FEATURE
SUPPRESSION SYSTEMS
The ongoing debate over provisions of NFPA 20. BY CHAD DUFFY
number of important changes were considered for the 2013 edition of NFPA 20, Installation of Stationary Pumps for Fire Protection, but most of the discussion centered around three issues: series fire pump units, modifications to limited service controllers, and water mist positive displacement pumping units. None of these issues were new—they’ve been put before the Technical Committee on Fire Pumps over the last couple of revision cycles—but the committee believed that all of the changes it supported for the 2013 edition would improve the standard and would be approved by voting members at the Association Technical Meeting in June. That didn’t happen, however. Certified Amending Motions (CAMs) were received on series fire pump units and limited service controllers, and the broader NFPA membership opted in favor of the motion for series fire pump units, meaning the changes approved by the committee would not be part of the 2013 edition. The motion related to limited service controllers failed, meaning the proposed changes remained in place and are part of the new edition. New provisions proposed for water mist positive displacement pumping units did not result in any CAMs. What became clear through the 2013 edition process is that series fire pumps are one of the central issues of NFPA 20. While everyone involved in the
PRESSURE BOOST
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NFPA JOURNAL NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012
Illustration: Rafael Rico
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - November/December 2012