Two-day education session on new building codes planned for Wisconsin Dells!
Information on adoption of new codes.
You may choose the number of the title of an article that interests you, or you may scroll down: 1. Injury prevention and hazardous materials info offered by NFPA; 2. New building code classifies by type of construction; 3. Internet scheduling of commercial building plan review; 4. Commercial Building Code has new outloo k on incidental, accessory, and mixed uses; 5. Fire Dept Health and Safety Code changes; 6. Special Contact Information for Safety and Buildings Services; 7. Certified municipalities; 8. Fire Protection Agents
1. Injury prevention and hazardous materials info offered by NFPA
Risk Watch: An injury prevention program designed for classroom use is available to safety advocates, parents, and caretakers via the web site, www.riskwatch.org, a service of the National Fire Protection Association. Risk Watch hopes to teach children to make safer choices to prevent injuries, which is reportedly the greatest health risk for children aged 14 and under. Haz Mat: The National Fire Protection Association is offering, on the organization's web site, free downloads of three hazardous materials documents:
- NFPA 471: Recommended Practice for Responding to Hazardous Materials Incidents
- NFPA 472: Professional Competence of Responders to Hazardous Materials Incidents
- NFPA 473: Professional Competence of Emergency Medical Responders to Hazardous Materials Incidents The address is www.nfpa.org, with the documents, which are PDF files, identified by the title "Bio Hazards, NFPA Responds." Supplements drawn from NFPA's "Hazardous Materials Response Handbook" are also free:
1. Guidelines for Decontamination of Fire Fighters and Their Equipment Following Hazardous Materials Incidents
2. Preparing for a Hazardous Materials Accident: The Hospital Perspective
3. Emergency Response to Incidents Involving Chemical and Biological Warfare Agents
2. New building code classifies by type of construction
by Larry Stilen, Safety and Buildings Division Commercial Buildings Plan Reviewer, 262-548-8607, lstilen@commerce.state.wi.us With the new Wisconsin Commercial Building Code's adoption of an amended International Building Code, code provisions provide classifications with respect to type of construction for every building and facility. Chapter 6 of the International Building Code addresses the requirements for types of construction. In addition, Chapter 6 also provides the requirements for fire-resistive ratings for major building elements, fire-resistance ratings for exterior walls based on fire separation distances, and for the use of combustible materials within noncombustible buildings. The IBC classifies construction into Types I, II, III, IV, and V, with Type I being the most fire-resistive and the types becoming less fire-resistive as the number increases. These five general types of construction are further classified into two groups, noncombustible construction (Types I and II), and combustible construction (Types III, IV, and V). In addition, the various types of construction within these two groups are further subdivided based on the level of fire resistance provided to building elements and components. The protection associated with the types of construction refers to fire-resistance rated protection of the building elements or components, not whether the building is protected by a fire suppression system. Table 601 of the IBC provides basic requirements for fire-resistance ratings of building elements for the various types of construction. One of the building elements within Table 601 is termed the "structural frame." A structural frame, as exlained in footnote a of Table 601, consists of the columns and all of the horizontal elements having direct connections to the columns, and any bracing members designed to carry gravity and/or lateral loads. Structural frame does not include members that do not frame into the columns. Two other building elements within Table 601 are termed "bearing walls" and "nonbearing walls and partitions." For exterior bearing walls and exterior non-bearing walls, Table 601 for all classes of construction references Table 602 for fire-resistance ratings for exterior walls based on fire separation distances. Table 602 provides the minimum fire-resistance rating requirements for all exterior walls based on fire separation distances, type of construction, and occupancy group of the building or structure. The most restrictive fire-resistance requirement of Table 601 and Table 602 takes precedence for the required fire-resistance rating of exterior walls. 
Quiz:
For the Partial Building Section shown,
what components are considered part of the structural frame?
•Roof purlins & decking?
•Roof beam?
•Floor joists & decking?
•Floor beam?
•Wall girts & exterior covering?
•Column?
Answers at end of article.
Fire separation distance is defined in Comm 62.0702 as the distance measured from the building face to the closest interior lot line, the centerline of a street, alley or public way, a permanent no-build easement line, or an imaginary property line between two buildings on the same site. The distance is measured at right angles from the lot line. Section 603 in the IBC provides allowances within Type I or II construction for the use of combustible materials. Fire-retardant treated wood is permitted for nonbearing partitions when the required fire-resistance rating is two hours or less. Fire-retardant treated wood is also permitted in nonbearing exterior walls when no fire-resistive rating is required. Roofs constructed of fire-retardant treated wood in compliance with note c, Item 3 of Table 601, are also acceptable. Combustible insulation used for thermal or acoustical purposes is acceptable provided the flame-spread index is not more than 25. Please refer to section 603 for a complete list of exceptions as to when combustible materials are permitted in buildings of Type I and Type II construction. Buildings and facilities are classified into five basic categories of construction, into noncombustible or combustible construction, and then subdivided further based on the fire protection of the building elements. All buildings and facilities must be classified into one of the nine types of construction. Table 601 identifies the required fire-resistance ratings of the building elements based upon the type of construction of the building or facility. Required ratings of structural frames may be greater than the ratings required for the walls, floors, and roofs in which they are located. In addition to the fire-resistance rating based on the type of construction of the building (Table 601), it is necessary that such rating requirements for exterior walls be in compliance with Table 602. Table 602 regulates the protection of exterior walls based on fire separation distances, occupancies involved, and the building's or facility's type of construction. The most restrictive requirement within Table 601 and 602 for the fire-resistance rating for exterior walls based on the type of construction being used must be complied with. Section 603 provides several allowances for the use of fire-retardant treated wood within Type I or Type II construction.
Answers
to what components are considered part of the structural frame, above:
•Roof purlins & decking - NO
•Roof beam - YES
•Floor joists & decking -NO
•Floor beam - YES
•Wall girts & exterior covering - NO
•Column - YES
3. Internet scheduling of commercial building plan review
It is now possible to request a commercial building plan review by filling out a form on the Safety and Buildings Division WebSite. S&B will respond with an email providing exact review appointment information and review identification numbers. A link to the review scheduling form is one of the first items on the S&B WebSite, http://www.commerce.state.wi.us/SB/SB-HomePage.html. The link will also be on the page showing the available scheduling openings in each of the plan review offices, http://www.commerce.state.wi.us/SB/SB-DivDailyDoc.html. Also, the scheduling will be available from the Commercial Buildings Program page, http://www.commerce. state.wi.us/SB/SB-CommercialBuildings Program.html. There is also a toll-free 24-hour fax line for requesting plan review scheduling, 877-840-9172. For more information, contact the Madison Plan Entry Supervisor, Josh Schultz, 608-261-8460, jschultz@commerce.state.wi.us.
4. Commercial Building Code has new outlook on incidental, accessory, and mixed uses
by Larry Stilen, Safety and Buildings Division Commercial Buildings Plan Reviewer, 262-548-8607, lstilen@commerce.state.wi.us Incidental use areas, accessory use areas, and mixed use occupancies in the new Wisconsin Commercial Building Code are treated differently than we are accustomed to. The requirements for hazard isolation and occupancy separations will change as the new rules go into effect on July 1, 2002, and provisions of the model International Building Code are used. Most buildings or structures will have incidental use areas, an accessory use area, and/or will be considered a mixed occupancy building or structure. When any or all of these apply to the building or structure, IBC 302 needs to be referred to for the particular code requirements. Incidental use areas are limited only to the room or area designations within Table 302.1.1. If the room or area is not listed in this table, then the room or space is not an incidental use area and will not require a separation and/or protection as indicated in that table. There can be one or more rooms or areas in a building that create risks not typically addressed by the provisions for the general occupancy group under which the building is classified. These rooms and areas are defined as incidental use areas within the IBC provisions. Section 302.1.1 of the IBC provides the separation and protection requirements for incidental use areas. These areas are not considered separate occupancies, but rather are classified the same as the main occupancy of the portion of the building where the incidental use area is located. Where a fire-resistance rated separation is required, the incidental use area shall be separated from the remainder of the building by a fire barrier. Where an automatic fire extinguishing system is permitted without a fire-resistance rated separation, the incidental use area is to be separated from the remainder of the building by construction capable of resisting the passage of smoke. The automatic fire extinguishing system need only to be provided within the incidental use area when such system is not required elsewhere in the code for other areas of the building or structure. If the room or area designation falls outside the explanations in Table 302.1.1 of the IBC, then such room or area is not considered an incidental use area and the separation and/or protection required by this section of the code is not required. For example, if we have a furnace room within a building where the largest piece of equipment is 300,000 Btu per hour input, the room would not be considered an incidental use since the equipment has an input less than 400,000 Btu per hour. Accordingly, the furnace room would not have to be separated by a one-hour fire barrier or be provided with an automatic fire extinguishing system. Within a building there may be one or more rooms or areas that are not consistent with the major use and occupancy of the building or structure. These rooms and areas are defined as accessory use areas in the IBC. An accessory use area is slightly different than an incidental use area. Accessory use areas, other than Group H occupancies, do not need to be separated from the remainder of the building or structure by a fire barrier when the use does not occupy more than 10 percent of the floor area of the building. Accessory use areas also cannot be more than the tabular values for either height or area for such use as stipulated in Chapter 5 of the IBC provisions. It is not uncommon for a building or structure to contain several occupancies on the same floor level or on different floor levels. When this condition is present, the IBC considers the building to be a mixed occupancy. Section 302.3.2 of the IBC provides the regulation of buildings and structures having multiple uses. The new code provides design options that may be used for buildings or structures consisting of mixed uses. Buildings or structures consisting of mixed uses are to be designed as nonseparated use, separated use, or a combination of the two. The nonseparated use option does not require fire-resistance rated separations. The separated use option requires a fire-resistance rated separation between all uses that are considered as separated uses. Section 302.3.2 of the IBC provides the requirements for when a building or structure is considered to have a nonseparated use. Each portion of the building or structure is individually classified as to its use. The height and area limitation requirements for all occupancies will be used to determine the required type of construction for the building or structure, with the least restrictive type of construction that satisfies each use being selected for the entire building. All individual occupancies must comply with the specific requirements related to that occupancy. The most restrictive applicable provisions of the high rise building provisions and fire protection requirements for any use within the building or structure are applied to the entire building. Fire separations are not required between uses, except as required by other provisions of the code. IBC 302.3.3 provides the requirements for separated use. Each portion of a building or structure shall be individually classified as to its use and completely separated from adjacent uses by fire-resistance rated separations. Each separated use area is required to comply with the requirements for that occupancy. Each occupancy is physically separated from any other occupancy by fire-resistance rated separations consisting of fire barrier walls, horizontal assemblies, or a combination of vertical and horizontal assemblies. The required fire-resistance rating of the separation is based on the uses being separated and is specified in Table 302.3.3. Each area created by the introduction of fire-resistance rated separations is considered a fire area. See section 702.1 of the IBC for an expanded definition of fire area. Each fire area must comply with the height limitations based on the use of the space and the type of construction classification. For floor area considerations in a building with mixed occupancies and following the separated uses option, the code uses a formula similar to an interaction formula used in structural engineering. In each story, the building area is the sum of the ratios of the floor area of each use divided by the allowable area for each use and is not permitted to be greater than one. Quiz: Which of the following rooms or spaces are considered incidental use areas?
1. Furnace room with largest piece of equipment being 450,000 Btu input in Group M occupancy,
2. Storage room with area of 200 square feet in a Group F occupancy,
3. Lecture hall with an area of 600 square feet located in a Group B occupancy,
4. Laundry room of 90 square feet in a Group E occupancy,
5. Office area with an area of 150 square feet located within a Group M occupancy,
6. Furnace room with largest piece of equipment being 350,000 Btu input in a Group A occupancy. Answers to incidental use questions:
1) Yes; 2) Yes; 3) No; 4) No; 5) No; 6) No
The room or areas indicated in questions 3 through 6 do not meet the requirements for the room or area designations in Table 302.1.1 of the IBC and as such are not incidental use areas.
5. Fire Dept Health and Safety Code changes
Changes will take effect January 1, 2002 in state administrative rules governing fire department safety and health, including revisions to rules for protective clothing and equipment, for rescue activities of back-up team members, and for physical and medical standards for fire service personnel. The chapter Comm 30 code changes adopted by the state Department of Commerce after public hearings cover requirements for both paid or volunteer fire department members. The Comm 30 rules are in supplemental to Comm 32, rules governing health and safety standards for employees of all public agencies and municipalities in Wisconsin. Copies of the final draft rules are available on the S&B WebSite, http://www.commerce.state.wi.us/SB/SB-DivCodeDevelopment.html. Questions about the rules can be directed to Dave Vriezen, Comm 30 Field Operations Section Chief, 608-261-2503, dvriezen@commerce.state.wi.us, or Eric Hands, Comm 30 Program Manager, 608-267-4434, ehands@commerce.state.wi.us.
6. Special Contact Information for Safety and Buildings Services To schedule an appointment:
S&B WebSite: http://www.commerce.state.wi.us/SB/SB-DivScheduling.html
FAX: 24 hr. toll-free number for appointment scheduling, 877-840-9172
Email: madisonsch@commerce.state.wi.us For application forms:
On the S&B WebSite (choose "Forms" on left side of screen)
Call any of the offices.
Info about next available review appointment. E-mail answers to technical questions:
-Commercial buildings, Comm 50-64, etc. = bldgtech@commerce.state.wi.us -Plumbing, cross connection = plbgtech@commerce.state.wi.us -Private onsite wastewater treatment = powtstech@commerce.state.wi.us -Public swimming pools = pooltech@commerce.state.wi.us -Building and plumbings products = productech@commerce.state.wi.us -Licenses, certifications, registrations = madisoncred@Commerce.state.wi.us -Manufactured/mobile homes = manf-homes@commerce.state.wi.us -One- and Two-family Dwelling Code = udctech@commerce.state.wi.us
7. Certified municipalities
8. Fire Protection Agents: These municipalities are delegated agents of the department to perform plan review and inspection of fire detection and suppression systems as prescribed under Comm 50.12(2)(k): City of Appleton; City of Burlington; City of Madison; Village of McFarland.