FM Global Property Loss Prevention Data Sheets

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September 1981 Revised January 2000 Page 1 of 8

FIRE PROTECTION FOR BUILDING OVER HIGHWAYS

Table of Contents
Page 1.0 SCOPE ................................................................................................................................................... 2 1.1 Changes .......................................................................................................................................... 2 2.0 LOSS PREVENTION RECOMMENDATIONS ....................................................................................... 2 2.1 Construction and Location ............................................................................................................... 2 2.2 Protection ......................................................................................................................................... 4 2.3 Human Element ............................................................................................................................... 4 3.0 SUPPORT FOR RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................................... 5 3.1 General ............................................................................................................................................ 5 4.0 REFERENCES ....................................................................................................................................... 8 4.1 FM Global ........................................................................................................................................ 8 4.2 Others .............................................................................................................................................. 8 APPENDIX A GLOSSARY OF TERMS ....................................................................................................... 8 APPENDIX B DOCUMENT REVISION HISTORY ....................................................................................... 8

List of Figures
Fig. 1. Four 32-story apartment buildings and a bus terminal built over the Trans-Manhattan Expressway. ........................................................................................................................................ 2 Fig. 2. Building slab extending 50 ft (15 m) beyond the building line. (Plan view). ...................................... 3 Fig. 3. Fire resistive walls of building over highway. (Plan view). ................................................................. 4 Fig. 4. Wall hydrants in the space under Detroits Cobo Hall. ...................................................................... 5 Fig. 5. The Post Office Building in Chicago is built over the Eisenhower Expressway. ............................... 6 Fig. 6. Cobo Hall in Detroit is built over the John C. Lodge Expressway. .................................................... 6 Fig. 7. This supermarket in Newton, Massachusetts was built over the Massachusetts Turnpike. .............. 7

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Fire Protection for Building Over Highways

FM Global Property Loss Prevention Data Sheets

1.0 SCOPE This standard outlines fire protection guidelines for buildings over highways with respect to the hazards created by vehicles using the highways. 1.1 Changes January 2000. This revision of the document has been reorganized to provide a consistent format. 2.0 LOSS PREVENTION RECOMMENDATIONS 2.1 Construction and Location 2.1.1 Floors, beams, and columns of a building over a highway that are exposed to the space below should have a minimum fire resistance of four hours as established by Data Sheet 1-1, Firesafe Building Construction and Materials, and Data Sheet 1-21, Fire Resistance of Building Assemblies. 2.1.2 Exposure protection against fires at the entrances or exits of the space under a building should be provided by the more practical of the recommendations below: a) Buildings over highways should be built on unpierced fire resistive slabs, as specified by Recommendation 2.1.1 or 2.2.1, that extend 50 ft (15 m) beyond the building line (Figs. 1 and 2); or

Fig. 1. Four 32-story apartment buildings and a bus terminal built over the Trans-Manhattan Expressway.

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Fire Protection for Building Over Highways

FM Global Property Loss Prevention Data Sheets

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Page 3

Fig. 2. Building slab extending 50 ft (15 m) beyond the building line. (Plan view).

b) For 20 ft (6 m) above the top of the building slab or for at least one story, building walls facing the highway should be blank and have fire resistance of at least two hours. The walls parallel to the highway for at least 20 ft (6 m) should also be blank for the same height from either entrance and have fire resistance of at least two hours (Fig. 3). 2.1.3 When a new building is to be located over a highway, an increased level of protection may be warranted, depending on the length of the building, etc. a) A complete drainage system should be provided for the highway space under the building. Sumps with automatic pumps should be provided where necessary. The design of the drainage system should be equipped with protected collection areas so that the spills of hazardous materials, such as flammable liquids, cannot create a fire hazard in another area. b) Roadways under buildings in excess of 200 ft (60 m) long should be equipped with an emergency exhaust ventilation system designed for the removal of smoke and other toxic fumes from the roadway during fires. The design of the system should also prevent or minimize adverse effects on the buildings and their occupants from the fire products such as heat, smoke, and toxic gases. The system should be designed to provide at least ten air changes per hour. 2.1.4 Where possible, walkways, elevated 6 in. (152.4 mm) and about 4 ft (1.23 m) wide, should be provided on both sides of the roadway to facilitate manual fire fighting.

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Fire Protection for Building Over Highways

FM Global Property Loss Prevention Data Sheets

Fig. 3. Fire resistive walls of building over highway. (Plan view).

2.2 Protection 2.2.1 As an alternative to recommendation 2.1.1, the floors, beams, and columns of the building should have a minimum fire resistance of at least two hours and the space under the building should be protected with automatic sprinklers. The sprinklers should be on an extra-hazard pipe schedule (see Data Sheet 2-8N, Installation of Sprinkler Systems [NFPA]), with spacing not to exceed 100 ft2 (9.30 m2) per sprinkler. Either dry or preaction systems are suitable in cold climates. An adequate water supply of two-hour duration for sprinkler and hydrant protection of at least 500 gpm hose demand should be provided in accordance with Data Sheet 3-26, Fire Protection Water Demand for Nonstorage Sprinklered Properties. The sprinkler system should also be protected against corrosion. 2.2.2 The sprinkler system fire alarm should be at least Class V as specified by Data Sheet 9-1, Supervision of Property. 2.2.3 If hydrants are not readily accessible, they should be installed immediately outside the space under the building entrances and exits. Additionally, for buildings over 200 ft (60 m) long, wall hydrants should be spaced every 150 ft (45 m) in accordance with Data Sheet 4-4N, Standpipe and Hose Systems (Fig. 4). 2.2.4 Manually-activated emergency alarms should be provided which transmit to a constantly attended location, preferably the local fire department. 2.3 Human Element 2.3.1 An emergency preplanning traffic control system should be provided to prevent the involvement of additional vehicles in an accident, to slow traffic during inclement weather conditions, and to assist in fire department vehicle access. 2.3.2 Dangerous cargo, as defined by the Department of Transportation, should be prohibited from passing under buildings over highways.

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Fire Protection for Building Over Highways

FM Global Property Loss Prevention Data Sheets

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Page 5

Fig. 4. Wall hydrants in the space under Detroits Cobo Hall.

3.0 SUPPORT FOR RECOMMENDATIONS 3.1 General Buildings that span highways in and around metropolitan areas are becoming more common. Fire emergencies that may be anticipated range from fires in passenger vehicles to major accidents involving loaded trucks carrying flammable liquids or other hazardous cargoes. Heavy traffic and adverse weather conditions may contribute to the seriousness of the accident by involving approaching vehicles and obstructing fire department access. (See Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 1.) The structural members supporting a building over a highway could be subjected to very high temperatures during a flammable liquid fire or explosion, even though of short duration. Damage to these members could have a serious effect on the building. Most fires of these types may substantially exceed the ASTM Standard Time-Temperature Curve during the early stages and would drop below the curve after two or three hours. The structural elements that support the building may also be subjected to physical damage during impact from motor vehicle accidents. Flammable liquids or vapors can flow by gravity or via drainage systems and spread the fire well beyond the area of the original emergency. During a fire, smoke can also spread in all directions as result of density and pressure differentials, thus impeding efficient manual fire fighting. Consequently, a drainage system and emergency ventilation are needed in the space under the building to help fire fighting and control the spread of the fire. Many highway spaces under buildings are not equipped with manual fire fighting equipment, such as hydrants and fire extinguishers. This equipment is especially needed when the space is not protected with sprinklers. Limited access to highways under buildings and backed-up traffic frequently hinder the public fire department response. Problems are further complicated by the lack of adequate communication facilities for reporting emergency conditions and for warning approaching vehicle operators of fire emergencies, hazardous conditions, or visibility limitations.

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Fire Protection for Building Over Highways

FM Global Property Loss Prevention Data Sheets

Fig. 5. The Post Office Building in Chicago is built over the Eisenhower Expressway.

Fig. 6. Cobo Hall in Detroit is built over the John C. Lodge Expressway.

2002 Factory Mutual Insurance Company. All rights reserved.

Fire Protection for Building Over Highways

FM Global Property Loss Prevention Data Sheets

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Page 7

Fig. 7. This supermarket in Newton, Massachusetts was built over the Massachusetts Turnpike.

2002 Factory Mutual Insurance Company. All rights reserved.

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Fire Protection for Building Over Highways

FM Global Property Loss Prevention Data Sheets

Traffic control is a continuous problem from the time the emergency occurs until it has been brought under control. Diverting or slowing traffic is essential to minimize the hazard of multiple collisions. Openings in buildings over highways can be exposed to vehicle fires or explosions occurring at the entrance or exit of the space under the building. Protection against such occurrences is needed. While building developments over highways sometimes pose complex fire protection problems, few of these problems are new or unique. The comparative rarity of this type of situation may cause adequate fire protection to be overlooked or only superficially considered. The following fire protection guidelines should be considered for this type of development. 4.0 REFERENCES 4.1 FM Global Data Sheet 1-1, Firesafe Building Construction and Materials. Data Sheet 1-21, Fire Resistance of Building Assemblies. Data Sheet 2-8N, Installation of Sprinkler Systems (NFPA). Data Sheet 3-26, Fire Protection Water Demand for Nonstorage Sprinklered Properties. Data Sheet 4-4N, Standpipe and Hose Systems. Data Sheet 9-1, Supervision of Property. 4.2 Others American Society of testing and Materials (ASTM) E 119, Standard Test Methods for Fire Tests or Building Construction Materials. APPENDIX A GLOSSARY OF TERMS Standard Time-Temperature Curve: a standard curve representing the varying temperature over time used in a furnace test (such as ASTM E 119, Standard Test Method for Fire Tests of Building Construction and Materials, see Data Sheet 1-21, Fire Resistance of Building Assemblies) of fire resistive materials. APPENDIX B DOCUMENT REVISION HISTORY September 1981. First published. May 1998. Editorial changes were made.

FM Engr. Comm. June 1981

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