16- 219 C.M.R. ch. 4, § 1
1-1 Application
1-1.1 The sprinkler system herein described is an alternative design subject to permission for its use by the office of State Fire Marshal exclusively. The system will ordinarily be permitted in buildings up to four stories in height, which will fall into the following categories: apartment buildings, condominiums, hotels, motels, inns, low-rise office buildings, small boarding homes, existing or new class "C" places of assembly, class "C" mercantile and other similar occupancies. The lack of a water supply of sufficient capacity to support the normally installed NFPA #13 sprinkler system may be the determining factor in obtaining permission to use this alternative design. Approval may also be required in those municipalities who have adopted sprinkler system requirements.
1-1.2 It is advisable to obtain permission for the use of the sprinkler system described herein directly from the State Fire Marshal's Office prior to preparation of plans and hydraulic calculations.
1-2 Scope
This standard deals with the alternative design and installation of automatic sprinkler systems as permitted by the State Fire Marshal,
1-3 Levels of Protection
1-3.1 Various levels of fire safety are available to dwelling occupants to provide life safety and property protection.
This standard recommends, but does not require, sprinklering of all areas in a dwelling; it permits sprinklers to be omitted in certain areas. These areas are the ones shown by NFPA statistics (see following table A-1-3) to be the ones where the incidence of life loss from fires in dwellings is low. Such an approach produces a reasonable degree of fire safety. Greater protection to both life and property may be achieved by sprinklering all areas.
1-3.2 This standard assumes that one or more smoke detectors will be installed in accordance with the appropriate standard for the installation, maintenance and use of fire warning equipment.
Table A-1-3
Casual Factors in One- and Two-Family Dwelling Fires Which Caused One or More Deaths
| Area of Origin | ||
| Living Room | 41% | |
| Bedroom | 27% | |
| Kitchen | 15% | Based on 6066 incidents where area of origin was reported |
| Storage Area | 4% | |
| Heating Equipment Room | 3% | |
| Structural Area | 2% | |
| Other Areas | 8% | |
| Form of Material | ||
| Furniture | 27% | |
| Bedding | 18% | |
| Combustible Liquid or Gas | 13% | |
| Interior Finish | 9% | |
| Structural Member | 9% | Based on 5080 incidents where form of material ignited was reported |
| Waste, Rubbish | 4% | |
| Clothing, on a Person | 3% | |
| Cooking Materials | 3% | |
| Electrical Insulation | 2% | |
| Curtains, Drapery | 2% | |
| Other | 10% | |
| Form of Heat Ignition | ||
| Smoking Materials | 36% | |
| Heat from Fuel - Fire or Powered Object | 25% | |
| Heat from Miscellaneous Open Flame (Including Match) | 15% | Based on 5016 incidents where form of heat ignition was reported |
| Heat from Electrical Equipment Arcing or Overload | 14% | |
| Hot Objects Including Properly | 7% | |
| Operating Electrical Equipment Other | 3% | |
| Total number of incidents reported | 10,194 |
Source: FIDO Data Base 1973 to 1982. NFPA Fire Analysis Dept.
1-4 Purpose
1-4.1 The purpose of this standard is to provide a sprinkler system that will aid in the detection and control of fires in occupancies where the quantity and/or combustibility of contents is low and fires with relatively low rates of heat release are expected, An operating sprinkler system installed in accordance with this standard is expected to prevent flashover (total involvement) in the room of fire origin, and increase the chances for occupants to escape or to be evacuated,
1-5 Definitions
Approved. Acceptable to the "authority having jurisdiction."
Authority Having Jurisdiction. The State Fire Marshal [Commissioner] shall be the authority having jurisdiction.
Backflow Prevention Device. A device that does not allow liquid to flow back to the supply and thus cause contamination.
Check Valve. A valve that allows flow in one direction only.
Control Valve. A valve employed to control (shut off or turn on) a supply of water to a sprinkler system.
NOTE: System control valves should be of the indicating type, such as plug valves, ball valves, butterfly valves, or OS and Y valves.
Density. The quantity of water discharged by automatic sprinklers over a specific area expressed as gallons per minute per square foot (GPM/FT²).
Design Area. An area expressed in sq. ft. having a number of sprinklers, all flowing at or above the minimum required application rate.
Fire Department Connection. A threaded inlet connection located on the exterior of a building, arranged to enable the Fire Department to pressurize and supply the sprinkler system, bypassing the system control valves and supply main.
Labeled. Equipment or materials which has attached a label, symbol or other identifying mark of an organization acceptable to the "authority having jurisdiction" and concerned with product evaluation, that maintains periodic inspection of production of labeled equipment or materials and by whose labeling the manufacturer indicates compliance with appropriate standards or performance in a specified manner.
Listed. Equipment or materials included in a list published by an organization acceptable to the "authority having jurisdiction" and concerned with product evaluation, that maintains periodic inspection of production of listed equipment or material and whose listing states either that the equipment or material meets appropriate standards or has been tested and found suitable for use in a specified manner.
NOTE: The means used for identifying listed equipment may vary for each organization concerned with product evaluation, some of which do not recognize equipment as listed unless it is also labeled. The "authority having jurisdiction" should utilize the system employed by the listing organization to identify a listed product.
Pre-engineered System. A packaged sprinkler system including all components, designed to be installed according to pretested limitations.
Pump. A mechanical device that transfers and/or raises the pressure of a fluid (water).
Residential Sprinkler Head. An automatic sprinkler specifically listed for use in residential occupancies.
Shall. Indicates a mandatory requirement.
Should. Indicates a recommendation or that which is advised but not required.
Sprinkler-Automatic. A fire suppression device which operates automatically, when its heat actuated element is heated to or above its thermal rating, allowing water to discharge over a specific area.
Sprinkler System. An integrated system of piping connected to a water supply, with listed sprinklers which automatically initiate water discharge over a fire area. This Design Guide requires sprinkler systems to include a control valve and a device for actuating an alarm upon system operation.
Standard. A document containing only mandatory provisions using the word "shall" to include requirements. Explanatory material may be included only in the form of "fine print", italic notes, footnotes, or in appendix.
Supply Pressure. Pressure within the water supply system (i.e., city or private water source),
System Pressure. Pressure within the sprinkler system (i.e., above the check valve or other backflow prevention device).
Water Flow Alarm. An electrical sounding device activated by a water flow detector arranged to sound an alarm audible in all living areas over background noise levels with all intervening doors closed.
Wet System. A system employing automatic sprinklers attached to a piping system filled with water and connected to a water supply so that water discharges immediately from sprinklers opened by fire.
16- 219 C.M.R. ch. 4, § 1