EugeneNinniePEAIA
Registered User
I have a client who owns a 22,500 ft² warehouse. 10,280 ft² are dedicated to one tenant whose storing playground equipment in cardboard boxes. The boxes were stacked to an elevation of 15 ft which is almost to the bottom of the roof trusses The building is constructed of 12-in concrete block with a bow string truss roof made of Doug fir structural elements and bolts. Additional spaces in the warehouse with masonry firewalls in between are a +/-5000 ft2 area and another +/- 5000 ft2 area
The space is unheated. It has two means of egress. The building is not sprinklered
The fire marshal had done a surprise visit to my clients facility and indicated that it violates the high piled combustible storage facility chapter 32 of the fire code of New York State now this is similar to the fire code by the international building code.
Currently I am waiting on this specific tenant to give me a list of plastic materials and combustibles that are in these boxes so I can best classify and ascertain what we need to do with Chapter 32
What I am asking in this post, is what are my next steps as an architect. I have read through this code and it appears to me that I'm going to have to assemble a plan showing the proper aisle width in between piles of stock/products and a limited height because of the lack of sprinklers which is required due to the High hazard designation. The fire marshal also indicated fire breaks established between piles of stock. I am assuming fire break means firewall.
I have a scheduled meeting with the fire marshal but I am throwing this out on this forum because there's a lot of talent out there that I would like to get their opinion on on how I should handle this to rectify the problem.
Other portions of this warehouse are available to this tenant to place the dislocated stock from the violated area to reduce the head height in one area and bring it into another area and those areas are separated by masonry firewalls. But I am unsure as to the creation of fire breaks between piles of stock.
I am open to suggestions and how I should handle this problem to make sure that the code enforcement officer is satisfied and I put together a proper plan and calculations.
Thank You
Respectfullly Submitted
Gene Ninnie, PE, AIA, LEED AP
The space is unheated. It has two means of egress. The building is not sprinklered
The fire marshal had done a surprise visit to my clients facility and indicated that it violates the high piled combustible storage facility chapter 32 of the fire code of New York State now this is similar to the fire code by the international building code.
Currently I am waiting on this specific tenant to give me a list of plastic materials and combustibles that are in these boxes so I can best classify and ascertain what we need to do with Chapter 32
What I am asking in this post, is what are my next steps as an architect. I have read through this code and it appears to me that I'm going to have to assemble a plan showing the proper aisle width in between piles of stock/products and a limited height because of the lack of sprinklers which is required due to the High hazard designation. The fire marshal also indicated fire breaks established between piles of stock. I am assuming fire break means firewall.
I have a scheduled meeting with the fire marshal but I am throwing this out on this forum because there's a lot of talent out there that I would like to get their opinion on on how I should handle this to rectify the problem.
Other portions of this warehouse are available to this tenant to place the dislocated stock from the violated area to reduce the head height in one area and bring it into another area and those areas are separated by masonry firewalls. But I am unsure as to the creation of fire breaks between piles of stock.
I am open to suggestions and how I should handle this problem to make sure that the code enforcement officer is satisfied and I put together a proper plan and calculations.
Thank You
Respectfullly Submitted
Gene Ninnie, PE, AIA, LEED AP
