ICC Code Changes May 2010

Results of the International Code Council 2009/2010 Final Action Hearings, May 2010

The following code change proposals have been approved for inclusion in the 2012 edition of the International Building Code. Some of these proposals were approved by the committees during the Code Development Hearings held in October-November 2009. The rest were approved during the Final Action Hearings held in Dallas, Texas in May 2010.

• G49 09/10. Fire Service Access Elevator. This proposal will require two fire service elevators with a minimum 3500 lb capacity serving every floor of the building with an occupied floor more than 120 ft. above the lowest level of fire department access.
• E1 09/10 Fire Safety and Evacuation Plans. This proposal will require fire safety and evacuation plans for all occupancies and buildings where required by the International Fire Code. This provision will provide consistent requirements for jurisdictions regarding fire safety and evacuation plans.
• F25 09/10 Fire Command Center . This proposal will require the inclusion of a Building Information Card to be located at the Fire Command Center . The Building Information Card will put critical response information for a building in a user-friendly format and medium.
• G159 09/10. Phase I Emergency Recall Operation. This proposal requires an independent key-operated "Fire Recall" switch and the designated level for each fire service elevator or group of fire service elevators. It also requires that an activation of any building fire alarm also initiate Phase I emergency recall of all fire service elevators. All other elevators will remain in normal service unless a Phase I emergency recall is manually initiated. If the building also employs occupant evacuation elevators, an independent, three-position key-operated "fire recall" switch shall be provided at the designated level for each fire service access elevator.
• G162 09/10. Water Protection. This proposal will require an approved method of preventing water from entering the elevator hoistway due to operation of the automatic sprinkler system outside the fire service access elevator lobby.
• G176 09/10. Lobby Doorways. This proposal requires each doorway to a fire service access elevator lobby or an occupant evacuation elevator lobby, other than the hoistway door, to have a ¾ hour fire door assembly.
• G164 09/10. Access. This proposal will require that the exit enclosure containing the standpipe shall have access to the floor without passing through the fire service access lobby. This will prevent smoke from entering the fire service access elevator lobby possibly causing a recall of the elevators.
• G167 09/10. Fire Service Access Elevator Symbol. This proposal requires a standardized pictorial symbol designating which elevators are fire service access elevators and specifies size and location of the symbols.
• G171 09/10. Phase I Emergency Recall Operation. This proposal requires an independent, key-operated three-position "Fire Recall" switch at the designated level for each occupant elevator.
• G172 09/10. Occupant Elevator Activation. This proposal provides requirements for the activation of occupant evacuation elevators in the event of activation of an automatic sprinkler system, activation of smoke detectors, or approved manual controls.
• G174 09/10. Water Protection. This proposal will require an approved method of preventing water from entering the elevator hoistway due to operation of the automatic sprinkler system outside the occupant evacuation elevator lobby.
• F27 09/10 Emergency Responder Radio Coverage. This proposal will complete the necessary modifications to the code to ensure that emergency responder radios have coverage throughout new and existing buildings.
• G3 09/10 Secondary Members. This proposal clarifies the definition of secondary structural members by including roof construction that does not have direct connections to the building columns.
• E22 09/10 Minimum Egress Width. This proposal clarifies the multiple requirements related to egress width. There are no technical changes associated with this proposal.
• G158 09/10. Automatic Sprinkler System. This proposal clarifies the prohibition against locating sprinklers in elevator machine rooms, elevator machine spaces, and elevator hoistways of fire service elevators. The proposal also clarifies the prohibition against the installation of shunt trip devices in fire service elevators.
• G163 09/10. Lobby Enclosure. This proposal clarifies the requirement for enclosed fire service elevator access lobbies to state that they are not required at the level of exit discharge (defined term) rather than at street level.
• G166 09/10. Protection of Wiring or Cables. This proposal clarifies that wiring and cables that provide control signals to fire service access elevators are not required to be protected provided that the wiring or cables do not serve Phase II emergency in-car operation.
• E21 09/10 Means of Egress. This proposal reinstates the width requirements for stairs and other egress components in buildings with sprinklers and adds a requirement for an emergency voice/alarm communication system in these buildings.

The following proposal was resubmitted based on comments received during the Code Development Hearings but was not approved at the Final Action Hearing.

• G44 09/10. Video Surveillance System. This proposal would require a video surveillance system to be installed in each elevator lobby and at every fifth floor of each required stairway and connected to an approved, constantly monitored station. Public comments were submitted by the proponent to address the concerns expressed by the committee at the November Code Development Hearings. The proposal was disapproved at the Final Action Hearings.

Finally, a proposal to remove the provision for increased bond strength of spray-applied fire resistive material as a function of building height was disapproved. The increased bond strength provision had been adopted in the 2009 edition of the International Building Code in response to the NIST WTC recommendations. Therefore, the increased bond strength requirement will remain in the 2012 edition of the International Building Code.