October 10, 2016
Shooting Range Baffles “We have a shooting range project that has exposed structure with baffles at an angle 8 ft-4 in. below the roof deck. The baffles are continuous, measures 4 ft-9 1/2 in. and are set at an angle creating a horizontal obstruction of 4 ft- 1 1/2 in. The baffles are farther apart toward the end of the range. Are sprinklers required under the baffles?” We have reviewed NFPA 13, 2013 edition that you indicated as the applicable standard. Our informal interpretation is that sprinklers are required per the standard. The NFPA 13 standard requires sprinklers under obstructions greater than 4 ft wide. Does that mean sprinklers should be installed in the baffles? That may not be a good idea. The purpose of the baffles is to deflect the bullets away from the floor or roof structure above them. If sprinklers were installed in the baffles, they would be subject to impact from the bullets and potentially causing the sprinkler to operate and discharge water. There are two options to offer. The first one is to ignore the baffle obstruction, as they are not creating a critical issue. There is little to no fuel loading in the shooting range area with exception of the bullet catching or stopping material. The sprinkler spray will be obstructed over the range area, but it will also prevent the condition of flashover inside the space. There aren’t a lot of combustibles under the baffles to allow the fire to spread. This would require approval by the AHJ. The second option is to have the baffles tilted more of an angle so the baffles create an obstruction 4 ft or less in width. ------------ Technical Update is prepared by the Technical Services Dept. of the AFSA: Roland Huggins, a PE registered in fire protection engineering, Vice President of Engineering and Technical Services; and Tom Wellen, a PE registered in fire protection engineering. 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 2016, American Fire Sprinkler Association. All Rights Reserved. Ada Dickson Ada Dickson Administrative Assistant Technical Services Dept. PH: (214) 349-5965 ext. 124 Fax: (214) 343-8898 E-mail: [email protected] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://lists.firesprinkler.org/private.cgi/sprinklernotes-firesprinkler.org/attachments/20161010/2ffc2f6f/attachment.htm>
