Ladies & Gentlemen:
 
We have run in to similar - not exact - circumstances on BIA Projects both  
here in NM and AZ. Long story short - BIA accepted/approved  similar 
'contradictory' design criteria when an engineering  decision/judgement was 
made 
(i.e., plans/calc's 'sealed') by a licensed PE/FPE  registered in State of 
project. Actually, we have previously gotten around  0.15/OH1 densities when 
our drawings were sealed by our FPE.
 
Regards to All-
 
Jerry
[email protected]_ (mailto:[email protected]) 
 
Jerry D. Watts, SFPE
President & Co-Founder
ACCENT FIRE ENGINEERING INT'L. Ltd*
Santa Fe/Albuquerque/Las Cruces/Silver City/Roswell/Artesia New  Mexico
Seattle, WA  San Diego, CA  Phoenix, AZ  San Antonio,  TX
(800) 503.1961 nationwide
 
*Licensed Fire Protection Engineers - Architects/Inspectors/Fire  
Investigators:  AZ  CA  CO  NM  NV  NY   TX  UT  KS  MD  MS
 
 
In a message dated 3/19/2014 1:03:59 P.M. Mountain Daylight Time,  
[email protected] writes:

We are  looking at a project with the BIA (Bureau of Indian Affairs).  
They  require all bldgs over 2000 sq ft to be Ord Grp I as a minimum in 
ALL  areas.  We have dealt with them in the past and there seems to be no  
waivering on this issue.  We had a contractor in the past install  Tyco 
BB heads and calc'd for 0.15 gpm.  Tyco had written letters that  
calculating to 0.15 would be fine. But the data sheet for those heads  
says light hazard.  So, the BIA rejected and the attic had to be  
re-piped for SSU for protection.

Now, the current project has  concealed combustible spaces requiring the 
specially listed heads for  flat, shallow concealed combustible spaces - 
Tyco CC, Viking COIN,  etc..  However, we are going to have the problem 
that these heads are  listed for light hazard only.  We can't go to SSU 
because NFPA 13  states that you must use specially listed heads for 
these concealed  spaces.  We are awaiting a response from the BIA, but I 
am not  expecting much help.  Have any of you ever run into this?  If so,  
how did you address it?  We can't use the only heads listed for the  area 
because they are only listed as light hazard and the BIA requires all  
areas to be OH1 minimum.  We can't use SSU sprinklers because NFPA 13  
prohibits their use in these spaces.  It is a true Catch  22.

-- 
Travis Mack, SET
MFP Design, LLC
2508 E Lodgepole  Drive
Gilbert, AZ 85298
480-505-9271
fax:  866-430-6107
email:[email protected]

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