IEBC-09 Section 704.2.2 Condition 3 question

[code2driver]

I apologize in advance as I assume there is a thread on this, and if someone can just point me to it I would love it.

A difference in opinion regarding the meaning of Condition 3 of IEBC-09 Section 704.2.2:

"3. The building has sufficient municipal water supply for design of a fire sprinkler system available to the floor without installation of a new fire pump."

One says it means that if there is not a fire service supply from the municipal water system, they don't have to install sprinklers. That is, unless they already have a water supply available on that floor, they don't have to install sprinklers.

Another says that it means that if the sprinkler system design can be met without boosting the municipal water supply with a fire pump, they need to install sprinklers. That is, they may have to run a fire service water supply, but with that meeting the design density, they have to install the sprinkler system.

As I said, I am sure that this has come up before (heck I may have previously brought it up myself when I was on the forum regularly, which has been quite a few years).

Thank you in advance.

 

[mtlogcabin]

3. The building has sufficient municipal water supply for design of a fire sprinkler system available to the floor without installation of a new fire pump.

The water has to be available to the floor not existing on the floor. You also have to meet conditions 1 & 2. Just approved a project that this would have applied except the city could not provide the amount of water needed without a main water line extension so water was not available under this condition.

 

[north star]

+ + +

The sprinkler system system shall be installed where all 3

conditions exist !..........If the first 2 conditions exist, but

the 3rd would require a fire pump to be installed, then,

IMO, an official interpretation would need to be given

[ by the BO ] regarding the sprinkling requirements.....The

requirement of adding a fire pump may be a "deal killer",

as interpreted by the AHJ..........Contact the AHJ to

obtain an interpretation.

+ + +

 

[peach]

Installation of a new fire pump implies (to me anyway) that one already exists. Having said that, if the municipal system doesn't provide sufficient supply for a sprinkler system, it probably doesn't have sufficient water supply for fire fighting either, there is a bigger issue.

Kind of a terrible code section, IMHO.