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What is New – NFPA 13 2022 Edition

September 21st, 2022 Comments off

The newest edition of NFPA 13 will be adopted as early as 2022. However, the vast majority of states and jurisdictions will be adopting the new standard in January of 2023 with California being one of these states. In this article we will be focusing on the latest changes to the storage chapters and as they compare to the 2019 Edition of this standard. Read more…

Protection of Storage Under Sloped Ceilings Larger Than 2 in 12

December 3rd, 2020 Comments off

NFPA’s Fire Protection Research Foundation published a report on large-scale fire tests performed at FM Global for rack storage of Group A Plastics under sloped ceilings with slopes steeper than 2 in 12. An excerpt of this report is presented summarizing the results from these suppression tests on ESFR sprinklers with a K-Factor of 16.8. General guidance for sprinkler design is provided by the authors. Read more…

NFPA 13 2019 To 2016 Cross Reference

October 21st, 2019 Comments off

NFPA 13 2019 provided a ‘roadmap’ included in the back of the standard for 2019 section cross references for many of the sections found in the 2016 Edition. While this ‘roadmap’ table is useful, it is not a complete reference by any means and as a result, users quite often are left wondering ‘where it all went’. We decided to offer a search engine that simplifies the search process. Read more…

NFPA 13 2019 – Opinion on the In-Rack Chapter

July 8th, 2019 Comments off

The new layout of NFPA 13 may be beneficial for new users of the standard, but it can also create confusion and dismay for experienced users as they will have to search and relocate familiar regulations and determine how these new, sometimes reworded and reformatted sections, tables, and paragraphs relate to each other. This is especially true when looking at the new in-rack Chapter 25 of NFPA 13. After using the new standard for some time now, and Chapter 25 in particular, which left me wondering on more than one occasion, I feel a need to share my experiences and observations concerning this steep learning curve. Here is a summary of my conclusions on the reformat. Read more…

NFPA 13 2019 Edition – ESFR Code Changes

February 20th, 2019 Comments off

The newest edition of NFPA 13 (2019 Edition) will be adopted as early as 2019. However, the vast majority of states and jurisdictions will be adopting the new standard in January of 2020. In this article we will be focusing on the reformat and new layout of the standard and discussing changes for this latest edition of NFPA 13 in the application and use of ESFR (Early Suppression, Fast Response) sprinkler systems. Read more…

ESFR Sprinklers – The Perfect Solution To Warehouse Fire Protection? (Updated)

February 1st, 2017 Comments off

Explore with us in this article the do’s and don’ts of using ESFR sprinkler systems. We discuss common pitfalls in applying these types of sprinkler systems and provide detailed explanations on their correct usage including applicable codes and regulations. Presented are the latest updates on this subject matter based on the 2013 and 2016 editions of NFPA 13, FM Global Property Loss Prevention Data Sheets, and relevant results from the latest fire tests with ESFR sprinkler systems. Read more…

Fire Codes for Energy Storage Systems

January 4th, 2017 Comments off

ESSIn recent years, there has been a marked increase in the deployment of various types of battery technologies for use in Energy Storage Systems (ESS). Code enforcing bodies, such as local Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJs), are asked to successfully address risks associated with these new battery technologies. However, there is little or no guidance and direction on how to deal with associated hazards, or more specifically, on how to review a successful fire protection approach. Read more…

Distillery Storage Dilemmas

May 5th, 2016 Comments off

Distillery DilemmaFire code professionals, businesses and building owners are facing the dilemma on how to successfully address fire protection issues when working on distilleries and storage of distilled goods. NFPA Standards and Fire Codes provide only some of the answers. Despite a considerable number of fire tests and subsequent advancements in the fire and building codes, there is still a need to creatively resolve many of the remaining unanswered questions. Read more…

FM Global New High Piled Rack Storage Protections

March 21st, 2016 Comments off

FM GlobalFM Global updated their Data Sheet 8-9 with new high-piled rack storage protection schemes. These new protection options can reduce installation costs by as much as 50%. Large-scale fire tests were used to validate these alternative designs. They demonstrated that large orifice sprinklers and higher flow rates can be successfully applied to not only simplify the sprinkler system but also reduce the total sprinkler water demand. These new protections apply to all commodities including high hazard (plastics) commodities. Read more…

Sprinkler Protection Under Sloped Ceilings

December 8th, 2015 Comments off

FM GlobalNFPA’s Fire Protection Research Foundation (FPRF) initiated a project to determine the impact of sloped ceilings on the protection of storage with ceiling slopes steeper than 2-in-12 (equivalent to 9.5 degrees). As part of this effort, FM Global was tasked to conduct fire simulations to better understand issues and risks associated with storage under sloped ceilings. The results of these sprinkler activation and suppression analyses have now been released by FM Global. Read more…