Appendix A

1. Building 
1. location and orientation of the building, 
2. building occupancy, 
3. type of construction of the building, 
4. building area in m², 
5. building height in storeys and in m., and 
6. location of concealed spaces. 

 
2. Suppression System 
1. type and location of sprinkler systems and the capacity if it is a dry-pipe system, 
2. type and typical location of sprinklers, 
3. type and typical location of piping, 
4. type and typical location of hangers, 
5. type, location, capacity and number of pumps and tanks, 
6. location of pump test headers, 
7. location of hydrants, 
8. location and size of water supply mains, 
9. location and size of feed mains and risers, 
10. location and size of standpipe and hose, 
11. location and size of valves, 
12. location and size of fire department connections, 
13. water flow data including location, date and time of the flow test, 
14. occupancy classification, and 
15. design criteria (density, area etc.). 
3. Other Components 
1. location and type of ceiling suspended heaters, 
2. location and size of mezzanines, and 
3. location and size of storage racks. 

A-4.1 (f) and (g)
Historic and heritage buildings include many buildings that are small and/or located in remote areas without adequate water supplies (e.g. private residences, lighthouses, national park buildings, farm buildings, etc.). Discretion and judgement are needed in applying the requirements to such buildings, as the cost of sprinkler protection may not be justifiable. It is the intent of the standard that 4.2 be applied in such cases.

The need for sprinkler protection in buildings that are designated as "recognized" should be determined on the basis of life safety and property protection considerations, without reference to the heritage value of the building.

A-4.1 (k)
The requirements of the NBC are based on the assumption that adequate water supply and fire fighting capabilities are available in the event of a fire emergency.

A-7.3 (a) (iv)
Tests have shown that exposed combustible sprinkler piping can fail under some fire conditions. A fire resistive membrane is necessary for the protection of the combustible sprinkler pipes and fittings. Any openings in the ceiling membrane must be protected. This standard requires that the membrane be of a fixed type such as gypsum board or plywood, because it is not considered practical or economical to maintain the integrity of a non-fixed type such as a fire-rated acoustical tile ceiling system.

A-7.3 (a) (v)
The intent of this requirement is to minimize the risk of damage to the combustible risers from other fire hazards such as electrical cables, heating ducts, fuel lines and other similar electrical and mechanical services.

A-7.6 (a) (i)
The preferred arrangement for testing pumps is measuring water flow by using hose streams through a hose header.

A-8
Well water may be considered a source of water supply for fire protection service provided (a) the well facilities are reliable on a seasonal and year-to-year basis determined by geotechnical studies and by regular inspection and flow testing, (b) two or more wells are available, (c) two or more pumps are provided, (d) with the largest well out of service, the remaining wells are capable of providing the design fire flow rate, with a suitable allowance for domestic demand, (e) with the largest pump out of service, the remaining pumps are capable of providing the design fire flow rate, with a suitable allowance for domestic demand, (f) pumps are automatic starting, and the controls arranged so that the pumps do not sit idle for extended periods of time, and (g) emergency power is provided to a sufficient number of pumps to meet the required fire flow and domestic demand.

A-Table 8.1 (a)
In the case of a Government leased premises. the gross floor area shall be the area occupied by the Government.

"2 plus 1 loop" means either a loop around the building fed by two connections from the street main or 2 connections supplied from a loop around the building.

A-8.1 (j)
Most municipalities prefer to have direct control of the domestic water supply. In the case of fire, the domestic water supply can be shut off without closing off the sprinkler water supply.

A-8.1 (k)(iv)
Domestic connections with meters up to 50 mm in size may be connected from any size sprinkler supply main provided the connection is of metallic construction and the hydraulic data is shown to substantiate maximum flows through the meters. The maximum flow from the meter shall be added to the calculated sprinkler system flow at the point of connection, and the total flow shall be calculated to the street connection. At the street connection, the domestic demand may be omitted from the total demand since the domestic demand is considered to have been taken into account in the water flow test.

A-8.6 (e)
The low water level is the minimum water level necessary for the pump to operate.

A-8.6 (j)
NFPA 20 requires fire pumps to be listed for fire protection service. The use of listed fire pumps for privately-owned water supply systems is generally accepted as good fire protection practice.

In spite of this, it is not common practice for municipal water supply systems to use listed fire pumps. Agencies such as Fire Underwriters' Survey (FUS) and American Water Works Association (AWWA) recommend other means of achieving overall system reliability, such as redundancy in pumps, power supplies, and water sources. Municipal water systems are also typically better supervised than private fire protection water supply systems, and have better access to maintenance and repair facilities.

In a combined domestic and fire protection water supply system serving a small community, such as an Indian Reserve, pumps are not required to be listed for fire service provided adequate design measures are taken to ensure overall system reliability. Guidance may be obtained from the FUS publication "Water Supply for Public Fire Protection" and AWWA M31 - "Manual of Water Supply Practices". Pumping capacity should be sufficient, in conjunction with storage, when the single most important pump is out of service, to maintain the maximum daily demand rate plus the maximum required fire flow at required pressure for the required duration. Systems using electric pumps shall be provided with either an emergency power supply or supplementary engine-driven pumps.

Control arrangements should provide for pumps to alternate so that all are operated on a regular basis. Where this is not practical, then standby pumps must be exercised on a weekly basis similar to fire pumps.

Fire pumps and booster pumps serving individual properties are required to be listed, in accordance with existing policy.

A-9.1 (c)
It is the intent of this requirement is to provide a water flow detecting device on each storey of the building.

A-9.1 (e)
Similar supervised equipment, devices and conditions may be annunciated as a group inside the sprinkler system valve room.

A-10.1 (d)
It is not the intent of this requirement to provide sprinkler protection for kitchen hoods within single family dwelling units.

A-11.2 (a)
For the purpose of this standard, post-disaster building means a building essential to provide services in the event of a disaster. It includes hospitals, fire stations, police stations, radio stations, telephone exchanges, power stations, electrical substations, water pumping stations, fuel depot buildings and air traffic control towers and facilities.

A-11.2 (b)
Ground acceleration and ground velocity that have a 10 per cent probability of being exceeded in 50 years are the two parameters used in establishing the seismic zones. These seismic zones are based on a statistical analysis of the earthquakes that have been experienced in the past using a method that provides for inclusion of geological and tectonic information in support of the seismic data. The assigned zones in the Supplement to the National Building Code of Canada reflect the opinions of experts in the fields of seismology, geology and engineering, from industry, government and universities, comprising members of the Canadian National Committee on Earthquake Engineering and various relevant committees responsible to the Associate Committee on the National Building Code.

A-12.1 (d)
There is no limit on the pressure in the riser provided that the riser is suitable for the maximum expected pressure and is also hydrostatically tested.