10-13-04 Special Called Meeting of the La Porte Fire Review Board Minutes

Browse Search

Congregation of the Church. The final budget did include a monitored fire alarm system but did not include a fire sprinkler system, as it was not required by any code. Thereafter, SLI submitted to the City of La Porte for a building permit on August 26,2004, based on the previously reviewed plans. However, during the permitting process Mark Huber notified SLI that the fire marshal was going to require a fire sprinkler system. SLI met in regard to this issue on September 15th at the City of La Porte with Laurie Christiansen, Mark Huber and Masood Malik. At this meeting Ms. Christiansen told SLI she would require the new building to be fire sprinklered according to the City of La Porte Amendments to the 1994 Standard Fire Code. 1994 Standard Fire Code with City of La Porte Amendments: 603.15.9 Additional Required Automatic Sprinkler Systems In addition to any other fire and or building code requirements the following occupancies shall be totally equipped with a sprinkler system. 1. Assembly Occupancies a. All Class A assembly occupancies b. When a Class B assembly occupancy is located in a building above the level of exit discharge, the entire building shall be equipped with a sprinkler system. c. When a Class C assembly occupancy is located in a building two (2) stories or more above the level of exit discharge, the entire building shall be equipped with a sprinkler system SLI could not find a definition of Assembly Occupancies Class A, Class B and Class C in the City of La Porte Amendments or the 1994 Standard Fire Code. SLI did find a definition for this classification system in the NFPA 101, Life Safety Code 1985. NFPA 101. Life Safety Code 1985: l-- \ o\f) ~t ! 8-1.4.1 Classification of Assembly Occupancies "Each assembly occupancy shall be classified according to its occupant load, as follows: Class A, occupant load greater than 1000 persons; Class B, occupant load greater than 300 but not greater than 1000 persons; Class C, occupant load greater than 50 but not greater than 300 persons." There was a subsequent meeting at the City of La Porte including Ms. Christiansen on September ~ ~ " 2 151 where Ms. Christiansen advised SLI that because the proposed building was considered an 'f'~ ~ ~c.~ ~I A-2 small assembly in the Standard Building Code that it was considered a Class A Assembly in '-,)(\..L ~4'-- the La Porte Amendments. SLI strongly disagrees with this interpretation. The NFP A 101 Life I .kl"v Safety Code 1997 clearly abolishes the distinction between the Classes of an assembly building provided in the 1994 Code. This thus results in the City of La Porte Amendments to the 1994 Fire Code and the Life Safety Code 1997 conflicting with each other. 'J-i ",-I- t s.. l.. ~~ e s "'('0 ~v \ o.J' jO? / ~ e.o-r-(. 0":> <- In a follow-up phone conversation between SLI and Ms. Christiansen SLI was advised that the C requirement to sprinkler the building was based on the NFP A 101, Life Safety Code 1997. Ms.