June 6, 2012
John Smith
Vice President
ABC Development

 

Re: SecondFire Protection Engineering Review
Acme Resort
Republic of Chad
Central Africa
Zari Consulting Group Project No. Example

 

Dear Mr. Smith:

Zari Consulting Group, Inc. has conducted a second review of the drawing submittal set for the Acme Resort in Central Chad.As in the previous letter, in Section 1 the drawings were reviewed for general conformance with the 2007 NFPA 13 &14. In Section 2 the drawings were reviewed for general conformance with the 2007 NFPA 72. Based on our review, we have noted the following compliance issues for your information and action.

 

Section 1: Automatic Fire Sprinkler System

 

  1. The legend should be more specific as to the make and model number of the components installed.

  2. Please turn off layers not contributing to the fire hydrant, supply and sprinkler systems. Turn off colors also as they do not print well.

  3. Indicate the supply lines and label them as to hydrant supply, sprinkler supply, etc.

  4. Provide dimensions and pipe lengths on plan.

  5. Please split the document into two or three (if necessary) sheets so they are large enough to read. Provide match lines on the sheets to assist us with the review.

  6. Please provide pipe lengths (not just diameters) for all piping on all pages.

  7. If necessary, we can review the type and placement of the fire extinguishers, on a floor plan, separately.

  8. Provide hangers, end of line restraint, and seismic bracing on all pages where appropriate.

  9. Please provide manufacturer specification sheets for all components of the system.

  10. The water-flow alarm must be monitored by the fire alarm system for occupant notification throughout the building. Confirm this has been accomplished.

  11. It appears that the specifications (pressure and volume) for the jockey and fire pumps have been reversed. Review and update drawings, accordingly.

  12. Provide source of fire water. Is it the fire water tank? If so, how is it filled: from a well, from a public supply, from a body of water? Does it have automatic fill. Please provide a detail of the tank.

  13. When hydraulically calculating an automatic fire sprinkler system the following must be provided: 1) A marked, outlined remote area. 2) all nodes must be shown on the plan from the most remote sprinkler head to the source of the water supply. This includes nodes at the risers, the underground piping, the fire pump, and the water source. A node is also required at each point where the piping changes in diameter. 3) The plan must be legible, meaning the nodes have to be readable and understood so we advise to enlarge the remote area, mains, riser, underground piping, pump and water supply for clarity. 4) It is recommended to label each page of the calculations as to the columns and what they represent.

  14. Show seismic bracing symbols, where appropriate, on all mains on all sheets. Provide a detail of various seismic bracing configurations.

  15. Provide statement on the plan stating end-of-line restraint shall be provided on branchlines where hangers are more than six inches (152mm) in length from the top of the pipe to attachment to the building structure.

  16. Show hangers with an industry standard diagonal slash on all piping. This may be represented by the circle with a slash through it next to the pipe diameter. If so disregard this comment.

  17. We are unable to review the hydraulic calculations for numerous reasons: 1) The underground plan is impossible to read as stated in comment three, 2) The FHC’s represented on the calculations do not correspond to those on the plan i.e. on the last calculation (unlabeled) it states that the design point C flows from FHC28, however the plan shows the connection to FHC25. Please check all for accuracy. 3) The reasons stated in comment 11. 4) A node must be provided at each point where the run of pipe changes in diameter. 5) The plan is going to change to eliminate sprinklers from the balconies because there will not be any combustibles stored on them. 6) The calculations do not show any fittings, please correct.

  18. It will take some time to review the calculations due to the unusual format and the need to convert the values from metric. Therefore, before we proceed, we would like to have revised plans and calculations with all of our comments incorporated. If the designer has the ability to use an industry standard fire sprinkler hydraulic calculation program, it would be more helpful.