Roland, Im aware of what NFPA 25 has on impairments and the pre-planned impairment 4 hrs in 24 hrs trigger point .... including an approved fire watch AND temporary water supply. Trained personnel are described in the handbook and appendix to those sections and its all valid. An impairment beyond 4 in 24 would need such things as I described in my posting, as cited for a pre-planned impairment. An emergency impairment also includes a reference back to the pre-planned section for fire watch and temporary water supply. Coincidentally the NFPA 25 handbook includes a sidebar story of a loss during impairment for $5 million when neither a watch or temp. supply was provided. As the handbook points out in its opening sentences ..... whether the impairment is pre planned or an emergency will have little bearing on the possibility of a catastrophe.
As an AHJ in this state we must always start our actions with the legislative document that empowers us .... such as our Uniform Fire or Construction Codes. It is within these documents that we are given our authority, procedures, and access to referenced standards. Within the administrative provisions of both codes are provisions for either the fire or construction authority to issue notice of imminent hazard and order actions that may include vacating the structure for inadequacy of fire protection systems. That order may also include stipulating temporary provisions to provide protection pro-tem. Naturally the owners are entitled to an appeal as well ...... Bottom line to all of this from my seat at the fire safety table is that fire watches alone do not suffice for impaired systems when such systems were provided in lieu of many other aspects of fire safety being adjusted and I expressed my justification for that position earlier. While it may be the 'hard line' approach to an impairment it does appear to be within the framework of the referenced standard. The loss history table in section 1 indicates that 35% of the sprinklered occupancy losses were related to the water being shut off, thats reason alone to consider the temporary water supply at an impairment. Apparently sprinklered buildings do burn when the water is turned off. Last thing I'd want to deal with during or after a fire was the question why I did not enforce a referenced standard which includes the provision for temporary water supply, knowing full well that fires occur in sprinklered buildings. The industry created the consensus document known as NFPA 25 .... and I have been left to enforce it. Dave, _______________________________________________ Sprinklerforum mailing list [email protected] http://lists.firesprinkler.org/mailman/listinfo/sprinklerforum To Unsubscribe, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] (Put the word unsubscribe in the subject field)
