BEFORE THE ARCHITECT – HOME DESIGNING BACKGROUND – UNIQUE HOME DESIGNING ARTICLES
HOME SAFETY - FIRE
By Before The Architect Copyright 2009 Before The Architect
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INTRODUCTION
Comment: Note well that there are entries in regard to home fire safety herein under that reside here only, and others that repeat items otherwise herewith because the AG thinks they’re worth repeating.
1) Furnaces and water heaters shall be direct vent or power vent
2) A smoke alarm
a) shall be applied in each sleeping room according to manufacturer instruction
b) shall be applied on the ceiling outside each sleeping room within 5 linear feet of each and every passage door to that room and
c) shall be permanently connected to each other overall such that when one or more sounds an alarm, all sound an alarm throughout the entire house
d) shall run on both permanent 120V and replaceable battery
e) each shall feature a combination of ionization and photoelectric sensors
f) none shall disconnect by wall light switch control
Comment: More alarms may be set, but not less.
3) Firestops
a) shall be at not less than the following sites
i) at each concealed space or cavity not less than 10 linear feet in length in any direction
(1) at openings around vents, pipes, ducts, chimneys, fireplaces, electrical conductors, and other openings at ceiling-to-roof and floor-to-wall
(2) at openings between attic spaces and chases for factory-built chimneys
(3) furred spaces
ii) at the ceiling and floor levels of combustible construction
iii) at 10 linear feet on center wall intervals on the vertical or the horizontal
(1) except at 8 linear feet on center when backing wall panels, and
(2) except at 8 linear feet on center for lateral wall bracing
iv) at sites involving metal plate-connected, open-web wood floor trusses –to more or less evenly isolate not greater than 750 square feet at a time
v) at penetrations to fire-stops from any direction
vi) at each interconnection between concealed horizontal and vertical spaces, e.g., at
(1) soffits
(2) drop ceilings
(3) cove ceilings
(4) concealed segments of barrel, channel, or box, and other vaulted ceilings, etc.
vii) at stairs
(1) head
(2) foot
(3) outside faces of stair stringers
(4) between studs along and in-line with each run of stairs for unfinished walls below stairs
viii) at the joint of Type-X wallboard to gas curb
b) shall be of not less than at least one of the following materials
i) nominal 2 linear inch x lumber
ii) 1 ½ linear inch x 1 linear inch wood blocks
iii) tightly packed, unbacked fiberglass insulation
iv) 2 layers of ¾ linear inch plywood
v) sheet metal not less than 24-gauge
vi) not less than ½ linear inches drywall (gypsum) board
vii) other materials approved by the building authority having jurisdiction
viii) notwithstanding in all cases, fire-stopping materials themselves for other than through-penetration fire-stopping in conformance with not less than most recent ASTM E136 to qualify as “noncombustible” (a/k/a American Society for Testing and Materials, "Test Method for Behavior of Materials in a Vertical Tube Furnace at 750 degrees C")
ix) notwithstanding in all cases, through-penetration fire-stopping materials conforming to not less than most recent ASTM E814 (a/k/a American Society for Testing and Materials, “Standard Test Method for Fire Tests of Through-Penetration Fire Stops”)
c) shall be fitted exceedingly tight overall in the stopped space
i) for regular spaces, meticulous cutting and fitting
ii) for irregular space, by intumescent sealant
Comment: In the literature, there are distinctions herewith as between fire-stopping and fire-blocking. The AG shall make no distinction. Fire is fire. Stopping is blocking and blocking is stopping.
4) Smoke-stopping
a) shall be
i) at fireblocked abuts to habitable space, e.g., stringer head
ii) at firestopped abuts to sleeping areas and hallway passages, e.g., through-penetrations in the field, such as through-plate electrical cables to a bedroom or water supply tubing in a stairway or hallway wall
b) shall be of not less than the L-rated materials conforming to not less than ANSI/UL 1479 (a/k/a/ American National Standards Institute/Underwriters Laboratories, “Fire Tests of Through-Penetration Firestops”, 1994”)
Comment: Smoke-stopping is additive to fire-stopping in life-critical spaces
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