New automatic
sprinkler standard
If the high rise fire problem
is not obvious to most devel-
opers, it may be because of the
natural mental block that goes
along with the thought of
spending more money. The
problem of incorporating code
amendments, which will un-
doubtedly increase the cost of
high rise buildings, is real and
must be carefully studied to
;equire only features which can
be shown of definite need and
of reasonable cost. Our posi-
tion has been to study prob-
lems of high rise buildings on a
systematic scientific basis, so
we can formulate code amend-
ments which will provide the
proper degree of safety com-
mensurate with the economic
realities of life, In effect,
we realize that standardizing
high rise requirements will
keep Big Brother off our backs
in the form of a national build-
ing code administered by some
bureaucrat in Washington....
It appears very likely that cost
of sprinkler systems can be
reduced in the near future by
changing the standards, making
early fire control the most
logical of all possibilities."
JOSEPH F. FITZGERALD, JR.
Chairman
Task Force on Codes & Safety
Chicago Committee on High Rise Buildings
(Fire Protection Seminar — December, 1971)
.4IE•••• For more data, circle No. 140 on inquiry card
Building Officials and Code Administrators International Proposed
Standard for Design and Installation of the Suppression System for
Life Safety (BOCA No. 13)
The search for solutions to the high rise fire problem by such con-
cerned interdisciplinary groups as the Chicago Committee on High
Rise Buildings and General Services Administration, Public Build-
ings Service, has concentrated on balancing requirements in terms
of both safety objectives and economic realities. The concensus of
fire safety specialists who are looking for the best answers that will
not penalize construction is that future codes should be based on
acceptable alternatives, designed on the basis of systems analysis.
Another objective is that the degree of protection legally man-
dated for existing structures must be necessarily reduced to the
minimum level which will afford reasonable safety.
While generally conceded that the early fire control concept --
a complete automatic fire sprinkler system — is the best and most
complete solution, it is also the most expensive as presently de-
signed. Because it is the most desirable, however, it deserves the
most code trade-offs, insurance credit ratings, and tax incentives.
Also, if more attractive and more economical sprinkler systems
were designed, significant additional value would result and the
owner could depreciate the investment over a period of years.
Conditions implicit in approaching a reasonably adequate level
of protection without introducing an unreasonable level of addi-
tional cost for owners and occupants of high rise buildings are:
1) Allow a choice of concepts leading to the optimum solution for
each project;
2) Write requirements as true performance criteria;
3) Enforce codes by evaluating individual designs in terms of
ability to meet the intent, not the letter of the law;
4) Reduce the cost of sprinkler systems by changing the standards
for design and installation;
5) Allow trade-offs of basic construction design requirements for
complete sprinkler protection (most authorities agree that we
have a lot of overdesign to play with) .
The life safety sprinkler system tested in the Pioneer Interna-
tional Hotel in Tucson, Arizona (sometimes referred to as the
"Patton Research Project" — see BUILDINGS, January 1973,
The Patton Plan for Fire Safety), overcomes many previous ob-
jections to automatic sprinkler systems. The new system makes
sprinklers a more viable, economic solution because it represents
a significantly reduced design standard for high rise building light
hazard applications.
Fundamental concept of the life safety sprinkler system is to
specifically fit the sprinkler (with an improved deflector design)
to the area to be protected, and then hydraulically design the
system to provide the orifice pressure necessary. Size of the pip-
ing is reduced and the water system supplying it is greatly sim-
plified -- in some applications, off a domestic water line. The
system is monitored with a quick response device to adequately
warn of fire at the incipient stage.
In light of the reduced hazard potential inherent in fully sprin-
klered buildings, automatic fire suppression as described in the
following extracts from BOCA's proposed standard may hand the
owner a nearly total — and economically feasible — solution to
prompt automatic control of fire in high rise buildings.
— SHIRLEY BOYCE Managing Editor
BUILDINGS/85
 NEW SPRINKLER STANDARD

Automatic sprinkler protection for a high quality building

has usually been calculated between 1 34 to 21/4% of
total cost, but the economic objection was eliminated
in the case of the tallest building in Melbourne, Australia.
Through credits or 'trade-offs,' an additional $80,000 INTENT OF THE
annual rental income was gained through recovered NEW STANDARD
space. This means that the building is cheaper and safer. • to develop a performance stan-
dard as an alternative to exist-
ing specification type, equip-
The traditional sprinkler system also recognizes that it is imprac- ment-oriented standards
installation conforms to an in- tical to eliminate the fire problem
through regulating the structure's • to define a fire suppression sys-
surance-oriented standard; its
tem whose primary purpose is to
components are tested by in- contents. Man lives in a com- protect life as well as property
surance laboratories; its approv- bustible environment and will
al, and therefore interpretation continue to do so in the foresee- • to define a fire suppression sys-
of the standard, rests with in- able future. tem acceptable to industry and
surance interests. This tradition- Fire protection specialists have fire safety and code enforcement
begun to realize that NFPA 13, officials' organizations
al sprinkler system is primarily
an industrial and commercial originally developed for indus- • to define design methods based
fire protection tool used for fire trial protection, is not the ulti- on rational fire protection prin-
insurance rating credits. mate tool for protecting human ciples
life. Therefore, this new fire pro- • to conceptualize a system of
Search for the ultimate tool tection theory called for develop- composite protection whereby
Meanwhile from the view- ment of a fire detection and sup- the detection, supervisory and
point of life safety in other oc- pression system specifically de- sprinkler sub-systems work to-
cupancies, the fire protection signed to protect human life. gether as a whole
profession has generally relied Such a system would optimumly • to develop a concept of fire pro-
on construction regulation to be a supplement or an alternative tection that encourages system
achieve an adequate level of to some aspects of structural fire improvements and refinements
safety. These regulations have protection regulations. through usage and experience
emphasized fire-resistive con-
struction, slow-burning interior International experience • to define a system whose high
reliability qualifies it for struc-
finish and adequate enclosed Although American sprinkler tural fire resistivity trade-offs
exitways. The sprinkler system system development has remain-
has rarely been considered the ed relatively static since 1886, • to establish methods of protect-
primary fire protection tool for international experience has, in ing property of low fire-loading
life safety. many respects, developed along by means of small water supplies
more progressive lines. and piping systems while main-
However, serious fires continue
taining adequate water densities
to occur in "fireproof" buildings In Europe and the United
with adequate exits and struc- Kingdom, sprinklers with reason- • to develop the concept that suc-
tural fire protection. Each major able water supplies, including cessful fire suppression requires
fire loss has produced a new pressure tank supplies, are in the coordination of the detection
round of structural regulations. common use. Although available and suppression systems with
water supply to operate these the fire brigade and fire service
Recent fires in fire-resistive high
rise buildings have further in- systems is often a fraction of that • to define total systems concepts
creased public concern. considered necessary in the Unit- that will encourage the improve-
The latest concept of fire pro- ed States, the performance record ment of fire-fighting equipment
tection recognizes that interior of foreign systems has been bet- used by non-professionals
combustible furnishings can burn ter. Limited water supply sys-
within a fire-resistive building. tems, including pressure tanks,
Life safety from fire cannot be have been briefly covered by
guaranteed through regulating American standards, but have
the basic structure. This theory been rarely used.

g
o 197
Australian and New Zealand experience in fires in office,
hotel, and similar light hazard occupancies which are
sprinklered, show that only one fatality occurred in
82 years — an elderly woman died through contact burns
from a cigarette fire in foam rubber upholstery, although
one sprinkler head quickly controlled the fire. Out of 247
office building fires, 93.9 were extinguished by two
sprinkler heads or less. Average fire and smoke damage
was estimated at $700 per fire.

In Australia and New Zealand,
the sprinkler system is consider-
ed incomplete unless valves are
electrically supervised, alarm
signals are automatically trans-
mitted to the fire department and
system maintenance is contract-
ed to the system installer or
manufacturer. Such practices
have been unknown in this coun-
try; however, in Australia and
New Zealand, they are virtually
the rule — not the exception.
99.76% performance record
Because of these safeguards,
sprinkler systems in those coun-
tries have had better perfor-
mance records. The American
performance record has been
96.2%; in Australia, the perfor-
mance record for the years be-
tween 1886 and 1968 was 99.76%.
During that period, only 14
sprinkler failures, out of a total
of 5,734 operations under fire
conditions, were noted. This
record suggests that properly
designed sprinkler systems can
be a reliable tool for increasing
life safety.
Another significant aspect of
Australia's and New Zealand's
experiences is that an average of
less than 2.0 sprinklers opened
as a result of fire in light hazard
occupancies, including residen-
tial, assembly, educational, in-
stitutional and office classifica-
tions.
This record proves that super-
vised or monitored sprinkler sys-
tems utilizing small water sup-
plies and piping systems, pro-
vide reliable and safe protection
for light hazard occupancies
where life safety is the main
concern.
These conclusions are further
substantiated by other research.
For example, British studies
have shown that fires in light
hazard occupancies can be con-
trolled with water densities as
light as 0.05 GPM per sq. ft.
This research reinforces the
theory that light hazard occu-
pancies can be protected with
economical sprinkler systems
utilizing small piping networks.
Development of the new system
In 1970, the Copper Develop-
ment Association agreed to fi-
nance a research and develo p
-mentproga,bcdue
by Patton Fire Protection and
Research, Inc., for the purpose
of developing low cost fire pro-
tection for life safety in light
hazard occupancies, based on
this new life-oriented fire protec-
tion theory and on existing in-
ternational experience.
Preliminary research was con-
ducted at a fire department train-
ing facility in Mahwah, New
Jersey. In March of 1971, a
series of tests was conducted in
a large residence in Newton,
New Jersey, which was attended
by fire protection specialists rep-
resenting various organizations
throughout the country. Twenty-
two fire tests were conducted,
and certain basic concepts were
formulated from the results,
which were incorporated into this
standard. These concepts in-
cluded the following:
• use of wide angle deflectors to
cover large areas and the fit-
ting of the spray pattern to
the plat (nozzle area) pro-
tected
• room partitioning as a definite
limiting factor on the number
of sprinklers that will open
• effectiveness of the use of small
water supplies and light den-
sities
• effectiveness of the use of low
cost soldered copper tubing
• effectiveness of varying orifice
sizes to fit water density de-
mands instead of changing
head spacing
• use of a total systems design
approach, including selection
of spray pattern, orifice and
piping sizes, water supply and
supervision or monitoring
System prototype successful
A prototype system was in-
stalled and scheduled for testing
at the Pioneer International
Hotel, Tucson, Arizona, in Aug-
ust, 1971. Fire safety experts
from all parts of the country
were again invited to witness the
testing. It was decided that if
the system prototype success-
fully controlled fires during the
testing program, essentially, the
system would be proven. This
decision was based on the fact
that the concepts used to de-
velop the system had already
been substantiated by available
research
After the tests were completed,

BUILDINGS '87
 NEW SPRINKLER STANDARD

It is conceivable that the future may see invention of a

system superior to the automatic sprinkler system, but
the principle at issue now is that the many complex
WHO DEVELOPED
problems arising from unuontrolled growth of fire can be THE STANDARD?
solved if the fire is controlled in the early stages before
Standards Committee
exponential growth takes o\,er. After all, Shakespeare John F. Behrens; Chairman
knew this hundreds of years c3go when he said in Henry International Conference of
Building Officials
IV: 'A little fire is quickly trodden out; Which, being Richard M. Patton; Secretary
suffered, rivers cannot quen Patton Fire Protection and
Research
Irwin A. Benjamin
Fire Research Section, National
a committee was formed to de- Generally, the electronic portion Bureau of Standards
velop a design standard which is intended to monitor the hy- GayIon R. Claiborne
would more accurately reflect draulic portion and automatical- Building Officials and Code
current technology. This group ly issue warnings on system Administrators International
grew out of the committee of failure. It is also intended to John G. Degenkolb
fire experts that planned and sound a fire alarm and alert the International Association of
evaluated the above-mentioned Fire Chiefs
fire department.
H. W. Marryatt
testing programs and its mem- In low fire potential locations Australian Fire Protection
bers represented the three pro- where water spray can cause Association
fessional building officials' or- severe problems, fast-acting fire L. F. Peterson
ganizations — Building Officials detectors may be substituted for Fire Chief, City of Tucson,
and Code Administrators Inter- water spray nozzles. However, Arizona
national (BOCA International), such substitution of fire detec- Robert Sullivan
the International Conference of tion for fire suppression must be Southern Building Code
Building Officials (ICBO), and made with caution and only Congress
the Southern Building Code where justified, since the basic Standards Advisory Committee
Congress (SBCC). intention of this standard is to
T. H. Carter
automatically control fire as well International Conference of
Guidelines for system design as to detect it. Fire detection Building Officials
This standard is a perfor- should never be substituted for F. H. Deeg
mance-type standard, developed fire suppression unless adequate American Mutual Insurance
with the intention of providing manual fire controls are also Alliance
engineering methods by which available John Foehl
fire protection engineers can de- Copper Development Association
sign fire protection systems. The Densities and fire loading Jim MacDonald
standard establishes the basic This system follows a total The Travelers Insurance Company
criteria, and the designer must A. F. McCrary
design approach. The building
American Hospital Association
fit the system to the property to be protected is divided into
Phil H. Merdinyan
in question so that the full bene- plats and a nozzle located in Grinnell Company
fits of the system may be real- each so that the entire plat will Marshall E. Petersen
ized. he wetted with a water spray of Rolf Jensen & Associates
It is the intent of the standard proper density. The spray pat- J. L. Randall
to protect all areas where there tern must satisfactorily cover City of Fresno, California
is a significant potential for fire. the plat at a density that is con- E. J. Reilly
Partial protection is undesirable, sistent with the fire loading. National Automatic Sprinkler
both because it permits fires to After the plats are determined and Fire Control Association
develop in unprotected areas and John Ed Ryan
and the nozzles selected, section-
National Forest Products
because it wrongfully implies al water demands must be deter- Association
that the designer can predict mined. A section represents the Gary Sheperd
where the fire will occur. maximum number of nozzles (or Ohio Nursing Home Association
The system is a combined plats) expected to be opened in Walter Wells
electronic and hydraulic system. a given area by fire. Nozzles will American Iron and Steel Institute

88/Apri1 1973
 Despite the fact that we have had relatively few fires
in high rise buildings vs. those in other buildings, the
severity potential is so high — we run the risk of losing so
many lives in one fire — that it overrides any considera-
tion of the statistical frequency with which fires occur and
with which lives have been lost so far. With some buildings
containing 3,000 to 5,000 people during business
hours, the fact that a terrible disaster has not yet
occurred can only be attributed to good fortune, not to
the fire-safe design of such buildings.

not be expected to open outside
the section or room of fire origin.
In larger areas, the plat size
shall be determined in accor-
dance with a table based on
average conditions. However,
section sizes should be enlarged
for unusual conditions, such as
the potential for a rapidly
spreading or extremely hot fire.
The piping system must be
able to deliver the water from
the source to the section. In
some instances, there will be a
set water supply available, and
it will then be necessary to size
the piping system and select the
nozzles so that adequate density
will be obtained from the exist-
ing supply. In other instances,
private water supplies or booster
pumps will be part of the sys-
tem's installation, and the de-
signer will be able to select the
water supply at the source.
The required average density
shall be a function of the occu-
pancy's fire loading as prescribed
by one Section of this Standard.
Systems design shall be based
on approved nozzle density
curves which show the pressure
ranges and required above-floor
height for proper coverage.
It is not expected that each
and every plat will be separately
and individually evaluated for
fire loading and density, so den-
sity is generally prescribed on a
class basis. However, the de-
signer must correct for signifi-
cant deviations from the norm
Design must be predicated on
supplying an adequate water
density to the critical, most hy-
draulically remote key sections.
When the water supply and pip-
ing system are adequate to meet
the needs of these sections, there
will be adequate water and pres-
sure to protect the other sections.
Allowances for the future
Safety factors should be in-
cluded in the design of the pri-
mary distribution system if there
is a chance new key section
water demands (that are beyond
the capacity of feed mains) will
be created. Such safety factors
could include the following:
• oversizing the feed line
• providing for future cross-con-
nections between feed mains to
increase the system looping
and reduce friction loss in the
system
• making allowances for future
pressure increases at the
source
• planning for future physical
subdivision of the sections to
reduce the section size and its
water demands.
In order to obtain a hydraulic-
ally balanced system with no
steep pressure gradients, looped
and gridded piping layouts are
recommended. Long dead end
feed mains and branch lines are
undesirable.
Feed main loops may be uni-
formly sized throughout. A
branch line may be of unlimited
length, provided it is connected
to a feed main at both ends; it
may also be uniformly sized,
provided it will simultaneously
feed all nozzles on the line that
lie within any section. A branch
line may also travel through two
or more sections. Only those
nozzles that are placed within a
given section will be expected
to be operable by fire in that
section.
Suggested changes, requested
interpretations, or design review,
research reports on system equip-
ment, or any questions regarding
this standard or its use should
be directed to Building Officials
& Code Administrators Interna-
tional, 1313 East 60th Street,
Chicago, Illinois 60637. Tele-
phone: (312) 324-3400.
The complete 43-page pro-
posed standard for automatic
sprinklers has been publish-
ed and is available from
BOCA at the above address.
It will be presented as a ten-
tative standard at a public
hearing the second week of
June. After the hearing, the
responsible committee will
modify the standard if neces-
ary and make a recommen-
dation to the BOCA Execu-
tive Committee either to pub-
lish the standard as it stands,
or as modified, or to continue
the standard for further
study and hearing. If affirma-
tively referred to the Execu-
tive Committee, it will be
submitted as a formal change
to the Basic Building Code
before the end of August.

BUI LDINGS, / 89