American Fire Sprinkler Association
12750 Merit Dr., Suite 350 Dallas TX 75251
Ph: (214) 349-5965 Fax: (214) 276-0908
TECHNICAL UPDATE
March 7, 2007
"I have a single story building constructed on an elevated concrete
deck on bar joist construction. The elevated floor is the primary
floor of occupancy and is supported by concrete columns. The area
below the main floor is open to the outside and is unfurnished. There
is a wooden porch that skirts the perimeter of the building at the
main floor level. The bar joists below the main floor will be covered
with spray-on fire proofing and wooden bead board or paneling will be
attached to the bottom of the bar joists. If the area below the main
floor is strictly limited to pedestrian use with no storage of
furniture or any other combustibles is the area required to be
protected with sprinklers? If sprinklers are necessary, would they
be required in the bar joist space above the wooden ceiling as well
as below the ceiling? If the wood attached to the bottom of the bar
joists is eliminated can the sprinkler protection below the main
floor be limited to the area beneath the combustible perimeter porch?"
We have reviewed the 2002 Edition of NFPA 13 that you have identified
as the applicable Standard. Our informal interpretation is that
sprinkler protection will be required both above and below the
combustible ceiling attached to the floor joist. If the ceiling is
not present, sprinkler protection will have to be provided for the
area below the building and the porch.
The area as indicated above does not fall into the category as
discussed in 13:8.14.6 "Spaces Under Ground Floors, Exterior Docks,
and Platforms". The areas being discussed in this section are those
with limited access that cannot be used for storage and are protected
from the accumulation of debris. In your scenario, the area in
reality is a first floor level that does not have exterior walls. The
area is completely accessible to the public and will require
sprinkler protection. Adding bead board to the bar joists creates a
combustible concealed space and should be protected according to
section 8.14.1.2.
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Technical Update is prepared by the Technical Services Dept. of the
AFSA: Vice President of Engineering and Technical Services Roland
Huggins, a PE registered in fire protection engineering; Phill Brown,
a NICET IV certified automatic sprinkler technician and NFPA
Certified Fire Protection Specialist (CFPS) and Tom Wellen, a degreed
fire protection engineering technologist. This is provided with the
understanding that the AFSA assumes no liability for this opinion or
actions taken on it and they are not to be considered the official
position of the NFPA or its technical committees.
Copyright (c) 2007, American Fire Sprinkler Association. All
Rights Reserved
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