Fire Alarm design for a convenience store/gas station

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jimbo3828

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North Western Vermont
I was asked to give a quote for a adding fire detection to a to be built convenience store/ gas station.
I have not been able to locate any requirements for that type of occupancy and want to make sure I am not missing anything.
My plan is to use a UL listed Commercial Fire /Burg panel and only install smokes and heats.
Any suggestions?
 
jimbo3828 said:
I was asked to give a quote for a adding fire detection to a to be built convenience store/ gas station.
I have not been able to locate any requirements for that type of occupancy and want to make sure I am not missing anything.
My plan is to use a UL listed Commercial Fire /Burg panel and only install smokes and heats.
Any suggestions?
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I would ask the local fire department - We did and R&D project and Philadelphia Fire Department actually designed a nitrogen flood system for the project. We were using sodium to clean PCB's.
 
jimbo3828 said:
I was asked to give a quote for a adding fire detection to a to be built convenience store/ gas station.
I have not been able to locate any requirements for that type of occupancy and want to make sure I am not missing anything.
My plan is to use a UL listed Commercial Fire /Burg panel and only install smokes and heats.
Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

Fire and life safety codes are a whole other field, and it usually takes years of experience working in that field and being current on existing codes and practices, and you will need different insurance coverages, then the type issued for electrical, and if they have water flow, it can get both expensive and complicated. Fire system design is not something you design build.
 
jimbo3828 said:
I was asked to give a quote for a adding fire detection to a to be built convenience store/ gas station.
Click to expand...

Your profile states that you are a security & fire estimator so you really do need to learn about gas stations. Normally I would suggest that you let the pros have it.

I'm going to agree with muckusmc. The bulk storage of fuel is serious these days so I would call the local Fire Marshals office. If they can't give you the information you need they will often send you in the right direction.

I would think they are going to need a set of plans to submit to the Fire Marshal's office for approval anyway so they may need to pay someone to design them and provide for submittal.
 
I actually just took the journeyman's exam last week and passed. I agree with you about needing additional education. However there are no training sites in our state, requiring extensive traveling and $.
The job started as quoting security and CCTV and just came back today requesting Fire detection as well.
I did contact the Fire Marshall office and will wait for a reply.
Thank you.
 
jimbo3828 said:
I agree with you about needing additional education. However there are no training sites in our state, requiring extensive traveling and $.
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In your type of work you may want to become an NFPA member and take some of their classes on line. You can visit their web site as a visitor for free. Their magazine could also be of use to you and it's free with membership. I think they also offer some certifications which could be of use to you. Any way it's worth a look-see. :)

This is not a plug for the NFPA just information.
 
most manufacturers will have a sales rep who can layout the job for you....they might over design the project a little, but that is not a bad thing...
 
rodneee said:
most manufacturers will have a sales rep who can layout the job for you....they might over design the project a little, but that is not a bad thing...
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He is talking about a fire installation, they require a sealed plan, not a sales rep layout, fire work is nothing like electrical, the liability and life safety issues are the concern.
 
We have the necessary insurance, I have just not seen a fire alarm in a convenience store before. I am not talking about the suppression system for the pumps but the inside of the store. The Fire Marshall got back to me this morning reffering me to NFPA 30 which I do not own.
 
You can read NFPA 30, or any other NFPA standard on-line for free. Just go to www.NFPA.org and follow the instructions. They are a bit hard to find and follow, but be persistent. If you do any work with flammable/combustible liquids, a copy of NFPA 30 would be a good investment. I do not care to read these things on-line, especially standards that usually requires a non-linear read. The interface is awkward and you cannot print. But for a quick check, it is convenient.
 
satcom said:
He is talking about a fire installation, they require a sealed plan, not a sales rep layout
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Actually around here it is very common for the Fire alarm equipment vendor to supply the stamped drawings. The state requires a NICET level 4 I believe and every rep agency has one on staff to prefrom the deisgn for us.

On a large project the EE will already have it layed out.
 
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