Collier County Fire Prevention and Protection Code POLICY AND PROCEDURE MANUAL

ARTICLE NUMBER:  FAL02-03

EFFECTIVE DATE:  August 1, 2002

SUBJECT:                             The Requirement for Fire Alarm Initiating Devices at Elevator Lobbies to Initiate Elevator Recall for Fire Fighter’s Service, When Ambient Conditions Prohibit the Installation of Smoke Detectors.

OBJECTIVE:                         To provide clarification regarding installation of other automatic fire detection when elevator lobbies are located in an area (such as a parking garage or an exterior balcony exposed to the outside elements) where ambient conditions are such that the required smoke detector cannot be installed at the elevator lobby for elevator recall.

BACKGROUND:

It seems that, in the past, it was commonplace amongst elevator installing contractors, inspectors from the Division of Hotels and Restaurants Bureau of Elevator Safety, fire alarm contractors, firesafety inspectors, fire alarm plan reviewers and the like that if the required smoke detectors could not be installed at the elevator lobbies for elevator recall, due to ambient conditions, then no detector at all was installed.   As of March 1, 2002 the Division of State Fire Marshal Office has adopted new codes/standards which include new editions of: 4A-47 Uniform Fire Safety Standards for Elevators, Chapter 61C-5 Florida Elevator Safety code, ANSI/ASME A17.1 Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators and NFPA 72 National Fire Alarm Code.  With the adoption of new codes/standards came a change in verbiage with respect to elevator lobby fire alarm initiating devices and elevator recall functions.  Smoke detectors are no longer specifically identified as the required initiating device at the elevator lobby, elevator machine room and elevator hoistways.  Contrarily, the new verbiage in ANSI/ASME A17.1, 211.3b refers to simply “fire alarm initiating devices” and NFPA 72 (1999 ed.) refers to “system-type smoke detectors or other automatic fire detection.”  The issue was discussed at length with an NFPA 72 consultant, who after a subsequent consultation with the chairperson for Chapter 3 corroborated the accuracy of this interpretation of the code.

POLICY/PROCEDURE:

It has been determined by the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) that when an elevator lobby opens into an area where ambient conditions prohibit the installation of smoke detectors for elevator recall (such as an unconditioned parking garage or an exterior balcony exposed to the outside elements) some other type of automatic fire detection is required to be installed at that elevator lobby for the purposes of Phase 1 Fire Alarm Activation.

CODE REFERENCES:

4A-47 Uniform Fire Safety Standards for Elevators, Chapter 61C-5 Florida Elevator Safety code, ANSI/ASME A17.1 Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators - section 211.3b Phase 1 Fire Alarm Activation, NFPA 101 Life Safety Code (2000 ed.) sections 9.4.2.1 and 9.4.3.1, NFPA 72 National Fire Alarm Code (1999 ed.) 3-9.3 Elevator Recall for Fire Fighter’s Service.

ATTACHMENTS:

None.

DISTRIBUTION: Big Corkscrew Island Fire District; East Naples Fire District; Golden Gate Fire District; Immokalee Fire District; Isle of Capri Fire District; North Naples Fire District; Ochopee Fire District; City of Marco Island Fire Department; Building Director, Collier County Community Development; Chief Inspectors, Collier County Community Development; Collier County Community Development Records; Collier Building Industry Association (CBIA); Subscribers

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