Attachment- 39 05 Fire Protection Narrative.pdf

VA PROJECT NUMBER

PROJECT NAME

549A4-21-700 (2216) EHRM Infrastructure Upgrades - Bonham, TX

SUBMITTAL 100% Bid Documents SUBJECT Fire Protection

Fire Protection 1

Fire Protection Project Overview Fire Protection Scope The fire protection design narrative is intended to satisfy the requirements of the VA Fire Protection Design Manual, A/E Submission Instructions for Minor and NRM Construction Program, and SOW. The author of this fire protection narrative is Dominique Noel, PE of Rated Engineering. Dominique Noel is serving as the project Qualified Fire Protection Engineer as required by the Department of Veterans Affairs “Qualifications and Scope of Services - Project Fire Protection Engineer” document.

While this project includes the evaluation of life safety and code compliance applicable to the scope of work, the life safety scope of work is being performed by Spur Engineering, with Rated Engineering’s review. Refer to the architectural narrative for life safety design scope.

This project consists of upgrades to existing telecom spaces to meet new Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) requirements. These upgrades include but are not limited to;

space programming, grounding, and emergency power associated with the scope of work.

These telecommunication (TR) rooms (also known by deprecated terms such as IT closet, switch room, IDF, etc,) have a planned rating of 1 regardless of the rating of the supported computer room/data center. Additionally, the A/E team will design a new Data Center on Level Five of Building 1.

The campus is the Sam Rayburn North Texas VA Medical Campus.

The building tenant/owner is the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Existing system description

The initial field investigation was conducted, and it was confirmed that buildings on the Bonham campus are currently undergoing a new fire alarm project and each facility is part of the campus wide notified network. Most of the buildings are provided with Fire Alarm with voice evacuation and automatic fire suppression via a wet pipe sprinkler system. It is not anticipated to provide any new head end or building fire alarm control panels for the scope provided, outside of the new data center to be provided on the 5th floor of Building 1 which will be provided with a new releasing system and very early warning detection system. Existing TRs are not required to have initiation devices or notification appliances by the VA fire protection design manual. Each existing TR space with a power extender panel will be provide with a smoke detector as required by NFPA 72 section 10.4.5 “early warning fire detection shall be at the location of each control unit(s), notification appliance circuit power extender(s), and supervising station transmitting equipment to provide notification of fire at that location…”

All the spaces within the SOW that have a TR room shall be protected with a wet pipe sprinkler system unless the existing facility is currently not protected with an automatic fire sprinkler system. TR rooms with exposed ceilings will be protected with upright standard response type sprinklers. Modified sprinkler heads will have a maximum spacing of one per 130 square feet.

Outside of the new Data Center, hydraulic calculations are not anticipated due to the small number of heads that may be modified in each building.

549A4-21-700 (2216) EHRM Infrastructure Upgrades - Bonham, TX

Fire Protection 2

Selective Demolition

Fire alarm and sprinkler systems will be demolished as necessary to facilitate any modification to TR layout. Existing levels of fire protection will be maintained throughout any modified spaces. No major outages are anticipated for fire protection related work.

Proposed System Description

The base building fire protection system will consist of maintaining existing fire sprinkler and alarm system level of protection in accordance with the applicable codes and standards. 3.7(B) paragraph 3 from the VA fire protection design manual states “Standard response fusible link sprinklers will lessen the chance of a sprinkler being accidentally broken and will still provide structure protection since a standard response head is more robust and harder to break than a typical glass bulb quick response sprinkler.” To comply with the design guide requirement all sprinkler heads within the TR rooms will be replaced with standard response fusible link sprinklers. If TR room layout is modified the fire alarm and sprinkler systems will be adjusted to maintain the existing system coverage.

Phasing

No phasing indicated in scope of work.

Commissioning

The system will be commissioned subject to the requirement of Section 0191 00 General Commissioning Requirements

Seismic Requirements

• Not Required - this project location is in a low seismic activity area.

Applicable Codes and Standards

• NFPA 13 Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems – 2022 Edition

• NFPA 72 National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code – 2022 Edition

• NFPA 75 Standard for the Fire Protection of Information Technology Equipment – 2020 Edition

• NFPA 101 Life Safety Code – 2021 Edition

• NFPA 2001 Standard on Clean Agent Fire Extinguisher Systems

• VA Fire Protection Design Manual – 2021 Edition

• VA Design Guide Infrastructure Standard for Telecommunications Spaces – Edition 3.1

– July 1, 2021

• VA Fire Protection Design Manual – Eighth Edition – June 1, 2021

Tests Prior to design

• Any system modifications to fire alarm would require testing to ensure installation did not adversely affect overall system.

549A4-21-700 (2216) EHRM Infrastructure Upgrades - Bonham, TX

Fire Protection 3

Fire suppression design

• Occupancy: See architectural narrative for life safety analysis.

• Classification: Ordinary Hazard 1 (NFPA 13 Hazard Classification Table 5.0).

• Pipe Material: Per NFPA 13 requirements.

Wet-Pipe Sprinkler Systems

• Fire Service Entrance – Not in SOW.

• Space Occupancy Classifications:

o See Architectural narrative for occupancy classification, All TR rooms are classified as Ordinary Hazard Group 2, 0.20 gpm/sq.ft.

• Pipe Material and Sizes

• 2-inches and smaller shall be steel, Schedule 40

• 2 ½-inches and greater may be steel, Schedule 10

Manual Dry Standpipe Systems

• Not applicable to SOW.

Dry-Pipe Sprinkler Systems

Clean Agent Fire Suppression Systems

• The new data center provided on the 5th floor of Building 1will be classified as a Telecommunication space and shall be provided with a wet pipe sprinkler system utilizing standard response sprinklers with protective cages and must also be provide with a clean agent gaseous suppression system in accordance with NFPA 72 and NFPA 2001. Final agent determination shall be coordinated with VA stakeholders based on coordination with existing manufacturers used on campus. Currently VA guidelines allow FM200, Inergen and Novec 1230 with specific extinguishing concentrations. Current basis of design is Novec 1230, see plans for additional details.

The clean agent system will be released based on manual activation or based on very early warning detection in the form of a VESDA air sampling system. Design sensitivity thresholds will be coordinated with the VA in addition to NFPA 2001.

Electric-Driven, Fire Pumps

549A4-21-700 (2216) EHRM Infrastructure Upgrades - Bonham, TX

Fire Protection 4

Diesel-Driven, Fire Pumps

Special Electrical Systems

• Sprinkler system will be monitored by building fire alarm system.

• See Division 28 for Fire Detection and Alarm for related requirements.

End Fire Protection