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I am planning to lease a new building
that was designed for High Pile Storage. Are there any changes to the
sprinklers or building needed since the building has already been
designed for High Pile Storage?
There will probably be some additions like Fire Hose Stations and
possibly draft curtains. In addition your specific use, storage and
commodity will need to be reviewed to verify that the design of the
building (ie. Sprinkler density, smoke vent ratios, access doors and
building access) matches your situation. Not all buildings designed for
High Pile Storage are created equal.
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I have a small warehouse in my building
and the fire department says that since I have storage over 12’-0" I
have High Pile Storage. My building does not have fire sprinklers. Do I
have to install a fire sprinkler system?
Not necessarily, you may have an area that is small enough that meeting
the criteria for Smoke Vents, Draft Stops, Fire Hose, Access and Alarms
may allow you to avoid the installation of a Fire Sprinkler System.
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We store cosmetics in our warehouse and
have more Class I-B Flammable Liquids than the exempt amount allowed in
the Uniform Fire Code. Is there any way that we can store more than 60
gallons without building an H-Room?
Yes, the code allows for the exempt amount to be doubled if the building
is equipped with Fire Sprinklers. The code also allows that the amount
can be doubled again if the Liquid is stored in approved cabinets. And
finally the building can have more than one control area, up to four in
a warehouse.
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I have High Pile Storage on Pallet
Racks. We receive pallets of all sizes and some do not fit well on our
racks. We have installed plywood on the racks to hold all of the
pallets. The Fire Department has stated that we need In-Rack Sprinklers
because of the plywood. Is there any way to avoid the In-Rack Sprinklers
and keep the plywood.
In general No. There are some specific exceptions to solid shelving but
for most uses each level of storage would require In-Rack Fire
Sprinklers. The intent of the code is to allow water to get from the
roof sprinklers down through the commodities to the lower levels of the
racks, solid shelving prevents the water from reaching a fire in the
lower rack levels.
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Are all plastics High Hazard
Commodities?
No, some plastics are Class III and Class IV Commodities. There are some
conditions where even the plastics that are High Hazard are not
protected as if they are High Hazard.
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Why should I have a Quarterly
Inspection of my Fire Sprinkler System?
First many Jurisdictions and Insurance Agencies require that the Systems
have a Quarterly Inspections. Secondly if the inspections include
operation of the valves, lubrication of the valves, painting and ringing
of the bells, you will not only insure the functioning of the system in
the event of a fire but your Five Year Certification will involve much
less repair due to parts rusting shut. In the event of a fire you will
have made every effort to maintain your systems.
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What advantage is there in having our
Fire Sprinkler Plans pre-designed for bidding? Don’t the fire sprinkler
contractors have to sprinkler the building according to its size and
water availability?
The advantage is having one set of specifications, design criteria and
layout for quotations. This eliminates most, if not all, of the bid
qualifications that come in at the last second at bid time. If you have
ever tried to decide if .45 for 4000 is equivalent to .60 for 3000, you
can understand the confusion. In addition with the use of ESFR and ESFR
Ready Systems, prior to the General Bid, many decisions have had to be
made to the structure to accommodate a system that has some very
specific criteria in design.
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The Fire Department has told me to
lower my empty pallet storage. I thought that wood was a Class III
Commodity, why can’t I store to 12’-0"?
Just like some Plastics that are High Hazard may be treated like other
commodities some configurations of lesser commodities may be treated
like High Hazard. Stacking idle pallets creates not only a chimney but
also plenty of dry wood for the fire.
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Is there one Fire Sprinkler System that
can be designed for a building that will cover all conditions and
storage?
No. The building height, access and potential tenant base can be used
for a good sprinkler system planning. |
