Life Safety (LS) (Hospital and Hospital Clinics / Hospitals)
Smoke Barrier Wall - Penetrations
Publish | January 01, 0001
What are the requirements for penetrations in smoke barrier walls?
In accordance with Life Safety Code NFPA 101 (2000 edition) Chapter 19, for a smoke barrier wall in an existing health care occupancy, only one side of the wall is required to be maintained without penetrations. For a survey, the organization would be required to inform the surveyor of the maintained side of the barrier before the building tour tracer, or the life safety floor plans can identify which side is maintained. Since barriers are surveyed by sampling and not by inspecting the complete barrier, the surveyor must know which side of the barrier is maintained. Smoke barriers for new health care occupancies, Chapter 18 requires construction to 1-hour fire rated standards, so both sides of the barrier must be maintained without penetrations. But they are not considered fire rated barriers. [LS.02.01.30]
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