American Fire Sprinkler Association 12750 Merit Dr., Suite 350 Dallas TX 75251 Ph: (214) 349-5965 Fax: (214) 276-0908
----------------- TECHNICAL UPDATE JANUARY 27, 2010 ----------------- 2010 Beginning System Planning School February 22-March 5, 2010 Register Now. Openings still available. Registration: Special Member $880 Non-Member $1600 ******************************************************************************** “NFPA 13 in the 2007 Edition in Section 8.15.7.3 states, sprinklers shall be permitted to be omitted from below the canopies, roofs, porte-cocheres, balconies, decks, or similar projections of combustible construction, provided the exposed finish material on the roofs, canopies, or porte-cocheres are noncombustible, limited-combustible, or fire retardant-treated wood. Does the noncombustible, limited-combustible statement refer to all the exposed surfaces including the roof? My interpretation is that 8.15.7.3 is only referring to the area below the canopy, roof, or porte-cocheres and that the noncombustible, limited-combustible requirement is aimed toward the ceiling and wall finish of the area below the canopy not the roof decking and overlay.” We have reviewed NFPA 13, 2007 Edition that you indicated as the applicable standard. Our informal interpretation is that noncombustible, limited-combustible statement refers to the all exposed surfaces including the roof membrane. In Section 8.15.7.3, sprinklers may be omitted from a combustible roof, canopy, or porte-cochere where the exterior surfaces are of noncombustible, limited-combustible, or fire-retardant treated wood as defined in NFPA 703. Thus, the TPO (Thermoplastic Olefin) roof membrane cannot be combustible. The committee placed the requirement on the exterior surfaces including the roof so that the fire would not wrap around and start the roofing material on fire. Some manufacturers of the material may treat the membrane to have fire retardant properties where it will not sustain combustion. The membrane apparently meets the Standard Test Methods for Fire Tests of Roof Coverings, UL 790. Under the scope of this standard, it states, “1.1 These requirements cover the fire resistance performance of roof coverings exposed to simulated fire sources originating from outside a building on which the coverings are installed. They are applicable to roof coverings intended for installation on either combustible or noncombustible decks (see 1.7) when the roof coverings are applied as intended. 1.3 Class A roof coverings are effective against severe fire test exposures. Under such exposures, roof coverings of this class afford a high degree of fire protection to the roof deck, do not slip from position, and are not expected to produce flying brands.” The membrane is reported to be Class A. This meets the intent of Section 8.15.7.3 to omit sprinklers. Another construction feature shown on a diagram that you provided is the membrane is installed over Densdeck Prime cover board. The manufacturer?s information for this material indicates that the Densdeck can be used as a fire barrier over steel decks and combustible roof decks. In addition, the area of the application is approximately 460 square feet and is used to cover a pedestrian walkway. A fuel load such as a burning vehicle is not expected under this canopy since it is a pedestrian walkway so the fire risk appears to be low. ----------------- 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 ? 2010, American Fire Sprinkler Association. All Rights Reserved -------------------------- If you?d rather not receive future faxes from AFSA, fax your removal request to Amy Sweeney at Efax (214) 242-3155 or call toll free (888) 839-4830 or send e-mail request @ [email protected]. Please include your company name and the specific fax numbers(s) at which you do not wish to receive faxes from us. Our failure to comply with your request may be unlawful. _______________________________________________ Sprinklernotes mailing list [email protected] http://fireball.firesprinkler.org/mailman/listinfo/sprinklernotes
