by Gene Endthoff, C.B.O., Director of Codes
and Mark Riffey, Director of Training and Education
National Fire Sprinkler Association, Inc.

Perhaps the most difficult tasks facing school officials today are to accurately predict what new educational facilities will be required to meet future demands in the districts they represent and to carefully plan budgets today to meet those expected needs. There is a need to provide for educational excellence and accommodate increased enrollment while holding the line on taxes and minimizing construction bond requirements.

The following case study demonstrates how the installation of automatic fire sprinkler protection can help address these needs in a cost-effective manner.

In the early planning stages, after the decision has been made to build a new school, school board officials select an architect. His job is to provide for space planning, functionality, security, structural integrity and, most importantly fire and building safety in accordance with established codes and standards. The school officials rely on the architect’s recommendations regarding the type of construction and cost estimates. Based on these estimates the school board proceeds with school bonding and construction.
 

Building Codes Regulate Construction
Today’s model building codes regulate the size of a building based on its occupancy type and the fire resistance of materials used for building construction. Typically, the greater the fire resistance of the building materials, the larger the building can be built. Also true is that buildings constructed of materials of greater fire resistance cost more to build.

Although modern building codes require complete automatic fire sprinkler protection for a wide range of buildings, many codes do not extend those mandates to school construction. Fire sprinkler protection is voluntary. Yet those same codes encourage fire sprinkler protection by allowing active fire suppression to be substitute for the passive fire resistance of building materials. As an example, the allowable area for a one story sprinklered building is three times greater than that of the non-sprinklered building. The allowable area for a multiple story building is two times greater than that of the non-sprinklered building. So the fire sprinklered building can be built larger than the non-sprinklered building of greater fire resistant construction. Adding fire sprinklers actually creates construction savings.

Determining Construction Savings
The following comparison was created using the 1994 Edition of the Standard Building Code, which was the enforceable code for the school used as the basis of the study. For comparison, the same school using the BOCA National Building Code or ICBO Uniform Building Code would produce even greater savings due to the more flexible building design and construction alternatives they allow when fire sprinklers are included in construction. Costs were calculated using the RS Means Building Construction Cost Data 55^th Annual Edition 1997.

A Test Case for Complete Fire Sprinkler Protection
On a November 1996 evening, final construction plans and documents for a proposed High School in Wills Point, Texas were presented to the Wills Point School Board. A major issue facing the representatives of the School Board was the installation of a complete fire sprinkler system.

After a long debate it was time to take a vote. As you might guess, presumed economics won over life safety and property protection. They voted against fire sprinklers. But if the true savings created using fire sprinklers had been known, the outcome would have been dramatically different.

Test Case Building Description
Project: High School
Location: Wills Point, Texas
Occupancy Classification: E Educational & A - 1 Large Assembly
Number of Stories: Two
Square Feet: First Floor = 129,288; Second Floor = 36,288
Open Perimeter: Four Side
 

Building Codes Specify Building Fire Protection Requirements
Even the school used in the test case some sprinklers and other fire system protection systems are absolutely required. Sprinklers are required for the stage in the assembly hall at a cost of $5,640. If the school is not completely protected with a fire sprinkler system, the code also requires Class III standpipes on the stage and

Class II standpipes with hose stations throughout the building at a cost of $56,440. It also requires manual pull stations for the fire alarm system in the corridors at a cost of $3,300.

Presumptions of the School Board
In justifying its vote against complete fire sprinkler protection, the school board members stated the following positions:
 

The water supply was inadequate for sprinklers

The proposed design was safe enough and schools rarely burn

There were no insurance savings

That fire sprinklers would add $240,000 to the construction cost

The required water supply for the standpipes was actually 5 times greater than that required for the sprinkler system. If there was not sufficient water for the sprinkler system, how could they possibly approve the building with a standpipe system?

As it turns out, the available water supply was adequate to support a complete fire sprinkler system if quick response sprinklers had been incorporated into the design – a common practice used in the construction of new schools were buildings codes require the installation of a fire sprinkler system.
 
 

Was the Building Safe Enough?
Although the design met the code requirements without fire sprinklers, the Wills Point Fire Department as well as some concerned citizens wanted the fire sprinkler system. They testified that the local volunteer fire department lacked the ability to properly protect the students and the building if a fire sprinkler system was not a part of the construction.

They also disagreed that the school would be safe enough without fire sprinklers and that schools rarely burn. According to statistics from the National Fire Protection Association, annually there are over 5,200 fires in schools. The dollar loss from these fires in 1994 approached $69.9 million and that number is rising annually.

Were There Insurance Savings?
The local insurance agent had convinced the board that, since the school insurance was based on the entire school district, adding sprinklers to a single school would not reduce the cost. A check with the insurance company office revealed that a reduction was in fact possible.

In reality, most school districts do not insure to the full replacement value of their schools in an effort to keep annual premiums low. Based on this philosophy, it is almost impossible to demonstrate actual savings.

Did Wills Point Save Money Without Fire Sprinklers?
To find out, the National Fire Sprinkler Association reviewed plans for the Wills Point High School to illustrate the savings that would have been possible had fire sprinklers been installed.

Architect Had Two Options
Since the decision had been made to not include a complete fire sprinkler system, the architect had two options.

Option One: Design the school of Type II Construction without fire separations. The basic cost for this building of Type II Construction at $88 per square foot would be $14,570,688. The code would require sprinklers on the stage but since this option does not include fire sprinklers in all areas of the school, standpipes would be required on the stage and throughout the building. It also would require manual pull stations.

The estimated cost of construction using Option One is $14,636,068.

Option Two: Design the school based on a concept found within all Model Building Codes described as "Compartmentalization". Using this concept, the overall building is subdivided into smaller fire compartments with "Firewalls".

Option Two was chosen for the proposed school, which permitted a reduction in the construction type to a Type V-UP (unprotected). The maximum allowable area for this type of construction is 12,000 square feet. This meant the first floor of the school was divided into 11 separate compartments and the second floor was divided into 4 separate compartments. The school was changed from one school into fifteen tiny schools connected by firewalls.

Although the basic construction cost was reduced from $88 per square foot using Option One, to $68 per square foot using Option Two, the additional fire protection requirements list below that must be added on using Option Two were not considered in the estimate.

Firewall Costs: 2,300 lineal feet of firewalls were required at a cost of $89.40 per lineal foot increases the cost by $205,620. To provide access between the compartments, door openings were provided in the firewalls. Each of these openings required protected fire doors.

Fire Door Costs: For this school, there were 99 B-labeled, 1½-hour fire doors at a cost of $650 per door. These doors also require fire rated frames and latching hardware at $250 per door and automatic door closers at $175 per door. The total cost of the fire doors is $106,425.

Special Hardware: 50 doors also required panic hardware at a cost of $685 per door and astragals with coordinators at a cost of $115 per door. To create an open atmosphere between the compartments, 24 doors installed perpendicular to the corridor were outfitted with electronic hold open devices at a cost of $250 per unit. The total cost of the special hardware is $46,000.

Special Rolling Fire Doors: The design called for eleven tempered glass windows 14 feet wide by 9 feet high in the firewalls between gymnasium from the cafetorium. Because tempered glass has no fire rating, rolling fire shutters at a cost of $5,800 each were required. Total cost of the rolling shutters is $63,800.

Fire Damper Requirements: Another factor was the penetrations of the firewalls by ductwork for the HVAC system. 93 automatic fire dampers at an average cost of $100 each were required. Total cost of the automatic fire dampers is $9,300.

The total estimated cost of construction using Option Two is $11,690,313

Did Wills Point Save Money with Option Two?
Although a saving of $2,945,755 was claimed, the school has been dramatically changed. It is no longer a single school. Unobstructed movement throughout the school has been significantly reduced. Constant supervision to ensure that fire doors are not blocked open will be required.

Can Fire Sprinklers Provide Another Option?
Can sprinklers reduce the cost even further while providing increased fire protection?

Option Three: With sprinklers the allowable area for a Type V-UP (unprotected) building, using the open space increase and sprinkler increase is 59,585 square feet. Based on the design, only one firewall is required on the first floor and none on the second floor. This firewall also serves as the required separation between the assembly and the educational occupancies.

The basic cost of construction is the same as Option Two, however the added costs are greatly reduced.

The standpipes are not required

The manual fire alarm system is not required

Complete fire sprinkler system: total cost is $233,462

Firewall Cost: The lineal footage of firewalls is reduced to 144 lineal feet for a total of $12,873

Fire Door Costs: The number of B-labeled fire doors is reduced from 99 to 11 for a total cost of $8,800

No special hardware is required

No rolling shutters are required

Fire Dampers: The number of fire dampers that were required at penetrations through fire rated assemblies is reduced from 93 to 13 for a total cost of $1,300.

Installing fire sprinklers using Option Three would have saved $174,710 over the much less practical compartmentalized school constructed using Option Two, and $3,120,465 over the Type II building using Option One.

Additional Savings With Sprinklers
Some codes also permit reductions in the required fire ratings on 3,800 linear feet of corridor walls. Although minimum construction quality would prohibit wall cost reduction, removal of wall fire rating eliminates the fire rating requirements for the doors for an additional savings of $40,422. Plus, another 189 automatic fire dampers, in addition to the 93 already eliminated by using Option Three, could have been eliminated for an additional savings of $18,900.
 

Summary:
Including fire sprinklers during the design process can significantly reduce construction costs. Cost savings will vary based on the size of the building and the specific codes required by the jurisdiction. This case study includes construction costs for a new building. Similar savings can be incurred for additions and renovations of existing schools. This study did not include additional savings from reduced insurance rates or interest on the construction bonds.

In future planning, the question school boards and superintendents must ask themselves, is not," what if our school has a fire?." But rather," when the school has a fire, how will it be protected?" The decision to install fire sprinklers must be considered the number one priority. Moreover, when sprinklers are provided, the design professional enjoys the benefit of designing a building with an atmosphere of openness that meets the functional needs of the student and faculty while maintaining the best possible fire protection.

For additional information about automatic fire sprinklers, visit the National Fire Sprinkler Association website at – www.nfsa.org or, call us at: (914)878-4200; or FAX requests to: (914)878-4215. Additional publications and training seminars are available for architects and school officials.