OMEGA SPRINKLER RECALL

Terri reported that about 5 million of the expected 8 million, Omega sprinklers have been accounted for by Central Sprinkler Company. There is a six-month turnaround time for processing the recall applications. She also mentioned that a homeowner is required to include the information about the sprinkler recall in the disclosure statements, if the house is being sold. If the house is sold prior to corrections being completed, the work order can be assigned to the new owner. Central Sprinkler Company has a form to transfer this right, and you can obtain it at www.centralsprinkler.com.

Terri also mentioned that some changes have occurred at Central Sprinkler Company. George and Steve Meyer are no longer with the company. James Golinveaux has been transferred to Rhode Island. The Tyco list of companies continues to grow. You can visit their web site at www.tyco.com. You will need the browser plug-in called Shockwave. Visit www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download to obtain the plug-in.

LABELS FOR RATED DOORS

Scott promised to send me information on the new "S" label for rated doors indicating the door has met requirements for a positive pressure test. He also discussed a label indicating temperature rise. I'll send him a reminder, and we should have it in the November minutes.

NFPA 13D HORN/STROBES

Several cities and counties are requiring horn/strobes for single family residences equipped with residential sprinkler systems. Only Wheellock manufactures an outdoor unit. Dave questioned the value of the strobe since it is only 1.5 (not 15) candela.

QUICK RESPONSE SPRINKLERS

Lynn discussed the benefit for reducing the area of operation when using quick response sprinkler heads throughout (See NFPA 13 5-2.3.2.4, 1996 Edition). She also pointed out that a 30% increase in design area occurs when certain sprinklers are used on a sloped ceiling. Quick response heads are not in this list (See NFPA 13 5-2.3.2.6).

NEW BRACING REQUIREMENTS

Bracing requirements found in NFPA 13 have changed dramatically. Previously, pipe could be hung with 6-inch or less rods and not require any bracing according to NFPA 13. Now you must provide a longitudinal brace on all mains and branch lines 2 1/2 inch or larger. You may not exceed 80 feet between longitudinal braces even if your design allows it. However, if you brace the branch lines, you need not include this pipe in the calculations for lateral braces.

Sprig-ups (vertical pipe risers with the sprinkler attached) now have to be restrained from lateral movement if over 4 feet high. It used to be 8 feet.

Sway brace assemblies must now be listed for a maximum allowable load and you must use NFPA 13 Table 4-14.4.3.5.7 to reduce the allowable horizontal load when the loads are less than 90 degrees from the vertical.

Translation:

If your brace is absolutely horizontal (90 degrees from vertical), you get the benefit of the full listed load for the assembly - 100%.

If your brace is positioned 60 degrees from vertical, you must divide by 1.155. This is 86.6% of the listed load.

If your brace is positioned 45 degrees from vertical, you must divide by 1.414. This is 70.7% of the listed load.

If your brace is positioned at 30 degrees from vertical (60 degrees from the horizon) you must divide by 2, or reduce the allowable listed load by 50%.

It was clear from our meeting that a guideline on how to apply the NFPA 13 standard is really needed.

CURTAIN BOARDS AND SMOKE/HEAT VENTS

Mention curtain boards and smoke/heat vents and expect a lot of controversy. This occurred when Basil Holcomb challenged the study by TVA, which was defended by Terri Leyton who was involved in the test program. TVA testing was designed for Home Base and Home Depot applications. Basil suggested the study had limitations. The study determined that curtain boards hamper the opportunity for sprinklers to open which are located just outside of the immediate area of the fire. Thus, pre-wetting does not occur. The tests demonstrated that more heads opened because of the draft curtains. Good point, except the tests were made without smoke/heat vents. So we don't know what effect the smoke/heat vents would have on the study.

TVA proposes to provide smoke/heat vents at a ratio of 1 to 50. But the vent ratio is a function of the commodity class, storage height and, would you believe, curtain board depth!

Most jurisdictions do not require smoke/heat vents and draft curtains for buildings equipped with ESFR sprinklers. When mechanical ventilation is required for the employees in a warehouse protected by ESFR sprinklers, special provision must be taken. See Factory Mutual Loss Prevention Data Sheet 2-2 Section 2.1.4 Continuously Operating Power Vents, 1995 Edition.

Cal Lewis pointed out that smoke/heat vents and curtain boards traditionally were intended for unsprinklered buildings. Howard Hopper said draft curtains and smoke vents are not in the 2000 International Fire Code, which probably won't be adopted by California anyway.

CLASS 200 PLASTIC PIPE

Several fire department representatives indicated they require C-900 CPVC Class 200 pipe for sprinkler underground systems that would be pressurized from a fire department connection or are connected to a fire pump system. Class 150 is acceptable for non-pressurized portions of the sprinkler system and hydrant systems.

10-YEAR BATTERY

John Gillilan would like to take some time at the next meeting to discuss the proposal for a 10-year battery for household smoke detectors. This could be an issue, which NORCAL must take a position. The NFPA committee and the California Fire Alarm Association have both rejected the proposal. While most people have ionization detectors, this will not work for photoelectric detectors. John will have more information next time.

FIRE ALARM CHANGES FOR ELEVATORS

This was the topic for the afternoon meeting and we also discussed it during our morning meeting. I have combined the notes for both segments. Actual requirements are listed below, but first you can learn about the required standards by going to www.ca.gov/s/search/hello.html and choosing Occupation Safety & Health under "O". Next scroll down to Elevator Unit, then choose Elevator Safety Code, and finally Group 3 New Elevator Installations. You find that ASME 17.1 is adopted by reference as discussed by Gary Iocco and James Meyer, who presented the afternoon meeting.

The new regulations apply only to new construction, and related to our concerns, only when the elevator shaft is protected with automatic sprinklers. Regulations apply to all elevators, including freight elevators. New requirements were developed because of technical changes in elevator types. The Elevator Unit found that lots of variances were issued and they needed a single standard. Microprocessors now used in elevator equipment cannot handle heat and result in erratic behavior of the car if over heated. Likewise, sprinkler water could affect the equipment, according to our guests. Most of these same requirements are in effect in other states.

The sequence of operation for the elevator lobby smoke detector will continue to be the same. When the smoke detector is in alarm, recall will occur. Fire fighters will be able to override the controls.

A smoke detector is required in the elevator machine room. If it activates, recall will occur. This is called a Phase 1 operation and I believe our guests stated that fire fighters could manually override the recall.

A heat detector is required in the elevator shaft. It must be set for a temperature lower than the fusible link for the automatic sprinkler. This detector located in the hoist way must be serviced from outside the shaft, and I am not sure if that means we put one-hour service doors on the rated shaft or what.

If the heat detector activates, it throws the shunt trip. Everything stops. It does not matter if the elevator is caught between floors, if it contains people, or if it contains fire fighters. You cannot override this event. According to our guests, "You are dead in the water".

Lots of questions were raised during the afternoon meeting. Both speakers recommend we send our concerns to the local area representative, and I can find out who that is. Please E-mail any questions you have to me at reevans@hotmail.com, or fax them to me at (209) 937-7087. So far David Secoda has sent me a long list.

Respectfully submitted,

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