Plan Review Survey [2 Questions]

I am in the process of developing a new resource that will contribute to the effectiveness and efficiency of fire plans review.  I would greatly appreciate your assistance in this. If you would like to contribute, please answer the (2) question survey below.

How to Build an Effective Fire Prevention Organization

The fire service is an organization that has become known for doing more with less. Less tools, less equipment, less personnel, and less money. Many fire prevention organizations have too few dedicated fire prevention personnel to cover the many square feet of space or miles of geography within their communities. Fire prevention organizations are responsible for the tasks of life safety inspections, fire protection system inspections and testing, plan reviews, investigations, public education, and myriad administrative tasks. All this while also being expected to stay abreast of new technologies, code developments, legislative changes, and planning for the future of the fire prevention organization and its role within the community.   

This workload creates a reactive environment.  One in which fire prevention organization and personnel are functioning only to respond to the most emergent issue, “what needs to be done now”.  These organizations run the risk of being able to only accomplish the minimum required tasks, or less. These conditions can lead to critical fire protection and life safety issues that are allowed to develop until they become a major incident, which results in loss of property or worse, loss of life.

Fire protection professionals - inspectors, investigators, engineers, building safety directors,  the Fire Marshal - did not get into this field to barely get by, or to race to the bottom, or to just work to meet “minimum” standards, or “try their best”, or to do things “the way they’ve always been done”, to simply maintain the status quo. You entered the field because you had a vision to change your world or community by protecting property and saving lives from fire loss.

With the many tasks, responsibilities, and requirements of the fire prevention organization how can this vision be realized? How can the fire prevention organization and its personnel be best utilized to  ensure that they are functioning at optimal effectiveness? Can they know that they are focusing on the right tasks and activities? The solution is a clear plan of action that identifies and provides for the most effective and efficient methods for performing essential fire prevention functions.

With the right plan of action and a laser-like focus on essential tasks your vision for your community and organization can be realized. Your organization can be transformed from just getting by, doing the bare minimum, trying to stay “afloat”,  into a purpose driven, forward advancing, progress making, community changing, organization!

The Fire Prevention Blueprint is your action plan! This book reveals the seven disciplines of effective and efficient fire prevent organizations, and provides practical guidance and resources for their implementation. Fire Prevention Blueprint: Seven Disciplines for Building Effective Fire Prevention Organizations accomplishes this by identifying essential fire prevention and life safety functions, understanding how to utilize effective systems and processes, and providing the framework for creating a structured and organized plan of action.

Don’t let your community become the next mass fire casualty or large fire loss headline. Buy the Fire Prevention Blueprint and transform your fire prevention organization into your vision of what you know it can be!

For more information, resources, and to order the book, visit:

www.FPOblueprint.com

Why "Loads" Matter

A night that started out with fun, partying, and dancing, ended in tragedy. On July 17, 1981, 100 people were killed, and nearly 200 injured, when an elevated walkway collapsed at the Hyatt Regency in Kansas City.

The 40-story Hyatt Regency had opened its doors only one year before this incident. The defining features of the structure were the elevated walkways that were suspended from the ceiling.  Each walkway was about 40 yards long, and weighed 63,934 pounds. These walkways were configured in such a manner that the second and fourth level walkways were in line vertically.

The original design for these walkways was that they would be suspended from the ceiling with continuous threaded rods and secured with nuts. Contractors and the manufacturer had concerns regarding the installation and workload required to install and secure four-story long threaded rods, and then rotate nuts two stories into place. So, a decision was made to hang the fourth floor walkway from the ceiling, and suspend the second floor walkway from the fourth with a different set of rods.  This design change was approved without a detailed review, or revised calculations.

This configuration doubled the load on the main supporting beams (from which supported the fourth floor walkway).  The added load caused the welded seam beams to fail and allowed the nuts to pull through. This caused the fourth floor walkway to “pancake” onto the second floor walkway beneath.

The full investigative report is available here, from NIST.  

Primary contributing factors identified in the cause of this collapse, include:

• Design changes
• Poor communication
• Improper testing of the new design
• Poor, or no, load calculations of the new design
• General negligence

Elements of Plan Review

For fire prevention organizations tasked with conducting plan reviews, NFPA 1730 lists 9 plan review elements. This post will examine each of these and provide links to additional resources.

1.  Fire Protection Environmental Impact (Feasibility Study). The feasibility study should examine such items as response times for fire/emergency services, communications capabilities,  hydrants availability, and water main requirements.  Any special considerations, and fire protection alternatives or equivalencies, should be documented and reviewed.
    Suggested resource: Fire Protection Approaches in Site Plan Review 

2.  Water Supply and Fire Flow. These should be conducted to ensure that the available water supply requirements can be met. If they cannot, other options should be considered and decided upon at this time.
    Suggested resource: How to Conduct Hydrant Flow Testing 

3.  Emergency Vehicle Access. This should be based on the largest piece of apparatus that the responding department may have to use.  Driving surfaces, widths, overhead clearances, loads, and turn-around's, and dead-ends should be considered.

4.  Construction Building Plans. This element of plan review should be conducted to determine code compliance, occupancy classifications, construction type, required fire protection features, fire resistance ratings, interior finishes, and any special hazards or structures.
     Suggested resource: The Art of Reading Buildings ; 101 Things I Learned in Engineering School 

5.  Certificate of Occupancy Inspections. These inspections are carried out throughout the project and can include all the trades (plumbing, electric, HVAC, etc.) and fire protection systems.  These inspections ensure that what has been approved on the plans is what is being installed in the building.
     Suggested resource: Why You're Stuck in Permitting (and how to get out!)

6.  Hazardous Materials and Processes. Any hazardous materials or processes should be reviewed for proper storage, handling, transfer, containment, emergency planning, and fire protection.
     Suggested resource: What's your MAQ? ; How to Store Hazardous Materials 

7.  Fire Protection System Plans.  These reviews confirm that required systems are in place, designed properly, and work for the structure.  These systems include, sprinklers, alarms, smoke control, fire pumps, hood systems, kitchen hoods, elevator recall, and similar items.
     Suggested resource: Sprinklers where required... ; How to Design a Fire Alarm System

8.  Fire and Life Safety Systems Field Acceptance Inspections.  These final inspections are in place to visually witness the correct operation of the fire protection systems, and confirm that all systems are in place and functional in accordance with codes, standards, and approved plans.
     Suggested resource:  Testing Integrated Fire Systems ; Understanding Pre-Action Sprinkler Systems

9.  Certificate of Occupancy (CO) issued.  This is the main objective for any building project.  After all work is completed, and all items are confirmed to be installed and functional per the approved plans, the Certificate of Occupancy can be issued, and the structure can be put into use.
     Suggested resource: The Road to C.O. - the Direct Route to Building Occupancy 

Top 5 Benefits of Third-Party Plan Review

In, The Road to CO, I discuss some potential roadblocks on the path to permitting and approval.  The roadblock most often encountered happens in the plan review stage.  Lack of required information, or failure to comply with local ordinances and AHJ (authority having jurisdiction) requirements will have your plans stuck in permitting and you paying for and sending endless re-submittals.  This hold up at the front end of your project can have significant impacts on the end date, completion, and obtaining a certificate of occupancy. 

photo by Daniel X. O'Neil

The best way to avoid these problems and ensure that your project plans are submitted and approved in a timely and efficient manner is through the use of a third-party plan review.  Here are the top 5 ways that your project can benefit from third-party plan review:

     1.  Keep your project on schedule. 

A plan review expert will have an in-depth understanding of the scope of your project, and the scheduling milestones that need to be met. These experts can review, provide input, and have your plans ready for submittal in plenty of time to address any "unforseen" issues that may arise.

     2.  Coordinate communications. 

Every building project is made up of many parts including, architects, engineers, contractors, facilities personnel, and building owners.  The plan review expert can serve as a central point of contact for these people, keep everyone on the same page, and ensure that no detail is overlooked.

     3.  Avoid delays. 

By working through the plan review process any significant code discrepancies can be addressed, corrected, or altered prior to submittal.

     4.  Function as part of the design team. 

Bringing on a plan review expert in the very beginning concept stages of your project can prove extremely advantageous. A plan review expert can serve as a neutral voice for the project, and seek out solutions for foreseen issues from the earliest developmental stages.

     5.  Provide excellence in customer service.  

With a professional plan review expert you can expect top notch treatment. To the expert you are not just another number or another design in a stack of drawings.  You are a specific individual with a project that will impact the world for good.

To ensure that your next project goes smoothly, finishes within budget, and opens on-time, consider the use of a third-party plan review service.

Take Action

• Inquire about plan review services from TheCodeCoach.com.
• Check out this app to "keep everyone on the same page" - PlanGrid.com

Why You're Stuck in Permitting (and how to get out!)

You have won the bid, the contracts are signed, the job is yours.  However, this is just the beginning. Looking ahead, you know the road to achieving your CO (certificate of occupancy) is long, you hope it will not be treacherous.  Achieving the CO is the main goal.  It is the light at the end of your tunnel, the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.  Just getting there is not enough.  Getting there on-time and in budget makes all the difference between success and failure.

But, right now you are stuck in the building department equivalent of purgatory, permitting and review. Most building/fire plan review departments allow up to 10 days for the review to happen (this is quick by many standards).  If your submittal is correct in all points and meets all federal, state, and local code requirements, then your plan will most likely be approved (taking up only the 10 days ou have allotted for this activity).  But, lack of required information, or failure to comply with local ordinances and AHJ requirements will keep your plans locked up and you paying for and submitting endless revisions and resubmittals.

Here are the top 12 reasons why your plans will be disapproved (in no particular order):

1. Incomplete, missing, or incorrect listing of code references and editions used.
2. Lack of sprinkler/alarm calculations (hydraulic/battery).
3. Insufficient remoteness of exits.
4. Lack of compliance with egress requirements.
5. Point of service (for fire systems) not clearly shown.
6. Incorrect spacing of fire sprinkler heads.
7. Incorrect spacing/installation of fire alarm devices.
8. Incorrect or missing door rating in fire-rated assemblies.
9. Incorrect locking devices on doors.
10. No detail of fire-rated walls.
11. Missing or incorrect stair details.
12. Missing fire penetration protective details.

To ensure a smooth travel into and out of permitting here are a few things to consider, and some steps to take.  

• Remember that every state adopts different codes (ICC, NFPA), and different editions (2014 may be the latest, but the state your working in has only adopted the 2009 edition).  
• Each jurisdiction may have its own, more stringent, ordinances.
• Consult with the AHJ (building and fire) to determine what codes are currently being utilized, what local changes are in effect, and what that particular code official wants to see. This 1 hour, to-the-point meeting, could save you days of resubmittals, as well as, help to establish rapport with the building official, and increase his knowledge of your intended product.  He will now be someone that is in your corner, a partner on your project, rather than someone who is trying to figure out what you are doing, and not getting the clear answers he needs from your plans.
• Consult the applicable codes and standards, as they often include a list of required documents for plan submittal:
• NFPA 13:23 - Fire Sprinkler Plans and Calculations
• NFPA 72:7 - Fire Alarm Minimum Required Documentation
• Consider the use of a third-party review.  These plan review/code experts will do all the leg work to ensure that your plans are to code and everything is ready for submittal.  Since they are a neutral party, they will be willing to offer advice and alternative code provisions for the structure that you envision.

I hope these quick tips will keep your next project moving through the process so you can come in on time and under budget!

Download a FREE plan review checklist by clicking on this link (I promise no junk e-mail or auto-responders, just value adding content!)