Fire Alarm Pull Station Requirement at Smoke Compartment in Hospital

[Shujinko]

I have a project in a Hospital where there are double doors (fire doors) in a corridor between 2 different smoke compartments. Is there a code requirement for a pull station on both sides of the double door? If so, can someone point me to the code citation as I have looked for it and have not been able to find it?

My project is a Hospital in Florida. Thanks.

 

[mgookin]

Well that's a stretch to call a horizontal exit and "exit" for the purpose of Chapter 9 of the building code or for the purpose of NFPA72, both of which require a pull station "within 5' of the entrance to an exit".

Check with ACHA and the local fire marshal though; they are the ones who will take you to task on it if they are going to require it.

 

[Shujinko]

I've seen the pull stations at the fire doors that separate smoke compartments at other existing hospitals but never really dove into the code investigation part of it. I'll probably ask AHCA as suggested.

 

[ROBERT RUSSELL]

Door Release

Door Release

There are no requirements for pull stations (least to my knowledge) for door release service.

What is required (depending on header depth) is a smoke detector on one or both sides. Refer to NFPA 72 (2013) 17.7.5.6

 

[ron]

The requirement for a fire alarm pull (manual) station is from the building code and doesn't differentiate a smoke compartment door for others.

You might need it for distance reasons from the building code, and the door to a smoke compartment is just a good idea.

 

[gadfly56]

What purpose would be served by having a pull station on each side of the door? If the door is activated, you already have a fire condition somewhere. I'd say stick with the entrance to each exit way and travel distance of 200 feet. Unless there's a spec requirement, which is a whole different animal.

 

[mgookin]

What purpose would be served by having a pull station on each side of the door? If the door is activated, you already have a fire condition somewhere. I'd say stick with the entrance to each exit way and travel distance of 200 feet. Unless there's a spec requirement, which is a whole different animal.

If it is indeed a horizontal exit, that may be where you are going to seek safe refuge and there may not yet be a general alarm. You pull the pull station and then you have a general alarm. I'm not saying it's required but just saying there may be a logical reason for it if it is required.

OP needs to get with the state AHCA and the local fire & building officials on this one.

 

[gadfly56]

If it is indeed a horizontal exit, that may be where you are going to seek safe refuge and there may not yet be a general alarm. You pull the pull station and then you have a general alarm. I'm not saying it's required but just saying there may be a logical reason for it if it is required.

OP needs to get with the state AHCA and the local fire & building officials on this one.

Why would you be seeking refuge without a general alarm? Who would program an FACP to release the fire doors without activating notification appliances/voice evac?

 

[mgookin]

Why would you be seeking refuge without a general alarm? ...

That's why we put pull stations and fire extinguishers at exits. You see an emergency and you go to the exit. You always want to be on the "exit" side of the emergency. At that exit you can pull a pull station, grab a fire extinguisher, and/ or leave the building.

 

[gadfly56]

That's why we put pull stations and fire extinguishers at exits. You see an emergency and you go to the exit. You always want to be on the "exit" side of the emergency. At that exit you can pull a pull station, grab a fire extinguisher, and/ or leave the building.

Yes, and until such time as an initiating device is activated, the fire door is open and you have a continuous corridor, so why put a pull station on either side of the fire door? One side or the other, IFF that particular location is within 5 feet of an exit access, but not both sides.

 

[mgookin]

Yes, and until such time as an initiating device is activated, the fire door is open and you have a continuous corridor, so why put a pull station on either side of the fire door? One side or the other, IFF that particular location is within 5 feet of an exit access, but not both sides.

In the hypothetical case I was talking about, that 2 hour wall IS THE EXIT. You have safe refuge on either side.

Pull that pull station = general alarm = door closed = you are safe.

Make sense that way?

 

[gadfly56]

In the hypothetical case I was talking about, that 2 hour wall IS THE EXIT. You have safe refuge on either side.

Pull that pull station = general alarm = door closed = you are safe.

Make sense that way?

I'm not feeling it. Say you have a corridor, 100 feet long with exit stairwells at each end and an elevator bank in the middle. Ten feet on either side of the elevator is a fire/smoke door forming the smoke compartment/area of refuge/whatever with a 2 hour rating. Where do you put the pull stations? Within 5 feet of the entrance to each stairwell, period. The code doesn't require more, and unless it's in the spec, the customer isn't going to pay for more. If you think you can sell the end user on an extra pull station, go for it, otherwise you'll be using your own money to pay for it.

 

[mgookin]

I'm not feeling it. Say you have a corridor, 100 feet long with exit stairwells at each end and an elevator bank in the middle. Ten feet on either side of the elevator is a fire/smoke door forming the smoke compartment/area of refuge/whatever with a 2 hour rating. Where do you put the pull stations? Within 5 feet of the entrance to each stairwell, period. The code doesn't require more, and unless it's in the spec, the customer isn't going to pay for more. If you think you can sell the end user on an extra pull station, go for it, otherwise you'll be using your own money to pay for it.

We are communicating effectively on one part and not on another.

My first few words were "well it's a far stretch to call a horizontal exit an exit for the purpose of Chapter 9 of the building code or for the purpose of NFPA 72..." when what was understood was not a 100' long corridor but a horizontal exit in a building (hospital). A horizontal exit means you go from one area (compartment) of a building to a different area of the building, the other area being separated by 2 hour fire rated separation. No elevator involved and no stairwells; could be just a single story hospital for that purpose.

In a hospital the people don't run out the door when there's a fire. Many of the people are incapable of self preservation and staff must move them. That's whey we do horizontal exits in hospitals.

I never said it was required and leaned toward it not being required.

OP was asking about it and I pointed him to the AHJ's which are local building & fire officials plus in Florida we have a state Agency for Health Care Administration which must approve all hospital plans. He said that's what he's going to do.

 

[Shujinko]

Thanks for the interesting responses. The Florida Building Code, in their definition of an exit includes "horizontal exits" under this umbrella this is why I think we would need the manual pull station at every fire door between smoke compartments that is identified as a horizontal exit.