Location of fire riser

[wickedspins]

Anyone know if NFPA has any requirements on where fire riser is located? This would be for a non-residential building with either wet pipe or dry pipe fire sprinkler system.

I have heard co-workers mentioning that you cannot located a fire riser in a stairwell. I'm not sure if this is true or not as I am not seeing any verbage in NFPA 13 that says you can't. Maybe the fire riser needs to have direct access?

Thanks.

 

[jgailla]

This is anecdotal, but I'm in Florida and there is a riser in the stairwell in my building.

 

[wickedspins]

jgailla: I was going to add that I have heard of one project that our office designed and the FPE that the contractor hired put the fire riser in the stairwell and got approved by the State Fire Marshal. That is the only project that I know of that has it in the stairwell.... and that stairwell has an exterior door. So not sure if that was the reason that it was approved or not.

 

[stookeyfpe]

The riser location will be dictated by NFPA 13 (2010 edition) Section 10.6.1 and the jurisdiction's adopted fire code. You need to have this discussion with the AHJ.

 

[cdafd]

wondering if you are mixing alligators and skunks, as far as terms

the answer is depends

depends on the stairwell and what it is serving, how wide the starwell is, are you going to obstruct exiting?, etc.
that is a building code question and not a sprinkler question

then there is "Riser" are you talking the fire alarm valve and all the bells and whistles or just the pipe running up to feed other floors?


the answer to your question is it depends, and is more building code item when it comes to stairwells.

 

[wickedspins]

cdafd: I'm talking about a fire riser with all the bells and whistles. Looks like it's up to the AHJ. Thanks.

 

[cdafd]

Yes and no

There are still building code issues with risers in a stairway

 

[stookeyfpe]

The original question was where a fire protection riser can be located. The stair issue is just one point of review.

I have no idea of what the issue is. This is a non issue along as I have access to the FDC and the riser room is easily accessible. Which is a judgement call. Which is why they need to talk to the AHJ. We can't solve this problem.