Q. How much responsibility does the architect assume for life-safety matters?

King: The architect leads the design, and the engineer follows up with the details. The engineer is responsible for the technical aspects of making sure there is adequate egress lighting and signage and that they are powered correctly. The location of these elements is up to the architect.

Q. Who is responsible for code compliance?

King: It depends on the components. For example, lighting has to be compliant with the National Electrical Code®. Therefore, the engineer would be in charge. In terms of suppression, you would have a licensed professional designing the sprinkler system. Both of these items are outside the scope of the architect’s work, but overall compliance with the building code is the architect’s job.

Q. Are clients more concerned with initial cost or operation/maintenance cost?

Wells: That varies. Clients with low operating budgets are typically willing to pay more upfront for lower operational costs, whereas others are less concerned with the long-term operating costs and are more concerned with the initial cost. We try to determine which approach is most desirable for the individual client. The duration of the lease, the life cycle of the equipment specified for the space, and the initial capital spending available are a few factors that need to be analyzed to determine the appropriate specifics for the design.

Q. Will owners who plan to keep the building spend more money initially for greater savings in operation and maintenance?

King: That’s true. And then there are some who plan some obsolescence into their development and they add more time for that cost over the life of the space. It really is not that significant to them.

Q. What if you could cut 40 percent current draw from the fire notification device circuit?

King: In terms of the overall building, it really is not a significant amount. But at the end of the day, savings add up. You need to take a holistic approach. Even if it is more expensive, sometimes the expense is minimal in terms of what the building could achieve in the long run with energy savings.

Q. Do larger retailers tend to build their own facilities or take over space?

King: It’s a mix. It can vary from location. You might have the same retailer in different locations go into a strip mall or stay in their own box. It’s really location, location, location.

Q. Do the larger retailers usually rent or own their facilities?

King: Both. It just depends on the location and the availability of property. If there is not much land available, they’ll go into an existing facility or have it built to suit their needs.

Q. What do you recommend when a client is looking to take over existing space?

Wells: The space should be appropriate for the proposed use in terms of construction classification and square footage. The function and proposed floor plan should be reviewed to ensure that the suppression system and fire alarm system are adequate and to determine whether redesign of the items will be necessary. The building codes have several requirements: providing lit exits, lights on battery packs that provide a path to the nearest exit and minimum travel distance to the nearest exit. The design should provide a clearly evident means of egress. Clear identification of egress paths is vital because patrons may be unfamiliar with the space. Some factors for egress design consideration include size, clarity, lighting and signage.

King: There are a lot of factors that could be involved based on the differing uses. Think of an Internet café, which would have a wide, open space, versus a craft store that could have a lot more shelves, material and flammable elements. You may need to have a suppression system engineered, depending on how the store is laid out. Or, you may need additional smoke detectors to trigger the alarms. You definitely need a design professional to evaluate the space.

Q. At what point should building space be evaluated? What are the code implications?

King: The time to review and evaluate a facility is when you are doing alterations to an existing facility. In Ohio, you do not have to bring the whole building up to current standards, depending on the scope of the work you’re doing. It really is an interpretation by the building official. Design professionals with experience have a feel for what will be permissible and what will not be.

Q. What do you do to prevent false alarms? How do false alarms affect your clients and your business?

Wells: The detection and notification systems should be maintained. Facility operations should budget funds for adequate testing and maintenance of these systems. Designers should locate these items appropriately and ensure installation is tamper proof. It is important that the designers provide systems that operations can maintain. Businesses are exposed to shrinkage due to false alarms.

A. Yes. We cover the NFPA requirements and how they relate to real-life situations, and we discuss how to interpret or understand what the NFPA says.

Q. What is new and what has changed over the past 5, 10 and 20 years?

A. Going back a little bit further, I would say 30 years ago, sprinkler protection was installed primarily to protect the property with no expectations or thoughts about life safety. In the ’80s with the adoption of ADA, the industry began to focus more on life safety in more applications. Ten years ago, sprinklers became important for protection of life and property. Smoke detection and fire alarms became more of a design criteria, specifically for evacuation.

Within the past five years, I think most of the building standards have been written with the assumption that fire sprinklers are in place. With fire sprinklers, you reduce the requirements for wider corridors and the number and size of exits. A fully sprinkled building is much different than one that is not, which is good and bad alike, in my opinion.

Q. How do you manage fire safety in more than 270 facilities?

A. The size of the district does create challenges. South Florida is continually growing. We’ve added 20 new schools in the past eight years and expanded another 40.We also use more than 2,000 modular buildings for classrooms. Our facilities department oversees the majority of this new and renovated construction, and all aspects of life safety are managed through a coordinated effort among the physical plant operations, facilities, and internal building and safety departments.

Needless to say, it’s a large task and communication is the key. Maintaining multiple technologies is another constant challenge due to the diversity and age of the fire-alarm systems in our facilities. Fortunately, several of our department technicians are NICET certified, and all are factory trained on a variety of manufacturers’ technologies: Simplex, NOTIFIER, FCI and Fire-Lite. We have, therefore, become an all-inclusive service organization and can address the majority of service issues internally. Coordinating with all these departments, we formulate strategies that allow us not only to address current service issues, but also to move our fire- and life-safety systems into the 21st century.

Q. What are some of your team’s technical challenges?

A. One of the biggest technical obstacles is integrating multiple systems from various manufacturers so all systems function as a single unit. Staying current with ever-changing fire alarm technologies is also a challenge, so we work diligently with our equipment suppliers to identify trends to keep us current. We attempt to identify equipment that is nearing the end of its lifecycle so that we can upgrade to newer, more modern equipment.

An equally important issue is maintaining system integrity, which is paramount when you have multiple people working on the same system. In addition to our large staff, we have numerous vendors that work on our systems. Any time someone accesses our systems, we are responsible for ensuring the systems remain fully operational and that building occupants are safe at all times.

Q. What system features do you look for to meet those challenges?

A. It is important that the system is user-friendly; both school-based staff and maintenance personnel need to understand the life-safety systems. When we construct a new building at an existing campus, we might have to combine intelligent technology with hardwire technology, and it must appear seamless to the end user. We also have about eight to 10 networked fire-alarm systems and expect to install more of them. This technology seems to be the trend in the industry.

Q. Have Broward County Schools had any major fires?

A. We haven’t run into anything that we weren’t able to resolve with early detection. For example, there are certain areas of a building our systems cannot supervise through manpower or CCTV, such as restrooms. Actually, the highest fire incidents occur in restrooms because they are unsupervised by our systems. Based on this fire incident data, our safety department requires us to install detectors in all group restrooms with tamper-proof covers. We’ve had our group restroom incidents and end-of-year pranks, but we haven’t had any permanent damage to buildings, and nothing has gone undetected. We’ve been able to put out all small fires with minimal damage.

In fact, we’ve lost more time to hurricanes than any fire incident. When Hurricane Wilma hit (in 2005), Broward County looked like a war zone, but the schools were opened and occupied in less than two weeks. That’s a major accomplishment. Every fire-alarm system was checked and operable before students were permitted to return. We had to respond with, literally, truckloads of new batteries for the systems because the power had been out for several days.

Q. That must have taken a lot of time and energy to get back up to code, given the size of the district.

A. Due to the devastation that occurred countywide, there were many factors that needed to be addressed before the facilities could be reopened. The entire staff of physical plant operations came together and worked non-stop for 15 days until all buildings were deemed safe. I cannot say enough about all of the people who worked tirelessly until our district was re-opened and serving the community again.

Q. What are some of the ways your district exceeds code?

A. Being familiar with the tendencies of our students, we have installed pull station covers with sounders to deter any false alarms. In regard to notification appliances, System Sensor was instrumental in making the equipment vandal-resistant when we communicated our needs to them. We also put a smoke detector within 10 feet of all stoves that are in classrooms. It’s important for us to find new ways to become proactive. Exceeding minimum code is only one of those ways.

In addition to meeting NFPA guidelines, we developed a construction specification that includes other device requirements, and it is included in all new construction. One other way we exceed minimum code is by discontinuing the use of heat detectors and installing smoke detectors everywhere, except where environmentally prohibitive, which provides us with earlier detection.

Q. Are your fire systems integrated with other building systems, such as HVAC or security?

A. In regard to HVAC, we use general alarm control functions throughout all our buildings. We shut down all gas, air handlers, et cetera, on every alarm. We are, however, discussing more selective control. We have one high school with more than 5,000 students and four different buildings. We want to avoid releasing 5,000 students simultaneously due to security reasons and are looking into selective evacuation control with this particular facility. This has been approved by the local authority having jurisdiction in conjunction with our safety department.

Initially, there hasn’t been much integration of other building systems technologies, but as technology changes and bandwidth increases, we probably will include other systems, specifically security and CCTV. If Homeland Security puts a school in lock-down mode, and the fire-alarm system goes off, we are developing a process to follow. We need to refine and address this.

Q. Do schools in general receive the necessary resources to implement high-quality fire- and life-safety systems?

A. I know for a fact that Broward schools do. Our PPO management team and safety department are committed to ensuring the effectiveness of our systems – new and old. We are highly respected by neighboring school systems and have provided them direction on ways to improve their systems. As for Broward County schools, we are compliant in every way possible. We make repairs immediately and try to identify equipment that might become obsolete so that it can be upgraded before a critical failure occurs. There is no sense of avoidance on our part. We take whatever means necessary to exceed minimum code when possible. We have to protect a huge amount of property and people, and we all take it very seriously. Not repairing something related to fire safety is not an option.

Q. If you could offer one piece of advice to other districts, what would it be?

A. Establish and maintain strong relationships with manufacturers and their distributors. The equipment manufacturers are on the forefront of fire-alarm technology, and forging partnerships with them makes us better prepared to implement these new technologies. For example, we have been very well received by System Sensor and value that relationship. They help provide the resources we need to get the job done.

California

The enforcement process for school life-safety projects differs from the process required for private sector projects. Schools must still adhere to California Building Code Requirements; the difference is that several agencies, primarily the local school board, enforce code. The local fire department, for example, enforces fire flows, fire lanes and building fire-safety inspections. The Department of General Services, Division of the State Architect, reviews projects, in cooperation with the State Fire Marshal, for structural, ADA and general fire-and life-safety requirements of the codes.
(Source: www.cde.ca.gov)

Minnesota

The Minnesota State Fire Code does not require that all fire-alarm systems be monitored by a central station or that automatic fire department response be initiated. Buildings or situations that require monitoring and automatic fire department response include automatic sprinkler systems exceeding 100 sprinklers (20 sprinklers in new buildings) and certain schools that use an automatic fire-alarm system in lieu of fire-rated egress corridors. In addition, school districts are required to submit a fire-protection plan for any addition to, or major renovation of, an existing building, including the installation of buildings to be relocated. As a minimum, the fire-protection plan must cover the following issues:

• Maintenance of exits from occupied portions of the existing building;

• Fire department access to both existing and new buildings;

• Maintenance of existing fire-protection systems (fire alarm, standpipes, etc.);

• Fire department water supply;

• Whether any fire separations will be provided between the new construction/remodeling and the existing building.
(Source: www.dps.state.mn.us)

New York

All buildings that are owned, operated or leased by private schools, public school districts or Boards of Cooperative Educational Services must be inspected annually for compliance with applicable sections of 8NYCRR155 Regulations of the Commissioner of Education and for compliance with the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code. A Public School Fire Safety Report must be completed as part of this process. This includes inspections of fire sprinklers and connected fire alarms, fire-hydrant systems, fire drills and evacuation procedures. A fire- and life-safety history of the school must be provided by a school official to determine whether fire drills were held in accordance with section 807 of the Education Law and F405 of the Fire Code of New York State, as well as state the average evacuation time. The history also details whether employee fire prevention, evacuation and fire safety training was provided, and records were maintained in accordance with Section F406 of the New York State Fire Code. Section 808 of the Education Law requires every school in the state to provide a minimum of 45 minutes of instruction in arson and fire prevention for each month school is in session.
(Source: www.emsc.nysed.gov)

Note: For complete information, consult specific fire codes and board of education guidelines for each state.

Q. What are the current life-safety requirements for educational facilities in Illinois?

A. It is mandated in Illinois that every 10 years schools are required to have life-safety surveys performed on their buildings. It often takes several years to get all the various school districts through the 10-year cycle. I’m sure there are a wide variety of programs designed to achieve the same goals in different states (see “Fire- and Life-Safety Requirements for K-12 Schools by State”).

Q. Is there a standard life-safety survey that you must follow?

A. Yes, Illinois has a standard protocol developed by the state board of education that we follow and submit (downloadable at www.isbe.state.il.us/construction/health_safety). Sometimes the district will ask us to go above and beyond what we’re doing in the life-safety survey. In other words, while we’re in looking for life-safety issues in the school building, we would also look for other issues that would not be funded by life-safety money, but require some attention and maintenance — for example, tuck-pointing on a building. Some districts want us to look at everything that they might be facing with their building in terms of future capital maintenance problems because there are a lot of other things that need attention in a building every year.

Q. How long do life-safety surveys usually take?

A. There is some field work involved because the architect is required to prepare a base plan for the school, which shows the location of all the exits and fire-safety devices. We have to research all that, and then we generally put the information in an AutoCAD (computer-aided design) electronic file. That’s the way most districts want it. If the district already has good drawings in hand, then it’s not that big of a time issue. Otherwise, it can create a lot of work measuring up the school and making a drawing of it.

It usually takes about 30 days to do the actual survey. Then it has to be presented to the owner for review and to the board of education for final approval. The whole process generally takes 90 days.

Q. At what point in the process do you make recommendations to the school?

A. After the board of education accepts the survey report, the next step is for the architect to specifically state what the recommended projects are. These recommendations are then submitted to the state to obtain approval for use of life-safety funds to proceed with the projects.

Q. How does a school typically address any life-safety problems discovered by your survey?

A. When items are discovered that need to be addressed, they are what we call amendments to the life-safety survey. In other words, the survey itself describes the condition of the school building. Then the architect writes amendments to identify items that need to be corrected. The life-safety survey is like a benchmark for the health of the facility — similar to your annual physical. It is part of a continuous process that includes interaction between the architect and the school district every year in between the years we survey.

Q. How are amendments prioritized for each school building?

A. An amendment is listed on the survey as either an A-, B- or C-level item. An A-level item requires immediate attention; B is a must-do item, but one that could be done within three years; and C is an item that is discretionary, funded by life-safety dollars, but not a threat to health or safety. An example of a C-level item is a roof-replacement project. A roof replacement might have other implications, however, because, what does a leaky roof mean in a school building? It means mold. And then that’s a health problem. So the roof project might move up in priority to a B-level item.

Q. Once life-safety funding is approved for a project, what is the next step?

A. At that point, we create the drawings, put the project out for bid and the lowest qualified bidder proceeds with the work. After the work is completed, we do the inspection and sign off on it. We don’t actually get involved in the project work; we’re involved in securing the contracting groups to do that work.

Q. What is the general condition of smoke detection and alarm systems in the schools you have surveyed within the past few years?

A. The facilities of our clients have been in compliance with rare minor exceptions. Most school districts recognize the importance of these systems and have made a good effort over the past five years to update these systems to current technology. We have seen a marked increase in the number of total system replacements in the past three years. Smoke detection and fire-alarm systems are annually tested and certified. Many are older systems that still function well. Coverage and location of the devices is prescribed per Health/Life Safety Code for Public Schools.

Q. What types of fire-safety issues have you encountered that are unique to school life-safety projects?

A. School facilities are generally similar and abide by the same requirements. One issue we have seen is the question of how many detectors are required in a library. This seems to be the topic of some debate among local code officials and engineers.

In a related issue, Illinois state legislation recently has required sprinkler systems to be installed in all new school buildings and major additions. For a long time, school buildings were not required to have sprinklers. That’s a major step forward and that happened within the past five years.

Q. How does your work with schools differ from that of an architect in the private sector?

A. As a school architect, you really have to be a specialist in school life-safety issues in order to keep up with the changes, understand the processes and advise the owners. It is distinctly different from what the private sector architect would be involved with. It truly is a specialty.

Q. How do retail facilities, in terms of life safety, differ from other types of facilities?

A. There is rapid initial build-up. Everything is done to the building shell and the common space in a short amount of time. In covered-mall buildings, you must be able to activate and commission all building systems, including the fire-protection and life-safety systems, outside of the tenant spaces and then allow for continuing changes to tenant spaces due to the build-out sequences typically seen in fast-paced retail projects. That requires a lot of coordination with the owner and various design teams, but you must know everyone is on the same page and the system is free of trouble when the grand opening occurs.

Another difference is the flexibility that is built into the fire-alarm system to allow future tenant build-outs and expansion without affecting the operation of other tenants and the main covered-mall building. You need a solid and flexible backbone for your fire-alarm system to add devices to the circuits without having to re-wire or change software.

Q. Can you give examples of others?

A. A fire-alarm system that meets the minimum requirements may not be truly effective. It has to fit with the unique building situation. It’s hard to rank factors that should be addressed, but certainly, beyond code, we look at initial cost for the equipment, as well as installation and maintenance. You have to consider the life span of the system: Will it serve the building as long as it needs to? What about retrofitting to expand the facility?

Q. What other factors go into designing a life-safety system?

A. You have to be concerned about the owners’ preferences for design and the aesthetics of the building. You also have to consider the systems you’re integrating, relative to other features. For instance, are you using sprinkler protection to gain flexibility with extended-travel distance or interior finish? You have to consider those give-and-take elements in the codes and standards and how each system is going to impact the overall system. There are also performance-based fire-safety designs that require specific suppression thresholds, egress times, fire containment or smoke-spread issues. These additional factors need to be taken into account and coordinated with the intelligence gathered during a building fire emergency by the fire detection and alarm systems.

Q. What would you recommend to an independent, medium-sized company taking over space for its retail operation?

A .It’s important to compare the existing system to your fire-protection goals and objectives. Obtain original design documentation — things like shop drawings. Oftentimes, all you may have on file are the design drawings, which can be dramatically different from what is in the building.

Do a gap analysis to determine cost before moving into the facility. For instance, a building has A, B and C elements in the fire-alarm system. Then you determine,“I need to upgrade A and maybe add D and E elements.” Once you figure out what you have and where you need to go, you can plan what you need to do to get there.

It is also important to know the specification to which devices were installed and if any violation notices have been filed with the local code official. Know what you are getting into — that might be the reason the space is vacated. Find out if the systems have been tested and maintained. Get those test results from the prior owner, or maybe the local code official has them on file.

Q. After a retailer takes over space, what should they be concerned about?

A. Retailers can do things that trigger upgrade requirements to the system. A good example would be what the Life Safety Code® calls a bulk-merchandising retail facility — or “big box” retail stores where you not only have highly piled merchandise, you’re locating your stock and displays in the same area. You don’t have a back-of-house, per se, or a warehouse section. You are bringing more of a hazard closer to the occupants. That needs to be considered in the fire-alarm and sprinkler system designs.

The type of stock on display can also alter requirements. For big-box stores, you have everything from pottery to lawn mowers to pool chemicals, so it’s important to look at the types of merchandise and where it is located. Think about things like, “Is standard protection going to be adequate, or do I need additional detection or specific detection devices?” That depends on the fire effects of the merchandise, the storage arrays present, and many other factors such as loss tolerances and specific fire test results on the commodity.

Also, consider the impact of re-locating merchandise. If you had chemicals in the northeast section of the building and you moved them to another section of the building, you may not have adequate protection because the sprinkler system, ceiling heights, obstructions and storage arrangement may be different. The same goes for fire detection. A beam smoke detector may work perfectly for a given situation, versus a spot detector, but if you change merchandise around, that may no longer offer adequate protection or it may increase false alarms.

Q. What are the effects of false alarms in a retail setting?

A. The direct effects are fines and penalties for the amount of false alarms. Business interruption is obviously another impact. One of the indirect results is occupant complacency. The more we hear alarms, the less likely we are to respond. This is actually quite common in retail facilities. People do not rush to the exits when they hear an alarm, especially in covered-mall buildings. People typically stand around and look to see where the fire is. They are looking for response from other people as a trigger for them to get out of the building. That’s why voice-communication systems are so important. Give people instruction — verbal instruction — that says, “There’s a fire in the building. Please move to the nearest exit and out of the building.” In large occupant situations, it is a significant benefit to provide instructions that can direct people to move out of the building. The more information occupants can understand, the better their response.

Q. How do you prevent false alarms?

A. You can’t prevent false alarms completely. There’s never going to be a way to fully prevent them, but there are means to reduce unwanted alarms. First of all, you need to properly design and install the fire-alarm system. Use appropriate devices such as multi-sensor detectors that look for a specific fire signature. Proper installation is a must — if you are not installing the way the manufacturer recommends, you will have more false alarms. It’s important to properly commission the fire-alarm system. Properly maintain and test your fire-protection systems — I can’t stress this enough. Stay on top of your maintenance and routine testing required by codes and standards.

Q. What about field-proven performance on new technologies?

A. For fire alarm or sprinkler systems, it’s important to have market recognition for certain technologies and systems. It’s similar to not wanting to drive the first model year of a car. You want to see what kind of advantages or disadvantages come about from that system or technology or what potential problems show up after the system has been out and in full use in real life applications for a while. It also helps to get buy-in from an owner who has to pay for the system and from the local authorities having jurisdiction that have to approve it.

A. According to the National Fire Protection Association, between 1999 and 2001, there was an annual average of 7,300 reported structure fires that caused one civilian death, 117 civilian injuries and $101 million in direct property damage per year. Overall, these fires accounted for 1.4% of the 516,600 structure fires reported during that same time period.

Q. What types of fires occur most often in educational settings?

A. Schools and universities pose many challenges. Educational property structure fires originate in a wide variety of areas. From 1999 to 2001, the leading area of origin was the lavatory or locker room, with 23% of the incidents. Intentional causes were responsible for 67%-93% of fires and associated losses in bathroom fires in educational facilities. Another 13% of the fires started in the kitchen. Seven percent started in classrooms or an assembly area for less than 100 people, and another 7% started in the corridor or hallway.

Q. Does student age have any correspondence to school fires?

A. It seems so. Disturbingly, 46% of the fires in educational properties were intentionally set. High school, junior high school and middle schools accounted for 3,100 incidents and $28.5 million in damage during fires that occurred from 1999 until 2001. In contrast, elementary schools, kindergartens, preschools and daycare settings saw just 2,000 incidents during the same period.

Q. Nationally, how well are our schools protected?

A. From 1994 to 1998, 44% of fires in educational facilities occurred in properties without smoke alarms or other fire alarms. Automatic fire sprinkler systems were present in only 24% of these fires.

Q. Does that include dormitories?

A. No, because this type of facility is considered residential. But during 2001, an estimated 2,530 reported fires in dormitory properties caused six civilian deaths, 82 civilian injuries and $48.5 million in estimated direct property damage. Fires in the dormitory occupancy group decreased 22% from 1980 to 2001.

However, this is a deceptive figure because, in comparison, structure fires of all types declined 48% during that same period.

Q. How can I can justify to my client or boss the additional cost of installing a sprinkler system?

A. The cost for installing fire sprinkler systems in buildings 6 to 8 stories high ranges from less than a dollar to about $2.00 per square foot in most new constructions and from about $1.50 to $2.50 per square foot for retrofitting fire sprinklers into existing buildings.

Along with reduced insurance rates, in 1999, 97.6% of educational properties that encountered fires and were equipped with sprinklers contained damage to the room of origin. This can be compared to the 88.4% containment rate of schools that did not have sprinkler systems. In terms of property damage, the average estimated direct property damage was almost five times as high when no automatic fire sprinkler system was present.

Q. What about life safety?

A. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has no record of a fire killing more than two people in a completely sprinklered public assembly, educational, institutional, or residential building where the system was properly operating.

However, the fact remains that operating sprinkler systems in fires cannot prevent fatal injuries inflicted on someone very close to the starting point of a rapidly developing fire. Fires involving cigarettes discarded onto mattresses, bedding or clothing, for example, may cause fatal injury before a sprinkler can even react.

Fires on campus and at off-campus student housing across the country reveal a dangerous trend. According to The Center for Campus Fire Safety, from January 2000 to April 2005, 57 off-campus and 18 on-campus fire fatalities occurred. No one wants to sound the alarm prematurely, but statistics involving 75 fatalities due to fires are hard to ignore — especially when almost all involved facilities without fire sprinkler protection.

Such trending of fire loss has produced a myriad of legislative initiatives. While fire sprinkler legislation is now pending in many states, only Wyoming, New Jersey, Delaware, Illinois and Wisconsin currently require sprinkler retrofits at residential facilities on campus.

On the federal level, lawmakers are considering actions that would require the U.S. Department of Education to gather information about the number and location of sprinklers in dorms and allocate $500 million over five years to help colleges install sprinklers in dormitories. In the U.S. Senate, a bill has been introduced to provide a depreciation tax break for automatic fire sprinkler system retrofits, which would be an incentive for owners of off-campus housing. Whether federally mandated or not, colleges across the country are now taking a serious look at installing fire sprinkler systems for the protection of their students.

System Sensor, a leader in the fire protection device industry, has been at the forefront of developing superior fire detection, fire sprinkler monitoring and notification products that protect property and save lives. This article offers a brief overview of System Sensor’s line of fire sprinkler monitoring devices for use in colleges, residences or any other facility where fire sprinkler systems are installed.

Monitoring Solutions for Wet and Dry Pipe Fire Sprinkler Systems

Industry-wide, wet pipe systems are the most common type of fire sprinkler system installed. By definition, wet pipe systems are constantly filled with water. When a sprinkler head opens during a fire, water immediately begins flowing through the fire sprinkler system pipe and out of the sprinkler head. Per the National Fire Alarm Code, NFPA 72, an alarm must then signal within 90 seconds of water flow. Waterflow detectors are, therefore, installed to initiate an alarm condition when there is a flow condition within the fire sprinkler system.

System Sensor offers waterflow detectors to accommodate installations for 2-inch through 8-inch risers, as well as 1-inch threaded waterflow detectors for residential fire sprinkler systems and branch line pipes that are often found in student apartments and fraternity houses. System Sensor WFD series waterflow detectors are NEMA 4  rated, making them ideal for indoor and outdoor use. And their field-replaceable terminal blocks and timer/retard assemblies are a real time saver.

For those cases where a wet pipe system may not be appropriate, such as a sprinklered area that may be prone to freezing, a dry pipe system may be used. In a dry pipe arrangement, the system is normally pressurized with air. This air pressure holds a clapper in place to prevent the water from entering the system. When a sprinkler head opens during a fire, the air is initially released. Once the system pressure can no longer hold back the water, the system pipes fill with water, which then discharges through the open sprinkler head. It is the change in air pressure, detected by a pressure switch, that initiates an alarm signal.

To accommodate dry pipe systems, System Sensor offers a complete line of EPS pressure switches. The EPS series is available in a variety of pressure ranges, including 4 to 20 PSI, 10 to 100 PSI, and 10 to 200 PSI, to accommodate virtually any application.

Another critical element of the fire sprinkler system that requires monitoring is the control valve. Regardless of whether the fire sprinkler system is wet or dry, control valve supervision is required to minimize the likelihood that the control valves are closed or opened by unauthorized personnel.

Fire sprinkler system control valves come in various styles and sizes. To accommodate the most common configurations, System Sensor offers OSY2 and PIBV2 supervisory switches. These are intended to monitor the open position of an outside screw-and-yoke gate valve and post indicator/butterfly valves. For other unique installations, System Sensor offers its PSP1 plug-in supervisory switch designed for applications where no other type of listed valve supervisory switch can be used, such as non-rising stem gate valves and ball and angle valves.

Although much more comprises a fire sprinkler system — just as the fire sprinkler system is a component of the overall life-safety system — the importance of the monitoring products that ensure the activation of the system is immense. Consequently, System Sensor’s waterflow products are essential to the proper protection of life and property.

System Sensor manufactures a wide selection of products that monitor the status of fire sprinkler systems. This offering includes waterflow detectors, which monitor the flow of water in a wet-pipe system; pressure switches for monitoring system air pressure in dry-pipe systems; and supervisory switches to monitor the status of fire sprinkler system control valves. Additionally, System Sensor offers products that interface with these monitoring products, including releasing panels and notification appliances. When incorporated into the fire sprinkler system, these monitoring components protect against loss from fire by providing superior quality and long-term reliability.

The article that follows focuses on System Sensor waterflow detectors, by providing tips for their selection, installation and maintenance. Through the application of a few simple steps in the selection and placement stages, waterflow detectors can be properly installed and maintained as part of a building’s fire sprinkler system.

Basics of Waterflow Detection

Waterflow detectors, as their name implies, are devices that sense the flow of water within a wet-pipe fire sprinkler system. They are typically installed either onto the pipe where the fire sprinkler system enters the building, also known as the riser, or on branch lines. The principle of waterflow detection consists of three primary components: a vane-type paddle, a timer or retard mechanism and output switches or contacts. The vane-type paddle fits within the cross-section of the pipe and is the component that senses the flow of water.

As the water flows within the riser (resulting from an open sprinkler head further down line) the paddle becomes deflected. This deflection, assuming the flow of water is between 4 and 10 gallons per minute, activates a field-adjustable timer or retard mechanism. The retard mechanism serves as a means to determine whether the paddle’s deflection is the result of continuous flow of water or just a short-duration surge in pressure or trapped air within the sprinkler system. This delay mechanism minimizes the likelihood of nuisance alarms. Retard settings are field-adjustable from 0 to 90 seconds.

Once the retard mechanism has timed out, the waterflow detector’s alarm contacts are then actuated. System Sensor waterflow detectors provide dual Form C contacts, that may be connected to either the initiating loop of an alarm control panel, a local notification appliance, such as a bell, or both.

Selecting the Right Waterflow Detector

Proper waterflow detector installation calls for upfront information about how and where the detector will be used.

The style of detector that’s to be used depends upon a number of factors, one of which is the type of installation. In other words, is the installation commercial, residential, or industrial in nature?

To differentiate between these applications, System Sensor offers a complete line of waterflow detectors. While applications may vary, one should always follow the recommendations of the local authority having jurisdiction and/or the appropriate code requirement. Relevant fire sprinkler codes include:

•NFPA 72 National Fire Alarm Code
•NFPA 13 Installation of Sprinkler Systems
•NFPA 25 Inspection, Testing and Maintenance of Sprinkler Systems
•All applicable local code requirements

From a general perspective, System Sensor’s waterflow detectors may be installed in the following installations:

A second factor is the size and style of pipe to which the waterflow detector will install. For example, in most commercial and industrial applications, the steel riser is between 2 inches and 8 inches in diameter. It is therefore essential to select the waterflow detector accordingly, to ensure the detector can adequately sense the flow of water, and that the unit properly mounts to the riser using the provided U-bolt pipe strap. Also verify the riser pipe wall thickness, or “schedule.” Most risers are either schedule 10 or schedule 40 in thickness. System Sensor’s WFD series waterflow detectors accommodate either schedule.

In most residential and some commercial applications, the riser may be smaller in diameter and the waterflow detector will mount via a 1-inch national pipe thread (NPT) T-style fitting. Since T-style fittings are offered in a variety of materials, schedules and inlet and outlet sizes, it is essential to verify that the waterflow detector is listed for the specific installation. System Sensor’s WFDT series waterflow detectors accommodate a broad range of tee sizes and materials, including ferrous, brass, copper and CPVC.

Placement Issues

Having selected the correct waterflow detector model, it is essential to follow the appropriate installation guidelines to ensure the proper functioning of the detector.

System Sensor recommends a few simple installation techniques to enhance the entire system design:

1. Mount the detector where there is adequate clearance for installation and removal and a clear view for inspections.
2. Locate the detector to protect it from damage — 6 to 7 feet above the floor.
3. On horizontal runs, position the detector on the top or side of the pipe. Do not mount it upside down, as condensation may collect in the housing and impair the operation of the detector. For vertical flow applications, mount the detector on the pipe through which water flows upward. Otherwise, the unit may not operate properly.
4. Mount the detector at least 6 inches from a fitting that changes the direction of water flow and no less than 24 inches from a valve or drain. An exception to these distance requirements is permitted, specifically, when the detector is a sub-component of an agency-listed riser manifold or floor control assembly.
5. Be sure the direction-of-flow arrow matches the direction of flow in the pipe.

Inspection and Maintenance Tips

The time to find out if a sprinkler system is operating properly should not be during a fire. To ensure proper detector operation, all waterflow detectors must be inspected, both visually and functionally, on a regular basis. The National Fire Protection Association’s NFPA 25 standard for inspection, testing and maintenance requires that all waterflow detectors be tested during initial acceptance, and subsequently on a quarterly basis, by flowing water through an inspector’s test connection. This is to simulate the flow of water equal to that from a single sprinkler in operation. Keep in mind that certain jurisdictions may require more frequent inspections. When in doubt, check with the local authority having jurisdiction.

When maintaining waterflow detectors, System Sensor’s design stands above the rest, as they truly simplify and minimize the process. System Sensor waterflow detectors include both a field-replaceable terminal block and retard mechanism.

With these field-replaceable parts, maintenance can be performed with the waterflow detector fully installed, without having to drain the fire sprinkler system, thereby saving time and money. However, should additional detector maintenance or replacement be required, sprinkler system control valves should be shut tight and the system should then be completely drained to prevent accidental water damage.

Fire sprinkler systems continue to save lives everyday, and System Sensor is proud to design and manufacture the highest quality sprinkler monitoring devices. Carefully following these suggested steps will help ensure that the sprinkler system’s waterflow detection devices are properly installed and maintained for years of effective, reliable and trouble-free service.

Fire sprinkler products will be an integral part of a major retrofitting of the building’s existing fire protection system. Although the high-rise has fire hoses, detectors and alarms, this project will provide the 77-year-old building with its first automatic fire sprinkler system, provided by Honeywell Life Safety, part of Automation and Control Solutions.

System Sensor, part of Honeywell Life Safety, is supplying critical devices for fire sprinkler system monitoring. Waterflow detectors will signal the fire alarm control panel when water begins to flow in the fire sprinkler system. Additionally, supervisory switches will alert the fire alarm control panel if it detects valve tampering or incorrect settings.

When the Empire State Building opened in 1931, it was the tallest building in the world, standing at 1,250 feet tall. Despite its unprecedented height at the time, the building did not have an automatic fire sprinkler system and was not required to have one. More than seven decades later, in the post-9/11 era, building safety requirements are changing. Every high-rise building in New York City must have a fire sprinkler by 2015 to meet the city’s new, stricter fire safety laws.

The System Sensor commitment to technology and innovation is now helping the Empire State Building as it modernizes its fire safety system to meet the new building codes and improve safety. These integrated system solutions and services make life safer and more secure, more comfortable and energy efficient, and more innovative and productive in every corner of our world.