Copyright 2018 National Fire Protection Association (NFPA®).

Licensed, by agreement, for individual use and download on 12/20/2018 to New Haven University Of. No other reproduction or transmission in any form permitted
without written permission of NFPA®. For inquiries or to report unauthorized use, contact [email protected]. This NFCSS All Access subscription expires on September 30, 2019.

Section 9.3 • Special Situations 277

this standard and where the openings have all horizontal dimensions between opposite edges
of 20 ft (6.1 m) or greater and an area of 1000 ft2 (93 m2) or greater.
9.3.6 Elevator Hoistways and Machine Rooms.
Elevator hoistways and machine rooms are covered in 9.3.6. Codes that cover elevator design, such as
ASME A17.1/CSA B44, Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators, do not permit water discharge in elevator
shafts until electrical power to the elevator cab has been shut down. This situation necessitates some spe-
cial arrangement, such as a preaction system, to make sure that water does not flow into the elevator shaft
until power shutdown has occurred. The additional cost of a special installation and the benefits returned
for the protection must be weighed against the small number of fires in elevator shafts.

9.3.6.1* Sidewall spray sprinklers shall be installed at the bottom of each elevator hoistway FAQ [9.3.6.1]
not more than 2 ft (600 mm) above the floor of the pit.
Where sprinklers are installed at
Refuse and residual hydraulic fluids tend to collect at the bottom of shafts. A properly located sprinkler, as the bottom of the elevator shaft,
required by 9.3.6.1, can control a fire of such material. Conventional requirements regarding the placement is water discharge required to be
delayed until power shutdown
of the deflector and clear space below the sprinkler cannot always be adhered to in this area. These issues
has occurred?
are not critical, however, because the sprinkler would be physically close to any point where a fire could
originate, still allowing the sprinkler to control the fire. Because the sprinkler at the bot-
Several papers were presented by participants, including the American Society of Mechanical Engi- tom of the shaft cannot discharge
onto the elevator or other operat-
neers (ASME), at a symposium in February 1991, in Baltimore, MD (Proceedings of the Symposium on Elevators
ing components of the elevator,
and Fires). Subjects covered at this symposium ranged from general elevator safety to potential problems ASME A17.1 no longer requires
associated with premature discharge of water onto elevator control elements. Following this symposium, that the sprinkler discharge
representatives from the building code organizations and ASME worked to resolve the problem of provid- at the bottom of the shaft be
ing proper fire protection without sacrificing any of the inherent safety features of the sprinkler system or delayed until power shutdown
the elevator and its associated equipment. The result of this cooperation was the development of 9.3.6 to has occurred. The sprinkler at
the bottom of the shaft, where
specifically address the installation of sprinklers in elevator shafts and equipment rooms.
installed, is permitted to be part
This area is constantly changing, and some changes have been proposed to ASME A17.1 that might of the normal building sprinkler
result in modification of elevator requirements in the future. Also, in some jurisdictions there is a movement system and is not required to be
to eliminate the sprinklers and automatic shutdown, so that the fire service can continue to use the elevator part of the special system used
as long as possible when fighting fires in a high-rise building. Any modifications to these rules that would per- to protect the rest of the elevator
{7d1cf25d-f130-43e0-8b7f-041dc4ddd530}
mit the omission of sprinklers by local officials need to be carefully considered due to the possibility of uncon-
trolled fire growth within elevator machine rooms combined with simultaneous fire department dependence
equipment.

on the elevators. Additional concerns surround the fire department’s assumption when responding to a fire
incident within an elevator machine room that such spaces within the building are fully sprinklered.

N A.9.3.6.1 The sprinklers in the pit are intended to protect against fires caused by debris,
which can accumulate over time. Ideally, the sprinklers should be located near the side of the
pit below the elevator doors, where most debris accumulates. However, care should be taken
that the sprinkler location does not interfere with the elevator toe guard, which extends below
the face of the door opening.
9.3.6.2 The sprinkler required at the bottom of the elevator hoistway by 9.3.6.1 shall not
be required for enclosed, noncombustible elevator shafts that do not contain combustible
hydraulic fluids.
9.3.6.3 Automatic fire sprinklers shall not be required in elevator machine rooms, elevator
machinery spaces, control spaces, or hoistways of traction elevators installed in accordance
with the applicable provisions in NFPA 101, or the applicable building code, where all of the
following conditions are met:
(1) The elevator machine room, machinery space, control room, control space, or hoistway of
traction elevator is dedicated to elevator equipment only.
(2) The elevator machine room, machine room, machinery space, control room, control
space, or hoistway of traction elevators are protected by smoke detectors, or other auto-
matic fire detection, installed in accordance with NFPA 72.

Automatic Sprinkler Systems Handbook 2019

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Copyright 2018 National Fire Protection Association (NFPA®). Licensed, by agreement, for individual use and download on 12/20/2018 to New Haven University Of. No other reproduction or transmission in any form permitted
without written permission of NFPA®. For inquiries or to report unauthorized use, contact [email protected]. This NFCSS All Access subscription expires on September 30, 2019.

278 Chapter 9 • Sprinkler Location Requirements

(3) The elevator machinery space, control room, control space, or hoistway of traction eleva-
tors is separated from the remainder of the building by walls and floor/ceiling or roof/
ceiling assemblies having a fire resistance rating of not less than that specified by the
applicable building code.
(4) No materials unrelated to elevator equipment are permitted to be stored in elevator machine
rooms, machinery spaces, control rooms, control spaces, or hoistways of traction elevators.
(5) The elevator machinery is not of the hydraulic type.
9.3.6.4* Automatic sprinklers in elevator machine rooms or at the tops of hoistways shall be
of ordinary- or intermediate-temperature rating.
A.9.3.6.4 ASME A17.1, Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators, requires the shutdown of
power to the elevator upon or prior to the application of water in elevator machine rooms or
hoistways. This shutdown can be accomplished by a detection system with sufficient sensitivity
that operates prior to the activation of the sprinklers (see also NFPA 72). As an alternative,
the system can be arranged using devices or sprinklers capable of effecting power shutdown
immediately upon sprinkler activation, such as a waterflow switch without a time delay. This
alternative arrangement is intended to interrupt power before significant sprinkler discharge.
9.3.6.5* Upright, pendent, or sidewall spray sprinklers shall be installed at the top of elevator
hoistways.
Historically, upright or pendent sprinklers were required at the top of an elevator shaft. In many instances,
however, upright or pendent sprinklers cannot be centered above the hoistway because of the presence of
cables and other equipment. Sidewall sprinklers, which can be installed clear of elevating equipment and
which might be easier to install and replace, are now permitted as an alternative.

A.9.3.6.5 Passenger elevator cars that have been constructed in accordance with ASME
A17.1, Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators, Rule 204.2a (under A17.1a-1985 and later
editions of the code) have limited combustibility. Materials exposed to the interior of the car
and the hoistway, in their end-use composition, are limited to a flame spread index of 0 to 75
and a smoke-developed index of 0 to 450, when tested in accordance with ASTM E84, Stan-
{7d1cf25d-f130-43e0-8b7f-041dc4ddd530} dard Test Method of Surface Burning Characteristics of Building Materials.
9.3.6.6 The sprinkler required at the top of the elevator hoistway by 9.3.6.5 shall not be
required where the hoistway for passenger elevators is noncombustible or limited-combustible
and the car enclosure materials meet the requirements of ASME A17.1, Safety Code for Eleva-
tors and Escalators.
9.3.6.7 Combustible Suspension in Elevators.
9.3.6.7.1 Sprinklers shall be installed at the top and bottom of elevator hoistways where
elevators utilize combustible suspension means such as noncircular elastomeric-coated or
polyurethane-coated steel belts.
9.3.6.7.2 The sprinklers in the elevator hoistway shall not be required when the suspension
means provide not less than an FT-1 rating when tested to the vertical burn test requirements
of UL 62, Flexible Cords and Cables, and UL 1581, Reference Standard for Electrical Wires,
Cables, and Flexible Cords.
9.3.7* Library Stack Areas and Record Storage. Where books or records are stored in
fixed open book shelves, sprinklers shall be installed in accordance with one of the following:
(1) Sprinklers shall be permitted to be installed without regard to aisles where clearance
between sprinkler deflectors and tops of stacks is 18 in. (450 mm) or more.

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