NFPA 13R Response Paper

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You have asked the following questions: “We have a 3 story Type V residential building being protected with a 13R system. The first floor is a parking garage. Is the concealed combustible space between the first and second floor require to be protected? ” In response to your question, we have reviewed the 2010 edition of NFPA 13R you indicated as the applicable standard. Our informal interpretation is that the concealed combustible space is not required to be protected.

This issue can be horrible confusing, especially in the older editions of NFPA 13R. At that time, the NFPA technical committee had not yet come to terms with whether or not a single building could have a portion protected per NFPA 13 and another portion protected per NFPA 13R. As it turns out, that is a building code question and not an NFPA question. As such, the 2010 edition has text regarding mixed occupancies (sections 7.2.4, 7.2.4.1, and 7.2.4.2) that was removed from the 2013 edition (since it wasn’t actually correct). There are a lot of building design options available to the architect that can create significantly different sprinkler requirements (such as increasing the minimum fire area allowed for a type of construction, set back distances, etc). It is common, though, to have a residential building with first floor parking that is protected with a 13R …show more content…

It basically breaks down into two categories. One is for small garages directly accessed from the dwelling unit (typically with space for one or two cars) and are separated from other areas of the building. Then there are the open garages (often the whole floor) that contain parking for multiple dwelling units. The small garages are protected the same as the dwelling unit (treated the same as the living room). The larger garages have a higher level of protection. The fact that the larger garages are addressed confirms that they can be protected by a 13R

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