Do You Need Fire Service To Install A Sprinkler Riser

Six Things You Need to Know About Fire Riser Room Design

Nosotros alive in a globe where project budgets are based on cost per square foot. The efficient use of flooring infinite matters in guild to minimize costs for owners and maximize occupancy use for terminate-users.

Ane cistron in this equation is the design and incorporation of fire riser rooms in commercial spaces. When it comes to maximizing the floorplan of a commercial facility, teams tin observe themselves at a standstill as owners, general contractors, consultants, and fire marshals may have a variety of questions on the correct approach.

In guild to assist your projection team avoid situations that can hold upwards blueprint (and potentially price time and money), the International Building Code (IBC) can assistance answer some of the questions regarding burn down riser rooms.

Code Questions

I understand why at that place are so many questions on fire risers. Take for case, the IBC'southward argument regarding sizing a fire riser room:

Pump and riser room size
Where provided, burn pump rooms and automatic sprinkler arrangement riser rooms shall be designed with acceptable infinite for all equipment necessary for the installation, as defined by the manufacturer, with sufficient working room around the stationary equipment. Clearances around equipment to elements of permanent construction, including other installed equipment and appliances, shall be sufficient to allow inspection, service, repair or replacement without removing such elements of permanent construction or disabling the function of a required fire-resistance-rated associates. Burn pump and automatic sprinkler arrangement riser rooms shall exist provided with doors and unobstructed passageways big enough to let removal of the largest slice of equipment. (IBC 2018, 902.i)

The space required to house fire riser rooms needs to exist designed with "acceptable space" and offer "sufficient" working room to audit, service, repair, and supersede equipment. In other words, information technology needs to be big enough. As you lot might accept guessed, this statement tends to create more than questions than answers. In my time working with owners, contractors, consultants, and others I have faced this question many times.

To get correct downwardly to it the size of your project's fire riser room depends. Each project is different and burn down protection needs take to exist adjusted appropriately.

While there may never be any definitive statement on how large a burn down riser room needs to be, there are a few best practices I can share when considering burn riser design.

Six Things You Need to Know About Fire Riser Room Design

#1 – The burn riser is not required to be located/installed inside its own dedicated room

As long as there isn't a burn down pump involved, the IBC allows other edifice equipment to be located in the same room equally a fire riser. You lot may be able to place the riser in the same room with other equipment you are trying to muffle. Boilers, pumps, backflows, and fifty-fifty storage tin exist located in the same room, as long as the area around and in front of the riser remain clear and attainable. Co-locating burn riser equipment with other building equipment tin can maximize a building's floorspace.

#2 – The fire riser room is non required to be locked

People often assume the fire riser room should exist locked to preclude tampering of valves and equipment. Nonetheless, non only is this non required, only if you do determine to lock the room, lawmaking requires yous to keep a key readily available at all times. The IBC states:

Access
Automatic sprinkler system riser, fire pump and controllers shall be provided with prepare access. Where located in a burn pump room or automated sprinkler organisation riser room, the door shall be permitted to exist locked provided that the cardinal is available at all times. (IBC 2018 902.1.1)

#3 – The fire riser is not required to be in whatever dorsum of house room

If we do not need to put it in its own dedicated room, and the room doesn't have to be locked, then why not place the burn down riser correct out in the open up? Place the riser correct at your archway for everyone walking into that edifice to see and adore (OK, maybe you don't desire the fire riser to be the focal signal at the entrance of the fine art gallery you are designing). But if yous are constructing a warehouse or factory, consider but having the fire riser on the principal flooring. This approach, again, can be a space saver.

#4 – You lot practice not demand a door in the burn riser room that opens directly to the outside

You only need a door that opens directly to the outside if you have a fire pump in that room. NFPA states:

Except as provided in iv.13.2.ane.one.1, burn pump rooms not straight accessible from the outside shall be attainable through an enclosed passageway from an enclosed stairway or exterior exit.

#5 – ix ft² per organisation valve is typically enough space for your fire riser room

Every project is unique, true, but is at that place any rule of thumb on space needs? In my experience, at a minimum leave at least 9 ft^two space per burn down riser organization valve while maintaining at least three ft of space in front of the fire riser that volition e'er remain open up and free from storage.

**Image 1:** A typical layout for a fire riser in a edifice less than 52,000 ft² that is heated throughout.

What does this mean? Well, let's say you are constructing a edifice that'southward less than 52,000 ft² and is heated throughout. This would require ane organisation valve. So provide yourself 9 ft² for the burn riser and at least three ft of infinite in front of that valve. Or xviii ft² full. (Refer to Image 1 above).

Maybe your building is constructed of woods and has an attic that requires burn down sprinkler protection. Flammable spaces crave fire sprinkler protection and now the riser will accept an boosted dry out valve to protect this unheated flammable space. Y'all just added some other system valve on your riser and need to add some other 9 ft² for room that your equipment takes up. Now your equipment is taking up 18 ft² and you demand to provide 3 ft of space in forepart of that equipment.

**Prototype 2:** A typical layout for a fire riser in a building less than 52,000 ft² that has an area not heated and requiring the fire sprinkler organisation piping to comprise air.

One solution is to consider placing this riser in a 3 ft ten 6 ft closet with double doors that opens into a hallway. The closet provides room for the riser and once the doors are open, your hallway provides 3 ft of space in front end of the riser. (Refer to Image 2 above).

At present let's say your edifice that exceeds 52,000 ft², is four stories loftier, has an outside overhang that requires compressed air in the fire sprinkler riser. Every bit projects get more complicated, it might exist time to finish trying to figure this out yourself and consider getting a professional burn down protection designer involved in your project. (Refer to Image 3 below).

**Image iii:** There is an infinite fashion to layout this room to help satisfy what everyone wants. I can aid y'all design that room.

#6 – Go the burn align involved

Every jurisdiction is different, and therefore all of them have dissimilar requirements. Some fire marshals do require a door to the outside of the edifice. Other burn down marshals even require the burn down riser rooms to be locked. This is one of the many reasons to involve the fire align and a professional Fire Protection Designer in the design and layout early in the project. If we're able to address questions and concerns early, nosotros can avoid hanging up the pattern toward the stop of the projection and making plush adjustments at a subsequently engagement.

At Morrison-Maierle, we provide a wide variety of fire protection technology services. For example, we can piece of work with you to design a 3D model of your burn riser in as small as a space equally possible that both the contractor and the burn down marshal will approve. Let united states know how nosotros tin can help!

Technical review of this commodity provided by Pete Webber, RCDD.