Steel buildings and the fire code???????

[Spiderman]

Fire marshal came by the business that I share a wall with and said that a 2 hour firewall needed to be built against the wall we share to meet code.

Our shops are corrugated steel buildings on a concrete slab. Red iron beams and my shop has 3 rollup doors. They were built in the 70's.

I haven't found any information that corrugated steel buildings are required to have a 2 hour firewall. Just multi family dwellings like apartments and town homes.

Has anybody been citied for the same thing or had to add a firewall to there shop?

Thanks

 

[Ray-CA]

My first thought would be that they would have to only meet the code that was on the books when they were built. That being said, if it's a commercial building it may need to be brought up to code upon change of owners/tenants/or remodeling. I would head over to the library or building department and check on the building codes before taking on this project.

If it is required, share the cost with the neighbor or, if it's a leased space, the landlord might be responsible for the building meeting code.

Ray

 

[boiler7904]

Fire wall requirements depend on which building code they are enforcing, the uses of the spaces on either side of the wall as well as the area of each space if you have multiple instances of the same use group.

Your fire marshall probably wants to see metal studs and fire-taped drywall at a minimum. USG has some UL-listed fire wall construction details on their website for reference. A reinforced concrete block wall would be the other common option which probably requires a thickened slab depending on the height.

One other point is that any penetration (door, ductwork with fire damper, etc.) through a fire rated wall also has to have the corresponding fire rating.

When I worked for an architect, locating fire walls and determining ratings was one of the first things we did on multi-use projects.

One thing I would research is your compliance with the codes when the building was built, when you moved in, and when the neighboring tenant(s) moved in. Assuming that the design / building met code at each of those steps, I would think that you are grandfathered in unless one party undertakes a renovation project. For instance, they can't arbitrarily make you come up to 2009 codes if the building was built 5, 10, or 20 years ago without a change in use. Change in occupancy since original construction could trigger their new requirements.

 

[bgott]

It would help to let people know where you're located. If you are in California it will be pretty hard for someone in New York to give you accurate information. Building codes are local and enforcement can vary widely.

 

[Spiderman]

The building is located in Conroe Texas, Montgomery County.

Currently most of the nation uses the IBC for building code. This building was built long before the IBC standard was used.

I called the fire marshal's office about grandfathering. They said that they don't use that word and nothing is considered grandfathered in.

The shop next to me that got inspected is what triggered the inspection. Just a change in occupancy.

My main question is why do they require a 2 hour firewall be installed in a corrugated steel building with an occupancy classification of F-2?

 

[blkhonda1991]

The building is located in Conroe Texas, Montgomery County.

Currently most of the nation uses the IBC for building code. This building was built long before the IBC standard was used.

I called the fire marshal's office about grandfathering. They said that they don't use that word and nothing is considered grandfathered in.

The shop next to me that got inspected is what triggered the inspection. Just a change in occupancy.

My main question is why do they require a 2 hour firewall be installed in a corrugated steel building with an occupancy classification of F-2?

to separate the uses...what is the use of the other building you are up against? it really doesnt matter the construction of the building when it comes to use groups and fire separation requirements.

 

[Spiderman]

to separate the uses...what is the use of the other building you are up against? it really doesnt matter the construction of the building when it comes to use groups and fire separation requirements.

Small auto repair shop. Same thing I do but I'm not a business.

 

[kbs2244]

“My main question is why do they require a 2 hour firewall be installed in a corrugated steel building with an occupancy classification of F-2?”

The short answer is “Because they want to.”

Something changed in the use code when the new guy came in.
I would guess they are not worried about the building burning as much as what is in it.
Is he storing something that has a long burn time?
A cabinet shop with lots of wood?
An assembly or packaging outfit with lots of paper and cardboard?
Even if your are doing the same thing there is a difference between comerical and private use.
They assume commerical use will be higher amounts of burnable stuff.

And your department is right.
There is no such thing as grandfathering in any fire code that I have come across.

And Boiler is right about penetrations.
Any holes for pipes, ducts, conduits, etc need to caulked with fireproof caulk.

In my experience fire departments are not very impressed with iron beams.
While they don’t burn they do fail completely when they get hot enough.
Remember the World Trade Towers?
The towers were steel and concrete.
Neither burns.
But the burning jet fuel was enough to get the steel to the fail point.

I have had some firemen tell me they will not go onto an iron supported roof but have no problems with one supported with the old style heavy wood trusses.
They claim the wood will char to a point and then stop burning and the core inside the char is still strong.

I will take their word for it.
They do things I would not take any kind of money for.

 

[Spiderman]

The business that was in the building before my neighbor was a furniture restoration shop. 100+ gallon vat of chemical for stripping wood, sawdust covered everything and old furniture stacked 10' high. In business for 10 years and a fire mashal never even came by.

My neighbor has no chemicals or paper he is storing. 1 welder, no torch. A few cans of brake cleaner is the only chemical.

I have been i several newly built steel buildings that are similar to mine and have not seen a 2 hour firewall in between the buildings, at most is insulation.

A 2 hour firewall is 2 pieces of 5/8 drywall with gypsum board in between.

Have you seen such a wall in a steel building?

I'm not inquiring that there has to be a firewall but it just seems extreme.

 

[Ray-CA]

Again, is the building/shop space being leased or rented? If so, the landlord might be responsible for the building safety. Since your neighbor is the one that triggered the fire marshal inspection and he is operating a commercial space, I would believe that he would be solely responsible for any safety upgrades required by his business.

Ray

 

[fireguy]

Ask him for a written code reference, and a copy of the ordinance that references that code. If he gives you copies, ask when and where the last similar occupancies are that he required to upgrade.

Also check with the building department and their ideas on this enforcement scheme.

In some jurisdictions, changes in occupancies or changes to the building may trigger upgrade requirements.

 

[bgott]

Is it in the city or the county? Texas counties, up to a couple of years ago, had no code enforcement authority. They kept pushing it so they could do something about the colonias along the Mexican border but folks weren't going for it. Then they passed a law giving the counties code enforcement authority over commercial buildings. That's probably why you haven't seen them up 'til now. I worked for a guy in the city of Houston, they constantly dogged him out over his auto repair shop but it mostly boiled down to money. A fire inspection consisted of looking for stuff that needed yearly permits, like sign permits and such. He got rid of the cutting torch because they wanted a $15 permit to have one in the shop. They might have been tougher on him if he was in a shop like yours, this was a free standing building. Did he nail you for anything else?