Chapter 5 <br />Fire Department <br />Connections <br />GENERAL <br />A fire department connection (FDC) includes one or <br />more fire hose inlet connections on a sprinkler sys- <br />tem, standpipe system, or other water-based sup- <br />pression system. The hose inlet connections <br />enable the fire department or fire brigade to hook <br />up hose lines from one or more pumpers and <br />feed water into the system to supplement the con- <br />nected automatic water supply (Figure 5.1). In <br />manual dry standpipe systems, FDCs are the only <br />water supply. <br />Requirements for FDCs appear in the following <br />standards: <br />■ NFPA 13, Standard for the Installation of <br />Sprinkler Systems; <br />■ NFPA 13R, Standard for the Installation of <br />Sprinkler Systems in Residential Occupancies <br />up to and Including Four Stories in Height; <br />■ NFPA 14, Standard for the Installation of <br />Standpipe and Hose Systems; <br />■ NFPA 15, Standard for Water <br />Spray Fixed Systems for Fire , <br />Protection; <br />■ NFPA 16, Standard for the -C r= <br />Installation of Foam-Water <br />Sprinkler and Foam-Water <br />Spray Systems; and <br />NFPA 750, Standard on Water <br />Mist Fire Protection Systems. <br />These standards set minimum criteria for FDCs, <br />such as which systems require them, their arrange- <br />ment, and the pipe sizes they feed. The IBC and IFC <br />also contain requirements for FDC location and <br />signage. This chapter will expand upon those criteria <br />and provide guidance on FDC location, quantity, <br />numbers of inlets, positioning, and marking. Also <br />included are particular considerations that need to <br />be taken into account during the building construc- <br />tion phase. <br />In some cases, FDCs are not required because <br />they would be of little or no value. Examples <br />include remote buildings that are inaccessible to <br />the fire service, large open-sprinkler deluge sys- <br />tems that exceed the pumping capability of the fire <br />department, and very small buildings. <br />Designers should always seek out and follow <br />fire department requirements, recommendations, <br />and advice for special circumstances. The sole <br />users of FDCs are the fire departments that must <br />connect to them. Any deficiency related to the <br />FDC can cause delays in fire suppression, and <br />therefore a decrease in the safety of both fire- <br />fighters and building occupants. <br />(Fig. 5.1) Charged hose lines connected to a wall-mounted FDC. The proximi- <br />ty of an FDC relative to building exits is discussed in the Location section at <br />page 44. <br />r <br />FIRIE 'SE'RVIC'E FEATURES 041 BVIID'INGS •A,ND FIRE P'R0TE.C1I.0'N SYS•TEM.S' 41 <br />157 <br />