sprinklernotes
Residential Sprinklers in a Communal Kitchen
You asked the following question: In an NFPA 13 apartment complex in which
there are central cooking and laundry facilities containing residential-type
appliances (stove, washer/dryer, etc.) on each floor rather than individual
amenities in each apartment, can residential sprinklers be used?
In response to your question, we have reviewed NFPA 13, Standard for the
Installation of Sprinkler Systems, 2019 edition.
Our informal interpretation is that residential sprinklers shall be permitted
to be installed in the kitchen and laundry areas.
Residential sprinklers are permitted to be installed in dwelling units and
their adjoining corridors. A dwelling unit is defined in chapter 3 of NFPA 13:
3.3.62 Dwelling Unit (for sprinkler system installations). One or more rooms
arranged for the use of one or more individuals living together, as in a single
housekeeping unit normally having cooking, living, sanitary, and sleeping
facilities that include, but are not limited to, hotel rooms, dormitory rooms,
apartments, condominiums, sleeping rooms in nursing homes, and similar living
units.
This definition focuses on rooms used for living purposes. Although the kitchen
and laundry areas are accessible to multiple residents, they are not open to
the public. The fire loading in these areas will not be any greater than a
kitchen only accessible by the individual apartment units. Additionally, the
definition includes the language “one or more rooms arranged for the use of one
or more individuals living together,” which implies that your situation falls
under the definition of a dwelling unit permitting the use of residential
sprinklers in those areas.
Finally, section A.12.1.1 indicates that the response and water distribution
pattern of listed residential sprinklers have been shown by extensive fire
testing to provide better control than spray sprinklers in residential
occupancies. These sprinklers are intended to prevent flashover in the room of
fire origin, thus improving the chance for occupants to escape or be evacuated.
While this is a gray area in the 2019 edition of NFPA 13, AFSA technical staff
has flagged the issue and intends to submit a public input to create an annex
note clarifying the issue for the 2025 edition.
