Attachment_0020_-_USARCENT_Fire_Prevention_Policy.pdf

DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY

UNITED STATES ARMY CENTRAL

1 GABRESKI DRIVE

SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, SC 29152-2505

UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

ACEN 22 June 2016

MEMORANDUM FOR United States Army Central (USARCENT) Forces Units - Personnel

SUBJECT: ARCENT Theater Fire Safety Prevention Standards

1. References:

a. Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 National Defense Authorization Act, Section (Sec) 807, Policy and Requirements to ensure the Safety of Personnel, Facilities, Infrastructure, and Equipment for Military Operations, 28 October 2009.

b. Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation (DFAR) Memorandum: Class Deviation 2010- 00010, Safety of Facilities, Infrastructure, and Equipment for Military Operations, 19 April 2010.

c. Unified Facilities Criteria (UFC) 1-200-01, General Building Requirements, 1 July 2013 Change 3, 1 August 2015.

d. UFC 1-201-01, Non-Permanent DoD Facilities in Support of Military Operations, 1 January 2013.

e. UFC 3-600-01, Fire Protection Engineering for Facilities, 26 September 2006 Change 3, 1

March 2013.

f. UFC 3-600-02, Operation and Maintenance: Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Fire Protection, October 2010.

g. USCENTCOM Regulation 415-1, Construction and Base Camp Development in the

USCENTCOM Area of Responsibility, “The Sand Book,” 18 July 2014.

h. National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 70.

i. NFPA 10, Standard for Portable Fire Extinguishers.

j. AR 420-1, Army Facilities Management, 24 August 2012.

k. EM 385-26 Army Electrical Safety Program.

2. Purpose: This policy is to establish theater fire prevention standards by implementing UFC 3- 600-01 and UFC 3-600-02 as the standards for fire safety and prevention. It also provides the following: fire prevention guidance, fire safety feature adequacy, inspection facilities standards, identifies fire hazards and deficiencies, standardizes fire extinguisher distribution requirements, inspections and maintenance requirements, fire prevention awareness and educational training.

This policy will serve for all subordinate leadership to plan, organize, and directs all fire protection activities including fire protection operations and corrective measures, guidance.

Lastly, it will enforce the Fire Department Occupational Safety and Health Program.

3. The majority of facilities developed within the Combined Joint Operations Area will be built to initial or temporary construction standards IAW UFC 1-201-01. All Commanders will establish a fire policy standard and guidance IAW the established basing standard and adjust as the basing standard change. If a conflict exists between the UFC and any other DOD documents, reference code, or publication; the UFC takes precedence. Therefore, as a mitigation measure, at all basing locations Commanders will assess fire protection measures into their Constraints and Opportunities Component (CAOC) boards to address hazards and identify fire protection standards based on the zoning actions, as referenced in the Sand book. Bases will complete their CAOC boards as directed by the USARCENT Commander. At a minimum, Commanders will establish and schedule quarterly meetings of the Base Planning Boards (BPB) to review the

CAOC.

4. Construction Levels for Non-Permanent facilities are broken down into three levels – Initial, Temporary, and Semi-permanent. Project authorization documentation (i.e. DD1391’s) must include a statement of the required Facility Construction Level. A statement similar to the following must be included: ‘This facility is designed in accordance with UFC 1-201-01 at a facility construction level of ‘initial.”

a. Initial Construction Level:

(1) Initial Construction Level Defined (UFC 1-201-01, para 1-4.1): Facilities set up on an expedient basis with minimal external engineering design support, using Service, Host Nation, or Contracted equipment and systems. Typically provides for initial force presence and maneuver activities. Common facility types include tents, containers, and fabric shelters. This does not include individual unit organic tentage when used during bivouac operations.

(2) Non-permanent facilities at an Initial Construction Level will comply with the requirements in UFC 1-201-01, Ch. 1 and 2 for Initial Construction Level. Fire protection requirements for Initial Construction Level assume no active fire protection or site water supplies are to be provided per UFC 1-201-01, para 2-4.

However, Initial Construction must still abide by UFC 1-201-01, 2-4.1 through 2-

4.4 for allowable area/population, space separation, interior finishes/fabric coverings, and fire extinguishers respectively.

b. Temporary and Semi-Permanent Construction Levels:

(1) Temporary Construction Level Defined (UFC 1-201-01, para 1-4.2): Building and facilities designed and constructed to serve a life expectancy of five years or less using low-cost construction. A minimal facility intended to increase efficiency of operations and moderately improve quality of life for occupants.

Maintainability is a secondary consideration. Construction features are characterized by low cost, expedient, construction utilizing locally available materials and construction methods and equipment. Temporary construction typically cannot be economically converted to a higher construction level.

(2) Semi-Permanent Construction Level Defined (UFC 1-201-01, para 1-4.3):

Building and facilities designed and constructed to serve a life expectancy of less than 10 years. With maintenance and upkeep of critical building systems, life expectancy of facility can be extended to 25 years. Facilities are intended for a more enduring presence with operational characteristics and functional performance similar to permanent construction. Some building systems must be fully code compliant to allow for economical upgrade to permanent construction through renovation.

(3) Non-permanent facilities at a Temporary or Semi-Permanent Construction Level will comply with the requirements in UFC 1-201-01, Ch. 1 and 3. The intent of UFC 1-201-01 is to provide modular type buildings that are limited in size so as not to require installed active fire protection or fire alarm systems, except where required by International Building Code (IBC) Chapter 9, Fire Protection Systems, or UFC’s for a given occupancy regardless of the building size (i.e.

residential and hazardous occupancies). Occupancy Classifications are defined in Chapter 6 of the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) 101, Life Safety Code.

NFPA 101 Life Safety Code outlines specific fire protection requirements based on the type of occupancy the facility will be utilized. A fire protection summary by a licensed Fire Protection Engineer is required for all Temporary or Semi- Permanent Construction designs discussing the minimum fire protection provisions based on UFC 1-200-01, UFC 1-201-01 and UFC 3-600-01.

5. Areas of consideration:

a. Facility Emergency Notification/Alert Systems

b. Periodic fire prevention training commensurate with duties and functions

c. Institute Risk Acceptance and Level of Service approach

d. Written risk management IAW NPFA 1500

e. Fire apparatus inspection, and repair per NFPA 1911

f. Equipment periodic inspection

g. Establish SOPs for:

(1) Use of protective clothing

(2) Personnel accountability

(3) Hazardous Material controls, mitigation, and disposal

(4) Post incident reporting

(5) Emergency lighting systems

(6) Egress markings

6. CAOC boards are required at semi-permanent basing. At a minimum, establish and schedule quarterly meetings of the BPB to review the CAOC. All mitigation measures shall be performed by the DPW in coordination with the fire stations and USARCENT’s Safety Directorate. The

DoDI 6055.06 and NFPA 1710 detail specific response time requirements that will be the standard.

7. Commanders may limit operations and have an emergency action plan that specifies evacuation actions or require evacuation of the workplace until impairments are corrected.

“Trained or qualified” personnel shall perform inspection, testing, and maintenance (ITM) and repair tasks only on the systems for which these personnel have been specifically qualified.

Trained or qualified personnel may supervise other less qualified personnel in the execution of the tasks covered in this UFC. At no time shall apprentice-level crafts persons be allowed to execute the ITM tasks in this UFC without a qualified supervisor on site. Trained or qualified personnel shall perform ITM and repair tasks only within the scope of their specific qualification.

8.Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) for electrical and fire safety: The AHJ, the Engineer Director, is responsible for enforcing the requirements of a code or standard, or for approving equipment, materials, an installation, or a procedure, develop policy; to rigidly enforce code requirements; and to ensure the safety of USARCENT personnel. Finally, the UFC codes grants the AHJ the authority to waive specific requirements of the NFPA or permit alternative methods when assured that equivalent objectives can be achieved by establishing and maintaining effective safety.

9. For each installation, maintain permanent records of completed ITM tasks in accordance with ARCENT’s safety program for reoccurring facility maintenance record keeping. Records may be hard copy or electronic. Records will be maintained for every facility and will include, as a minimum, each ITM task, date scheduled, date completed, and craftsperson completing the task.

Signs complying with established Post format will be ordered and displayed IAW fire station guidelines. Impairments affecting the performance of installed fire protection features shall be corrected immediately when identified using the highest priority in the work identification and management systems. These processes must meet the Occupational Safety and Health Administrations (OSHA) general industry standards requirements for repair or correction of impairments (29 CFR Part 1910.160(b)(2) and 160(b)(6)). Occupants shall be notified whenever any of the systems are either out of service or impaired to a degree that presents an increased risk to any occupants once a deficiency is identified.

10. The maintenance activity must notify the local fire authority and the facility or area user when impairments cannot be corrected immediately when identified, when the impairment will exist for more than 72 hours, the local maintenance activity, the local fire authority, the local safety authority, and the facility or area user shall jointly develop written compensatory measures to ensure personnel safety, to the maximum degree possible, and mission continuity. The maintenance activity must also advise the facility or area user of the need to post the signs specified in Post SOP. The fire authority shall advise and consult with the facility or area user to determine the immediate measures that must be taken to ensure personnel safety and mission continuity. Normally the facility user is the lead to coordinate the compensatory measures package. The jointly developed package must also identify the remaining mission risk exposure.

In the absence of compensatory measures, the facility shall be evacuated or operations stopped.

11. Criteria exemptions may be approved by the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) where an alternative ITM action providing equivalent fire protection and life safety exists and is also approved. Requests must include justification, hazard analysis, cost comparison, criteria applied, and other pertinent data. Lack of funds or cost savings do not justify an exemption. Exemptions may be granted only for specific requests and will not extend to cases with similar circumstances. The CENTCOM Commander is the only approving authority over Life, Health, and Safety exemptions.

12. The point of contact for this memorandum is the USARCENT Engineer Directorate. The Action Officer is CPT Dustin Pope, dustin.m.pope.mil@mail.mil, DSN: (318) 480-0466.

JERRY L. FARNSWORTH

COL, EN

USARCENT Engineer Director

MEMORANDUM FOR United States Army Central (USARCENT) Forces Units - Personnel