NFPA Journal - May/June 2019 - 47

In Compliance
» Correlating with the definition, cloud
ceilings are required to be of smooth
ceiling construction.
For irregularly shaped clouds (i.e.,
not rectangular), the minimum width
dimension is required to be the smallest width dimension of the cloud, and
the gap between clouds or adjacent
walls is required to be the greatest
dimension
Fourth, spaces above cloud ceilings
must contain either noncombustible or
limited-combustible construction with
minimal combustible loading.
These requirements are based on
the findings of a 2013 Fire Protection
Research Foundation project that
analyzed how cloud ceilings impact
sprinkler actuation thresholds with the
intent of determining sprinkler installation requirements for large contiguous
clouds. To read the report on that
research, visit nfpa.org/cloudceilings.
Jacqueline Wilmot is a senior fire protection
engineer at NFPA. 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

Considering targeted
violence events when
conducting emergency
egress drills in schools
By Kristin Bigda
alancing the long-stand-

B

ing focus of occupant life
safety from fire events
with the growing need for
security from non-fire-related events continues to be one of the
most common themes running through
the proposed changes and technical
committee discussions during the first
stages of developing the 2021 edition of
NFPA 101®, Life Safety Code®.
Providing guidelines for how to
safely lock classroom doors in schools,

daycare facilities, and office buildings
is a recent example of how the code has
addressed a specific need to balance life
safety alongside fire and occupant security. However, as these occupancies are
faced with a growing pressure to implement additional security measures
and policies to increase the safety of

Are we at a point where
drills have become
excessive? Do we risk
discouraging the
appropriate occupant
response, diminishing the
value of all those drills?

their students and staff, the needs go
beyond just that of locked doors and/or
responding to fire.
One of these needs is drilling and
training students and staff in schools
to be prepared for not only fire events,
but non-fire events such as active
shooters. Currently, emergency egress
(fire) drills are required every month
the facility is in session. If the facility is
located in a climate where the weather
is severe-snow or extreme temperatures, for example-the monthly drill
can be deferred as long as at least
four drills have been conducted. One
additional drill, other than for those
educational occupancies that are open
on a year-round basis, is required
within the first 30 days of operation.
When drills are conducted, all occupants of the building including staff
and students must participate. These
are standard practices that have been
in the code for years.
Today, however, preparing for
non-fire events is more important than
ever before. That need, balanced with
the minimum required fire drills-
and, in some locations, drills for
other emergencies such as weather or
hazmat-related events-can overload
staff and occupants with an unreasonable number of requirements and

strains on resources, planning, and
preparation.
One Maryland school system, for
example, is required by the state to
hold six additional non-fire related
drills-beyond the required fire drills-
representing different occupant
responses. To meet these requirements,
the school system develops scenarios
simulating events with varied evacuation strategies depending on the
emergency. These additional drills
train occupants on scenarios such as
an earthquake ("Drop, Cover, and Hold
On" response, followed by a building
evacuation), active shooter (lock-down
response and possible evacuation),
hazmat situation in the building
(full-building evacuation), and nearby
police activity (shelter-in-place, lockout,
no evacuation). On top of this, students
take part in three full-scale bus evacuations throughout the school year.
Are we at a point where drills have
become excessive? Do we risk discouraging the appropriate occupant
response, diminishing the value of all
those drills?
A code change has been proposed
that would improve this situation and
help school systems. The Technical
Committee on Educational and Daycare
Occupancies has proposed a change to
permit, with approval from the authority having jurisdiction, up to two of
the required emergency egress drills to
consist of alternative emergency drills
for either targeted violence events,
natural-hazard events, or both. This
will offer flexibility to schools trying to
address the dilemma of balancing the
number of drills to determine if some
of the historically required emergency
egress (fire) drills can be set aside in
order to prepare and practice for other
types of non-fire emergencies.
The proposed change was developed
as a committee input that, in the NFPA
standards development process, is a
proposed technical-committee-generated revision that is not officially part
of the First Draft but is published for
public review in the First Draft Report.
Currently, the proposed Committee
Input can be viewed in the newly
N F PA . O R G / J O U R N A L * NFPA JOURNAL

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NFPA Journal - May/June 2019

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