Parry Sound District Social Services Administration Board Housing and Community Services October 10, 2018 c/o Andrew Ball, Properties and Capital Projects Coordinator Email:aball@psdssab.org 22A Belvedere Avenue, No. of Pgs.: 1 of 5 / attached (1) Parry Sound, ON P2A 1J2 22A BELVEDERE AVENUE - SPRINKLER SYSTEM EXPANSION FEASIBILITY REVIEW Type of building: Residential Conducted on: September 18, 2018 Dear Andrew Ball, FCS attended site to conduct a Review of existing site conditions at on Tuesday, September 18 th, 2018 to provide options regarding potential sprinkler system expansion. FCS Fire Consulting services was retained at the request of Parry Sound District Social Services Administration Board Housing and Community Services to provide consulting services to determine the feasibility of expanding the current sprinkler system coverage to provide protection to the entire building. It has been recognized that due to the aging population of occupants within the building, evacuation in a fire emergency presents a greater risk to the safety of occupants based on the time to safely exit the building via exit stairwells during the evacuation process. Therefore, the intent to voluntarily expand the sprinkler system coverage would provide a higher level of safety to the building by providing early detection and local containment of fire until fire services are available on site. This would also provide longer evacuation times or reduce the requirement to fully or partially evacuate occupants within the building. FCS conducted a visual assessment of the building which included the review of the existing sprinkler system design configuration, major fire protection / life safety equipment installed within the building, select residential suite configuration and layout, and all mechanical / electrical / service rooms. The review commenced with a visual review of major equipment rooms (fire alarm panel, elevator shaft, sprinkler room, and generator room), then proceeded to the top of the building and continued down to the bottom floor of the building. A fire safety assessment was also conducted to identify any possible deficiencies that may impact the proposed sprinkler system expansion. Site findings are also provided See Appendix A of this report. This report outlines the initial review process. We look forward to coordinating a conference call to review our findings upon provision of our formal budget as outlined in our report. Thank you. Yours truly, President 1
22 A Belvedere, Parry Sound OBJECTIVE To conduct a sprinkler feasibility review as it pertains to the existing occupancy at 22A Belvedere Ave., Parry Sound. Our evaluation also includes a general review of existing fire systems and fire code compliance. The following report will summarize sprinkler feasibility, options and our recommendations, as applicable and provide an outline of general fire safety deficiencies noted at the time of our inspection. BUILDING INFORMATION The building is a five (5) storey low-rise residential building, with one (1) below grade level. There is no parking available within the below-grade level of the building. Parking is provided at the exterior of the building, located on the north-east portion of the property. The basement level consists of residential suites, common storage, a common room with washrooms, janitor s room, and a storage accessible from the exterior of the building. The ground floor is comprised of residential suites, moving room, garbage room, mechanical room, electrical room, laundry room, generator room, superintendent s suite, and corridor pathway to the Belvedere Heights building. The building is classified as a Group C occupancy under the Ontario Building Code. FCS understands that the building was constructed in 1974. An addition to the building was constructed in 1996, which also included the construction of a sub-basement level. The building is equipped with a Mircom Series 1000 single stage multi-zone fire alarm system. This building is equipped with manual pull stations and automatic detection devices throughout. The Fire Alarm System has alarm zoning and trouble indicators. The Fire Alarm System is monitored by 3 rd party monitoring station. A wet sprinkler system provides partial protection to the building. The building is equipped with two (2) elevators; one provides access to each floor within the building, the second elevator serves the ground 5 th floor level. Residential suites are equipped with at least one (1) battery operated combination smoke/ carbon monoxide alarm and audible speaker, which is connected to the Fire Alarm System. The building is confirmed to contain asbestos within the stucco in the ceilings within the building. Page 2
METHODOLOGY 22 A Belvedere, Parry Sound The FCS team, comprised of (FCS President / Senior Code Consultant), Tom Marchese, PMP, P.Eng. (FCS Project Manager), Julia Signorini, FPET (Fire Protection Engineering Technologist) and Bob Disano (Sprinkler Designer) attended site on September 18, 2018 to conduct a visual review of the main sprinkler components and review of building site conditions. An invasive review of the in-service piping was not conducted at this time. No operational tests of the equipment were conducted. During the site visit, the team completed the following: Conducted a visual review of the main sprinkler room, two (2) residential units, and all common areas, service rooms, vertical risers and common closets within the building Met with the Properties and Capital Projects Coordinator, Andrew Ball, to obtain information on the service history and to escort out team throughout the evaluation. DOCUMENT REVIEW FCS conducted a review of documents provided by management including: annual test and inspection reports, site drawings and pictures as provided by management. A review of the fire safety plan including building configuration was completed off-site. ON SITE OBSERVATIONS Sprinkler System The building is provided with partial sprinkler protection. Additionally, the building is equipped with a wet standpipe system throughout. The main sprinkler shutoff valves and fire pump is located in the basement level mechanical room. The main valves located in the mechanical room are labeled as follows: Zone #17 - Garbage Chute Zone #10-1 st Floor Zone #16 - Outdoor Storage Zone #24 - Main Shutoff Zone #25 - Main Service Shutoff Zone #22 - Fire Pump Inlet Zone #23 - Fire Pump Outlet The fire pump has a rated capacity of 155 U.S. GPM @ 55 PSI. The Fire Department Connection for the sprinkler and standpipe system is located within 3m from the main entrance. Page 3
22 A Belvedere, Parry Sound There is one (1) municipal fire hydrant that serves this building, located along Belvedere Avenue, North-East of the building. The municipal hydrant is located within 90m of the main residential entrance. The Mircom multi-zone fire alarm control panel was clear of trouble, appeared in good condition, with no visible components by-passed. ANALYSIS The building is concrete with typical life safety system coverage for the age and retrofit improvements previously undertaken. The addition of complete building sprinkler coverage is voluntary only and not required by the Ontario Fire Code. The addition of a sprinkler system expansion to provide coverage throughout the building is feasible. The system, if determined to be warranted by management, will be required to be installed throughout the building, including corridors, suites, all rooms, balconies due to enclosure design and to accommodate bulkheads in limited areas. There are multiple available areas such as the garbage chute, existing service raceways, stairwells and spaces to conceal the main larger pipe runs, while corridor, suite pipe and sprinkler heads will be exposed in some areas. A mockup of the potential design would be considered as part of the tender process. The complete sprinkler coverage NFPA-13 design would facilitate potential consideration of increased use of the building for elderly seniors and vulnerable occupants. Existing Sprinkler System expansion feasibility summary: 1. The existing sprinkler system appears in reasonable condition and expansion is feasible. 2. Partial sprinkler of the building in common areas only is not recommended as compliance with NFPA-13 is required and potential fire risk is higher within suites then common corridors. 3. The majority of the head end sprinkler equipment can be repurposed for this expansion. 4. The incoming water main appears to be 4 and is anticipated to be sufficient for the design. 5. It appears that the sprinkler expansion may be feasible without the addition of a fire pump. 6. There is no existing back flow preventer that will be required for sprinkler modification. 7. We anticipate approximately 600 sprinkler heads throughout common areas and suites. 8. The majority of the system would be a wet system, with limited dry heads for balconies and potentially exterior cold storage area. To be determined during design. 9. Low capacity fire pump may be required, however not anticipated to require DC back up. 10. Generator has sufficient power should DC back up be required. 11. Due to the age of the existing heads (approx.30-40 years); replacement is recommended. 12. The integrity of the existing piping would be reviewed and flushes as part of the project. 13. No sprinkler flow data or date of last sprinkler flow was available at site at time of assessment. 14. Multiple sprinkler zones are required to be added for individual floor and valve annunciation. 15. Anticipate minor piping visible within suites. 16. Project would include all required design, installation, inspection and certification requirements 17. A permit will be required for the proposed sprinkler retrofit and fire panel modifications Page 4
Additional measures: 22 A Belvedere, Parry Sound 1. The existing fire alarm system has been retrofitted in past and will require upgrading to accommodate new sprinkler zones. We recommend the budget carry potential contractor pricing for upgrading the existing fire alarm system versus panel expansion only for your consideration. 2. The project would take into consideration and be aligned with asbestos remediation. 3. A revision of the fire safety plan will be required to effectively reflect building conditions. 4. The areas identified in the fire safety assessment are required to be addressed. 5. Affected areas will require fire stopping and refinishing with typical standard beige paint. NOTE: drawings available on site are dated between 1974 and 1977. BUDGET The budget is being refined to determine the material and labour costs of project with extras, such as refinishing and complete fire alarm replacement being considered as additional price points for consideration. The general initial sprinkler budget currently under review is approximately $250,000. RECOMMENDATIONS / CONCLUSION Upon review of provided documentation and onsite findings, it is determined that the existing sprinkler system does have the capability to be expanded to provide further coverage or full building coverage. Further to the review of existing sprinkler conditions, it is identified that the existing fire alarm panel does have the capability to expand and accommodate the sprinkler system expansion. REPORT BY: Julia Signorini, Fire Protection Engineering Technologist &, President, Senior Fire Code Consultant REVIEWED BY: Tom Marchese, PMP, P. Eng. Project Manager End Report The repairs required within the fire safety assessment appendix are to be undertaken as soon as possible as they constitute non-compliance of the Fire Code and in limited areas non-compliance with the Building Code. The recommended upgrades are an attempt to achieve a higher level of compliance then required by the Ontario Fire Code. assumes no liability for the completion of any recommended work and the Owner is responsible for carrying out all work at his/her sole expense. Page 5