LIFE SAFETY EVALUATION:   WHAT IS IT?

 

The idea behind the High-Rise Building Life Safety Evaluation is to follow the guidelines found in the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) #550 pertaining to Fire Safety of both the building AND the occupants.

 

The Honolulu Fire Chief has focused on the ‘Manage Fire’ aspect of this standard. The installation of Fire Suppression Sprinkler System and Fire Alarm System is the path to be followed. But, for many High-Rise Residential Buildings in Honolulu this installation can come with a large cost per apartment in the building causing serious financial hardship on the unit owners.

 

The Fire Chief has allowed the use of a Fire and Life Safety Evaluation process presented in NFPA #101A. The fire department prepared LSE covers 19 important Fire Life Safety categories of inspection each being given a score based upon the inspection. The goal of the evaluation and subsequent corrections to be performed are to ‘Harden The Building Against A Fire’.

 

Note: the inspections are to be performed either by a licensed design professional or under the supervision of a licensed design professional. Then the 19 categories scores are processed by a form and formulas with a resultant overall ‘pass / fail’ being awarded to the evaluation. The evaluation is then required to be signed and stamped by the licensed design professional. An architect has the skill to provide Fire & Life Safety Designs following the building codes and the experience to perform this work.

 

Codes as adopted by C&C of Honolulu and incorporated into Ordinance 19-4:

• State Fire Code adopted August 15, 2014 as amended

• International Building Code (IBC) 2006 as amended by [ROH, Sec. 16-1.1];

• National Electrical Code 2017 w/local amendments,

• Uniform Plumbing Code, 2006 Edition with amendments 2008 Edition;

• Incorporated by Ordinance 19-4 part (16) are National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) #1 [fire standards], #101 [fire life safety standards Chapters 11 through 43] and #72 [fire alarm systems standards].

• Building Energy Conservation Code: [ROH, Ch. 32]; Per HRS Sec 107-28 as amended April 1, 2019; required by Honolulu Department Permitting and Planning.