DECISION NO.97A005-117
DATE:August 14, 1997
The subject premises comprise two identical 11 storey residential
apartment buildings with 121 suites per building. Suites have one, two or
three bedrooms. The majority of the occupants are over 50 years of age. The
building appears for the most part to comply with Section 9.6 of the Ontario
Fire Code.
Audibility tests were conducted in the most remote bedroom of two suites in
one building and a single suite in the other building. In each case
intervening doors were closed. Ambient levels in the three apartment
bedrooms ranged from 28 to 36 dBA. Alarm sound levels were measured in the
47 to 52 dBA range, which were between 11 and 24 dBA above ambient.
The Fire Department Inspection Order required a minimum decibel level of 65
dBA in the most remote bedroom with all intervening doors closed, with
maximum decibel levels not to exceed 110 dBA in any area. The Office of the
Fire Marshal (OFM) modified the Inspection Order to require a minimum
decibel level of 55 dBA in the most remote bedroom with all intervening
doors closed, with maximum decibel level not to exceed 110 dBA in any area.
The work was required to be completed by August 31, 1997.
The owner appealed because the current retrofit legislation did not specify sound levels for fire alarms and because the time schedule to complete the work was not sufficient.
A Fire Safety Commission hearing was held on August 14, 1997. The
Commission accepted that there was no legislative minimum for fire alarm
sound levels, but believed the intent of the legislation is for good
engineering judgment to be used in setting audibility levels.
The Commission indicated that there was considerable evidence that sound
levels of 65 dBA and 75 dBA were reasonable audibility levels. The Ontario
Building Code of the time in fact contained requirements for 65 dBA levels.
The tribunal modified the original fire department Inspection Order to
require the fire alarm system to meet audibility levels of 15 dBA over
ambient noise level, but with a minimum volume of 65 dBA throughout the
building, with interior doors closed. Maximum volumes are not to exceed 100
dBA at 10 feet from any audible device. The work was required to be
completed by February 1, 1998.
|
||||||||||||||||||
