Residential and landmark buildings are the only high rise buildings exempt from the new sprinkler provisions.
Automatic sprinkler system in building.
Where a building is equipped throughout with an approved automatic sprinkler system in accordance with section 903 3 1 1 the building area limitation in table 503 is permitted to be increased by an additional 200 percent is 2 for buildings with more than one story above grade plane and an additional 300 percent is 3 for buildings with no more than one story above grade plane.
In the case of groups a 1 through a 4 automatic sprinkler coverage is required for the area itself as well as any floors between the group a occupancy and the level where building exits are located.
An automatic sprinkler system is also required throughout all occupancies containing storage commodities classified as group a plastics in excess of 5 ft 1 5 m in height over an area exceeding 2500 ft2 232 m2 in area.
Automatic sprinkler system means an arrangement of piping installed in a building with outlets distributed approximately uniformly in such a manner that water can be discharged in a spray indirectly from special outlets termed heads for the purpose of extinguishing an incipient fire and protecting the building and its contents with pumps tanks and other equipment as necessary to provide an adequate supply of water to the heads.
An auxiliary water supply or equivalent protection shall be provided when the automatic water supply is out of service except for systems of 20 or fewer sprinklers.
Any building or area of a building classified as group a must have automatic sprinklers.
Automatic sprinkler systems can help tenants escape heavy smoke stairwells.