7.3 Fire Safety During
7.4 Commissioning
Construction and
The commissioning process will ensure that the fire
Renovation Projects
protection and life safety systems and equipment installed
in a building are in compliance with the building design
requirements.
General. Fire safety during construction and renovation
The Design Team's fire protection engineer shall prepare
projects shall comply with the requirements in the
written commissioning plan documentation that outline
International Building Code (IBC), International Fire
the procedures, methods and documentation for each phase
Code (IFC), and National Fire Protection Association
of the commissioning process for all types of active and
(NFPA) 241.
passive fire protection and life safety systems from concept
through construction, final acceptance, occupancy, and
Fire Protection Systems. Disruptions to fire alarm and
post occupancy. At a minimum, the commissioning plan
sprinkler systems shall be kept to a minimum or avoided.
documentation shall include a discussion on the building
Delineate phasing of construction to ensure that
structure; applicable standards, federal laws and regulations;
installations of new systems are expedited, and existing
system and equipment performance assumptions, codes
systems are kept in service until the replacement system is
and standards strategies; testing and start-up requirements;
operational. If fire protection systems are to be disrupted,
inspection, testing and maintenance requirements; and
procedures shall be incorporated into the design to
safeguards to verify and confirm that systems, equipment
maintain equivalent levels of fire protection and provide
and devices have undergone start-up testing prior to final
formal notification to the facility while systems are down.
acceptance testing, including the identification and
The GSA regional fire protection engineer shall make the
notification of all parties needed to perform and witness
final determination of the adequacy of proposed
all testing. The commissioning plan documentation shall
equivalent levels of fire protection prior to the disruption
also describe in detail the performance objectives of each
of any fire protection system. For example, the provision
fire protection and life safety system planned for the project.
of a 24 hour fire watch by qualified individuals may
In addition, it shall also include all of the additions, dele-
provide an equivalent level of fire protection during
tions or modifications made to each of the fire protection
system disruption in some circumstances.
and life safety systems during each phase of the project.
All of this documentation will assist the Construction
Manager, Project Manager, Commissioning Authority and
the GSA regional fire protection engineer in the advocacy,
review, inspection and final acceptance process.
In addition, the Design Team's fire protection engineer
shall prepare construction contract specifications to
align the actions of the construction contractor with the
commissioning plan, addressing all involved tests, special
inspections, and certifications.
213
FIRE
PROTECTION
&
LIFE
SAFETY
7.3
Fire Safety During Construction and Renovations/Commissioning
Revised March 2005 PBS-P100
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