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Fire chief wants?

Mr. Inspector

Mr. Inspector

SAWHORSE
Joined
Nov 28, 2009
Messages
4,101
Location
Poconos/eastern PA
Large warehouse is just about finished. The local fire chief of the volunteer fire company stooped by and said that he wants a heat and Co2 detectors in the fire sprinkler room. There is a diesel engine powered pump in there. The local area did not adopt the IFC. I can't find these requirements in any ICC codes or the approved plans and I don't know what they need to be hooked up to or what the temp settings should be on the heat detector.

Anyone ever hear of these requirements?

I'm about to tell the contractor to not listen to the fire chief because he has no authority to require anything.
 
So

Is the fire sprinkler system monitored??

If so where is the fire alarm/ monitoring panel located??? Same room

I take it there is at least one or more fire sprinklers in the same room???

Answer those and can give you a few great answers
 
Rick18071 said:
Large warehouse is just about finished. The local fire chief of the volunteer fire company stooped by and said that he wants a heat and Co2 detectors in the fire sprinkler room. There is a diesel engine powered pump in there. The local area did not adopt the IFC. I can't find these requirements in any ICC codes or the approved plans and I don't know what they need to be hooked up to or what the temp settings should be on the heat detector.

Anyone ever hear of these requirements?

I'm about to tell the contractor to not listen to the fire chief because he has no authority to require anything.
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Regardless of the IFC being adopted, NFPA 20 & 72 still govern this installation. You will find your answers there. Don't forget the NEC and Section 695 which covers other issues. In some instances the fire-pump room has to have a low and high temperature alarm to ensure there are no freezing of pipes.
 
I can't find any requirements for a heat or CO2 detectors anywhere in these standards for a fire sprinkler room. Building is S-1, sprinklered, type II-B
 
Volunteers you say? How far out in the country are they? Why wouldn't the chief have authority or is he a volunteer too?
 
There is no law giving the fire chief any authority to require anything, especially something that is not in any code.
I just wanted to know if I missed something in the code or standards or if he just pulled this requirement out of his a**.
 
Rick18071 said:
Electrical room
Click to expand...

Ok

Carbon monoxide detector not required.

Since there are sprinklers in the room already,

There are heat detectors there.

When the sprinkler reaches the range it activates, it will let the fire alarm know it is hot there.


Don’t think I would even put a rate of rise heat detector in there, if anything uv/

Seems like someone would have to monitor the temp in there over a period of time, with the pump running, to figure out what temp heat detector could go in there.
 
ADAguy said:
Volunteers you say? How far out in the country are they? Why wouldn't the chief have authority or is he a volunteer too?
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Fire chiefs can have a tendency to ask for things that people are not necessarily required to provide.
 
At this point the fire chief has zero authority under the PA-UCC and you can feel free to issue a C of O when the building is compliant and there is nothing he/she can do. At this point, complying with things that are not required would be a political appeasement move on your part.
 
Why hasn't someone just asked the Chief to provide the code sections he's requiring them from? That's sure what everybody does to the rest of us when we ask them to install things they don't want to..
 
JCraver said:
Why hasn't someone just asked the Chief to provide the code sections he's requiring them from? That's sure what everybody does to the rest of us when we ask them to install things they don't want to..
Click to expand...

Did that, no answer.

jar546 said:
At this point the fire chief has zero authority under the PA-UCC and you can feel free to issue a C of O when the building is compliant and there is nothing he/she can do. At this point, complying with things that are not required would be a political appeasement move on your part.
Click to expand...

That's what we are going to do.
 
The sprinkler is almost the same as a heat detector, depending on temp of sprinkler, and type of heat detector installed.

Anyway not much more money to install, panel installed and wiring will already be in the room.


“I am an expert, on something I know nothing about”
 
Last edited:
As someone who has been in 4 volunteer fire departments and taught many firefighters including a few fire chiefs education is needed. This maybe the first large warehouse in the run area and they are really concerned about fighting a fire in the building. So with this in mind a few things....to discuss with the chief alone ..to save face with the other members....

1. The sprinkler is a heat detector and will not only detect the fire but put water on the fire. The sprinkler system alarm system will notify them of a fire.
2. Since all firefighters should be wear scuba into any building the lack of oxygen should not be an issue ie the need for co2 detectors.
3. Hopefully the building sprinkler systems are ESFR if so explain how they are designed to extinguish the fire so the fire will be contain and most likely out near or shortly upon arrival.
4. Offer to provide the fire department training on sprinkler systems and how they operate.

Hope this helps.
 
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