NFPA Journal - July/August 2018 - 37

CODES, STANDARDS
AND COMPLIANCE

Items like wire ties or end caps on
cable trays in an otherwise noncombustible space are not sufficient to
propagate fire through that space.
Similarly, a few computer cables spread
around an otherwise limited-combustible space will not propagate a fire
through that space.
At some point, though, a few cables
becomes dozens, and dozens can
become hundreds, in which case we
may have a situation where the loading
can no longer be considered minimal.
In some buildings and structures these
cables can weigh hundreds of pounds
and have the ability to spread a fire
through a concealed space. In these
instances, the concealed space would
require sprinkler protection, according
to NFPA 13. The standard allows sprinkler protection in a concealed space
to be limited to the area above the
combustibles if they are confined to a
certain area within the space.
Clear guidance on when sprinkler
protection is required in concealed
spaces has been elusive. The NFPA 13
Technical Committee has been unable
to come to a consensus on exactly
where to draw the line between those
spaces that have sufficient measurable quantities of combustibles to
require sprinklers and those that do
not. Therefore, every situation must
be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
The language in 8.15.1.2.1 is important
because it informs the user that a small
amount of combustibles is permitted
in an unsprinklered concealed space.
Without the language in NFPA 13,
some AHJs would require sprinklers in
any space that contains any amount,
however small, of combustibles.
The committee responsible for this
language wanted to prevent that heavyhanded approach. While this rule does
require a certain amount of subjectivity, in most cases people can agree
on whether or not a proposed amount
of combustibles will propagate a fire
through a space. The horizontal nature
of most concealed spaces makes fire
propagation extremely difficult because
the hot gasses from the fire do not pass

over the combustibles to pyrolize them
and prepare them for combustion.
When in doubt, a simple test using a
mock-up of the concealed space and its
materials can be performed to determine if the materials, in the form they
will be used in the concealed space, will
burn sufficiently to allow the fire to
break out of the room of origin.
Keep in mind that the ultimate decision is up to the AHJ. When contractors
and engineers aren't sure whether or
not what they are seeing on plans for a
concealed space is considered minimal
or not, they should contact the AHJ for
confirmation. Waiting until the job has
been installed and hoping that your
interpretation matches that of the plan
reviewer and inspector is not always a
wise economic decision.
Matt Klaus is NFPA technical services lead for fire
protection engineering. NFPA members and AHJs
can use the Technical Questions tab to post queries
on NFPA 13 at nfpa.org/13.

NFPA 101

Life safety in new
and existing structures

A look ahead to the
2021 Life Safety Code

risks. It also means that the work of
the NFPA technical staff and our stakeholders is never truly done-we are
constantly working to educate users on
the latest edition of the code while at
the same time developing the next one.
Here is a preview of a few of the
important topics that will be addressed
this cycle by NFPA 101's technical
committees:
Security and targetedviolence incidents.

The code's foundation centers around
occupant life safety from fire. Recently,
the code has expanded those considerations that are important in fire
conditions but that also provide an
ongoing benefit in non-fire emergencies. As the risk for non-fire incidents
such as active shooters receives more
attention, the code must adapt to
balance occupant life safety from
fire events along with security from
non-fire events. Applicable technical committees will review if and how
provisions in the code today address
security and how the code can move
toward achieving that balance of
protection from fire and non-fire
related incidents. Findings from the
Building Safety and Security Workshop,
hosted by NFPA in May, will assist
committees in any recommended code
changes.

By Kristin Bigda
Adequate protection of senior housing.

hile many of us are still
learning the newest
edition of NFPA 101®,
Life Safety Code®, both
the NFPA technical staff
as well as our technical committee
members are preparing for yet another
code revision cycle and the development of the 2021 edition of NFPA 101.
The NFPA Safety to Life Technical
Committees are already busy with the
development of the 2021 edition and
are preparing for the First Draft meetings in Minneapolis in July. The code
is revised every three years, a schedule
that allows it to address the most up-todate technology and fire and life safety

W

This cycle, applicable technical committees will look at older adults and the
trend known as "aging in place"-staying where they are rather than seeking
new housing to accommodate the level
of care they require. A resident of an
apartment building, for example, might
choose to continue to reside there even
though they may require some level
of personal care services as might be
found in a residential board and care
environment. This aspect, coupled with
the resident's potential mobility limitations for evacuation purposes, means
there is a need to evaluate whether the
existing code provisions for occupancies such as apartments (sometimes
N F PA . O R G / J O U R N A L * NFPA JOURNAL

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - July/August 2018
