The
number and severity of fires occurring in pallet yards over the last several
years has continued to get worse and has caught the attention of fire officials
around the country. Seeking to reduce the fire hazard in outdoor pallet storage
yards, representatives from the International Code Council (ICC) recently
approved changes to the International Fire Code that will then go on for a
final vote in October of this year. The ICC is one of the two main bodies in
this country (the National Fire Protection Association – NFPA is the other)
that develops codes and standards that are then adopted across the country by
local and state governments.
Robert
Davidson of Davidson Code Concepts, LLC drafted the new standards for the ICC
based on existing ones used by fire officials in Clark County Nevada. Davidson
said, “These changes are in response to the large fires that we have been
experiencing over the last several years in facilities storing lots of idle
pallets. Previously, local jurisdictions have been attacking the issue with
piece meal changes.”
Davidson
added that this code change, which would take effect with the 2015 edition of the International
Fire Code, attempts to harmonize those changes in one national standard.
Previously, fire code officials applied general storage regulations or
requirements for dimension lumber associated with lumber yards or woodworking
facilities if they enforced anything at
all.
The new
rules spell out the fire flow (the amount of water that must be available at
fire hydrants), the road access for fire vehicles, storage patterns and other
requirements for idle pallets. Section 2810 of the code has been proposed to
include a number of provisions, and the stacking pattern guidelines are likely
to impact pallet companies the most. Pallets will have to be stored in a grid
pattern to provide access for fire crews as well as natural fire breaks. For a complete description of the proposed
fire codes, see sidebar 1 on page 57.
While
these guidelines are doable, they are certainly not standard at most pallet
recycling yards and many other pallet companies today. Dr. Mark White,
president of White & Co and a noted pallet expert, said, “It is certainly
true that many pallet companies do not comply with these storage practices
today.” He added that if adopted by local or state governments the new storage
requirements may force some pallet companies to decrease inventory, increase
the size of the pallet yard or take other costly steps to comply.
While
it is not a forgone conclusion the proposed changes will be approved, it is
rare for proposals that have reached the current state to get overturned. Also,
it is up to individual localities and states to decide if they will adopt
and/or enforce new requirements. It will likely take many years before any of
the new codes are enforced, but it is something that pallet facilities with
exterior storage need to consider.
Davidson
explained the idea behind the new grid system. He said, “The pattern creates
fire breaks and limits the size of individual groupings of pallets.”
Officials
also have proposed changing the ICC International Fire Code sprinkler
requirements for high piled storage to more effectively comply with NFPA 13,
which has already become the defacto standard on this issue. Also,
the revisions include the addition of a new testing standard
when deciding if a plastic pallet shall be treated as a wooden pallet for
determining required sprinkler protection. This addition gives more options by
adding FM 4996 to UL2335 as the testing standards that are available for
determining if a plastic pallet does not require a one class upgrade compared
to a wooden pallet.
Improperly
protected pallets add a significant fuel load to any building and can lead to
catastrophic loss in the event of a fire. The extreme high heat release
associated with a fire in a stack of pallets creates a high-velocity plume of
fire gases. These rising gases can carry much of the sprinkler water away from
the fire, and the high temperatures generated in the intensely burning array
evaporate much of the water that does not penetrate the plume. This process can
allow the fire to grow to levels that are hard to control without overpowering inadequate
sprinkler systems. Generally, pallets stored inside a building have
comprehensive requirements to comply with that address storage arrangement,
height limitations and sprinkler flow density, storage in racks require an Early Suppression Fast
Response (ESFR) sprinkler system according to NFPA 13. ESFR systems allow for
prewetting of nearby pallet stacks to contain a fire.
Fires
at pallet yards have become a significant enough problem that code officials
felt they couldn’t ignore it. Davidson commented, “The problem with large
pallet fires is once they get going they are hard to stop.” This tends to occur
because the large amount of surface area and the open nature of a pallet design
creates the perfect geometry to foster a fast developing fire with a very high
heat release.
The new
rules apply only to outdoor storage although they do cover both wooden and
plastic pallets. The ICC publicly posted the proposed changes this past March
and held hearings in April. Although this does appear to be just another in a
long line of regulations to impact the pallet industry, the increasing number
of fires does indicate a problem. While this may not be a regulation that is
looking for a real reason to exist, that doesn’t make it any easier when it
will likely increase storage costs for pallet operations.
SECTION 2810
WOOD AND PLASTIC
PALLET STORAGE AND REHABILITATION
Applies to all
facilities with either storage or rehabilitation of pallets (both wooden and
plastic).
Fire Flow. The
minimum required fire flow in pallet storage yards exceeding 3200 sq. ft. of
pallet storage areas shall be not less than 2,000 gpm. For storage yards with
stable piles greater than 6,200 sq. ft. the required fire flow shall be not
less than 3,000 gpm. Pallet storage yards shall not exceed the available fire
hydrant flow and spacing.
Fire Hydrants.
Fire hydrants required for fire flow purposes for pallet storage arrays shall
be
installed in accordance within 300 ft. of pallet locations
measured along unobstructed access paths.
Fire Department
Access. Fire apparatus access roads shall be located within 150 ft. of all
portions of the pallet storage array(s). Permanent delineation of on-site fire
apparatus access roads shall be provided as required by the fire code official.
Exterior pallet
repair and storage areas greater than 3,200 sq ft. Exterior pallet storage
arrays greater than 3200 sq. ft. shall comply with all of the following:
1. Stacks shall not exceed a height
of 18 ft.
2. Stacks shall be no closer than
eight ft. to any property line or a distance equal to the stack height, whichever
is greater.
3. Stacks shall be no closer than
eight ft. to any other on-site storage area.
4. Stacks shall be no closer than
15 ft. to any on-site structure.
5. Stacks shall be arranged to form
stable piles.
6. Piles shall not contain more
than 6,000 cu. ft. of pallets.
7. Piles shall be separated from
other piles by a minimum distance of eight ft.
8. Piles shall be arranged in a
grid system to form pallet storage arrays with a maximum dimension of 50 ft. by
50 ft.
9. Pallet storage arrays shall be separated
by a minimum distance of 24 ft.
Exterior storage not
greater than 3200 sq. ft. in area. Exterior pallet storage not greater than
3200 square feet shall comply with all of the following:
1. Stacks shall be no closer than
eight ft. to any property line or a distance equal to the stack height,
whichever is greater.
2. Stacks shall be no closer than
eight ft. to any other on-site storage.
3. Stacks shall be no closer than
15 ft. to any on-site structure.
Exception: Where
approved by the fire code official, stacks located closer than 15 ft. to an
on-site structure shall maintain minimum horizontal clearances based on the
quantity of pallets and the level of protection provided by the building
construction as follows:
1. The minimum horizontal clearance
for 50 pallets or less adjacent to a masonry wall without openings located
within 20 ft. horizontally of the pallet stacks, or adjacent to a masonry wall
with two hour fire-resistance rated protected openings shall be zero feet.
2. The minimum horizontal clearance
for 51 to 200 pallets adjacent to a masonry wall without openings located
within 20 ft. horizontally of the pallet stacks, or a masonry wall with two
hour fire-resistance rated protected openings shall be eight feet.
3. The minimum horizontal clearance
for 50 pallets or less adjacent to a wood or metal building equipped throughout
with an approved automatic sprinkler system shall be eight ft.
4. Stacks located less than 15 ft.
from an exterior building wall shall not exceed a height equal to 30 inches
below the roof line elevation, or 15 feet, whichever is less.
5. Stacks shall be arranged to form
stable piles. A stack is an individual stack of pallets, a pile is a group of
two or more stacks of pallets grouped together.
