15-16-040 Hazardous use units.

   General. A standard system of automatic sprinklers, meeting the requirements of Article II of Chapter 15-16 of this Code shall be installed in every building or part of a building, hereafter designed, erected, altered, or converted for the purposes of the following occupancies:

   Asphalt tar, pitch, resin and paraffin heating rooms;

   Drying rooms for articles or materials which give off explosive or flammable vapors during the drying process whether or not a collection and disposal system is provided for such vapors;

   Fume or flammable compressed gas buildings of heavier timber or ordinary construction;

   Grinding or dust-producing rooms;

   Highly flammable material storage buildings and rooms; Highly toxic materials buildings and rooms;

   Japanning or enameling rooms;

   Nitrocellulose products building and rooms;

   Paint mixing or spraying rooms;

   Picker or shredder rooms;

   Rooms for storage or baling of wastepaper;

   Industrial properties with occupancies such as:

      Artificial flowers;

      Artificial leather;

      Carpet linings;

      Cotton batting;

      Cotton clothing;

      Cotton ragsorting;

      Cotton waste;

      Feather renovating or processing;

      Shoddy mills;

      Straw goods;

      Woodworking with application of flammable finishes which produce explosive or flammable vapors under normal room conditions;

and other such occupancies as shall be determined to be in fact of high hazard by the fire commissioner due to the inherent characteristics of the material involved and consistent with the occupancies definitely fixed as hazardous use units; provided, however, that if the nonhazardous areas of any building in which such an occupancy occurs, are separated from the hazardous use area by a fire wall, it shall be permissible to omit such sprinkler system from the nonhazardous areas; and provided further, that where required under other paragraphs of this section, every floor area above the lowest floor area in which certain hazardous use units occur, shall be equipped throughout with a standard system of automatic sprinklers; and provided also, that no sprinkler system shall be required in any vault used for the storage of files, records and other nonhazardous documents.

   Where Prohibited. No sprinkler system shall be permitted in any hazardous chemical room or in any hazardous chemical storage building, where the chemical has the ability to react with water to produce substances or violent chemical reactions which increase the hazard. When the presence of water will not add to the hazard, a standard sprinkler system shall be required in such hazardous chemical room or building.

   Fume or Flammable Compressed Gas. No sprinkler system shall be required for any fume or flammable compressed gas building of Type IA, IB or IC construction, nor for any room intended for the storage and use of chlorine gas for no purpose other than the operation of a water purification plant or refrigerating unit, nor for any unit of noncombustible construction used exclusively for the production of manufactured gas.

   Highly Flammable Material Storage. Every fire area containing any highly flammable material storage room shall be equipped throughout the story containing such room and throughout every higher story with a standard system of automatic sprinklers; provided, however, that if such room is designed, erected, altered or converted for the purposes of storing in baled condition only, not more than 5,000 pounds of any highly flammable material as described under Section 15-28-410, then such a sprinkler system shall be required in such room only.

   Nitrocellulose Products Rooms.

      (1)   General. Every fire area containing a nitrocellulose products room shall be equipped throughout the story containing such room and throughout every higher story, with a standard system of automatic sprinklers.

      (2)   Film Examining and Repair Rooms. Every room intended for the examination or repair of motion picture films shall be provided with not less than one automatic sprinkler head for 64 square feet of ceiling area, so spaced that the maximum distance between the adjacent heads and branch lines shall not exceed eight feet. Where nitrocellulose products are stored on shelves, there shall be one sprinkler head directly over the aisle in front of each section of shelving.

      (3)   Receiving, Shipping and Distributing Rooms. Every receiving, shipping or distributing room for nitrocellulose products shall be provided with not less than one automatic sprinkler head for each 64 feet of ceiling area, so spaced that the maximum distance between adjacent heads and branch lines shall not exceed eight feet.

(Prior code § 64-4; Amend Coun. J. 5-18-16, p. 24131, § 112)