let it up up them to prove that it is not.

I don't know if they could use use group "U". Don't know if the fire house is private. Private garages can be "U". What makes a garage private? Does anyone know the diffrance between a S2 garage with trucks parked in it that is owned privately or a U garage with trucks parked in it?
 
Re: commercial truck parking

Rick - Firehouses usually use a firewall between the garage and the other portion of the firehouse. this usually drops the parking garage to less than 5,000 SF and allows the sprinkler system to be reduced to a 13R for the sleeping areas......... Before you go to far on this concept, it is perfectly legal to sprinkler the business section of a motel and assembly rooms with a 13R system - See NFPA sprinkler handbook for clarification.
 
Re: commercial truck parking

The (S-2, III-2) fire house garage is over 5,000 sq. ft., one room, no fire walls. Does every one else think fire trucks are commercial trucks? This state classifies commercial trucks by their weight, including small pick-ups and vans. This doesn't help me.

It's hard to believe that firemen are fighting me about this. They are asking me if the building can be called a private garage so it could be use "U". The fire house is owned by the township. I don't think it could be private if owned by the township.

I don't know why this would be safer if it were private to keep trucks in it. I also don't understand why trucks with diesel fuel in them are more dangerous than cars with gas in them.

I just did a plan review for a water company that is owned by a township. It is for a pole building over 5,000 sq. ft. to park their trucks in. I let them call it "U". One of the definitions in Websters dictionary for private is 'not owned by the goverment'. I'm not sure about a company that is owned by the goverment. It would even be more confusing if it were a garage owned privately but rented to the goverment or the other way around.
 
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