Requirement for Fire and Smoke Dampers in Shafts Still Being Debated at Press Time

摘要

At June 2008 hearings for the final action on the 2008 edition of the Life Safety Code, a proposal in NFPA 90A to require fire and smoke dampers in shafts was voted down by the NFPA membership. The primary opponents of this proposal were members of the influential Health Care Section, whose objection to the added requirement was cost of installation and maintenance. Even though three separate Technical Committees (TCs) since 2002 had voted overwhelmingly to approve the proposal, the proposal was defeated in a 116-81 floor vote against the requirement. When resubmitted to the TC after the hearings, again the TC upheld its previous recommendation to require fire and smoke dampers in shafts. Since there was no consensus between the voting membership and the TC, the Standards Council returned the language on fire dampers in shafts in the 2008 version of NFPA 90A to that which was found in the 2002 version.