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Use group classification?

Well ladies & gents, I have tomorrow off and Monday is a holiday. Have a meeting on Tuesday with the design professional who I have a great deal of respect for, the fire marshal, county rep, and college rep will also be there. For better or worst a decision will be made. I'll keep you all posted. Thanks for the help. Gave me a lot to consider.
 
I would have to say that if it was built exclusively for the college to train college students to ride, and less 50 design ol (actual ol needs to be approved by the BO) then it is a B occupancy.
 
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Let's see if I can throw another wrench in to the equation...

Let's assume that there will be at least 50 persons in this

arena.....What else will [ typically ] be in the arena with

these 50 persons.....Livestock!.....Won't this [ non-human ]

life form add to the clustering factor [ i.e. - will the

livestock add to the Occupant Load; albeit a non-human

one, present a potential Means of Egress barrier ]?

Afterall, the livestock will be occupying the space along

with their human accompanyments.....50 humans along

with 50 horsies.....Also, sometimes there are cattle

being roped or managed along with the 50 horsies,

which could add to the life form Occupant Load.

From Section 101.3 [ `06 IBC ]: Intent.



The purpose of this code is to establish the minimum

requirements to safeguard the public health, safety

and general welfare through structural strength,

means of egress facilities, stability, sanitation,

adequate light and ventilation, energy conservation,

and safety to life and property from fire and other

hazards attributed to the built environment and to

provide safety to fire fighters and emergency

responders during emergency operations.



Your thoughts...

Still want to classify it as a "B" ?

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Forgot about the ol factor for animals , let's see

Horses 40 sq ft

Goats 10 sq ft

Calfs. 8 sq ft
 
& &

gbhammer,

I do not believe that the I-codes take in to account "livestock".......I merely

posed the question of "when or if there are 50 persons in an arena, that

[ typically ] those 50 persons will also have their livestock along with them."

I do not believe that we can realistically qualify the livestock as "occupants",

however, the accompanying livestock would add to the congestion / MOE

considerations........Most of the "cowboys & cowgirls" that I have ever met,

are not going to leave their livestock / family member / high dollar assets

in the event that the arena has to be evacuated....."Where I go, is where

my horse / cow / sheep / goat / pig / other goes" is the mantra that I

have always heard and seen practiced.

Should the livestock load factor be a valid consideration in these type

structures / activities?

From the `06 IFC: - 102.8 Matters not provided for.

Requirements that are essential for the public safety of an existing or

proposed activity, building or structure, or for the safety of the

occupants thereof, which are not specifically provided for by this code

shall be determined by the fire code official.

Are the livestock [ realistically ] considered occupants?.....They take

up space, ...they are alive, ...they do require feeding, handling / care

& sanitation considerations, etc. !!

& &

 
Hay have to take care of the cow,

Just wonder what the exit width factor is????
 
Did you see the thread about leaving the door open for the cat in the apartment fire? If you are in an area where animals are considered so important that it is worth the risk to human life to save them, then perhaps the FO should make special requirements above and beyond the those provided for in the code.
 
RJJ said:
cda? Now is the code stretcher a right hand or left hand stretcher?
Click to expand...
I prefer, a "code come-along." It doesn't matter which hand you are, left, right, over, or under, that code will get stretched real tight.
 
cda said:
Forgot about the ol factor for animals , let's seeHorses 40 sq ft

Goats 10 sq ft

Calfs. 8 sq ft
Click to expand...
I know sheep need a minimum width of 32" and door height minimum should be at least 36" tall. I would increase the width at .25 inches per occupant greater than 5 occupants. Buildings and spaces requiring more than two exits should have exits spaced at least 1/3 of the greatest diagonal distance of the space. Emergency lighting is not required. They see pretty good in the dark, and the fire usually is bright enough to light the egress path. Exit signage and audible alarms are required for occupancies over 19 sheep. Occupant loads for sheep should be calculated at 1 occupant per 5 square feet for interior spaces, and 1 occupant per 20 square feet for exterior spaces confined by fencing. Exceptions to the outdoor occupant load may be accepted for mob-grazing and sheep rodeo occupancies. Live/work occupancies are permitted for mixed-use shepherd occupancy. Mobile shepherd trailers do not need to comply with the IRC where occupancy loads are less than one occupant.
 
Just received more information:

There going to have a bowl game between Wyoming and Auburn! :)

pc1
 
And people wonder why certain code provisions are In the book and how they go there!!!!
 
* *

FWIW, here's what I'm thinking...

Essentially, we code officials take in to account the number of persons

that can safely fit in to, utilize a space / area / room.......If we have

49 persons [ in an arena in this case ], but we also have an equal

[ or possibly greater ] number of their "live" assets in that same space,

shouldn't we be concerned as to how those persons are going to get out,

with those live, accompanying assets being live & mobile, ...and if we

are, knowing full well, that not many of those 49 persons are going

to leave their assets behind, do you now classify it as a "B Occ. Group"

or an "A Occ. Group"?........The livestock could very easily impede the

egress of the persons and ingress of emergency personnel.

In this case, I would vote for the "A Occ. Grouping" and let the RDP's

or the "powers-that-be" interpret it as they choose......BUT, please give

credible justification as to why the arena should be a "U" or a "B".

Also, if the "U Occ. Group" is chosen, how are the plumbing fixtures

[ for the human occupants ] going to be calculated?

FWIW, we had one of these [ for public use ] arenas constructed

here a few yrs. back......In my review of the plans, I assigned an

"A Occ. Group" to it, ...the politicos assigned a "U Occ. Group" to

it, but they did have a wash down [ grated fixture drain area ]

for the livestock included in their design.

* *
 
Update: First the proposed location is now going to be in the County which means I'm out of the decision making process. But, after meeting with the architect, fire marshal, and county building official and seeing the prelim / concept floor plan we did agree it is an ag building and the appendix-c will apply. So... for better or worse it's done. Thanks for all the comments and help!
 
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