Michigan Administrative Code › Department - Licensing and Regulatory Affairs › Bureau of Fire Services › New and Existing School, College and University Fire Safety › Part 2 - SCHOOLS › Section R. 29.1924 - Amendments

Current through Vol. 24-12, July 15, 2024
Rule 24. Sections
					 15.1.2.2,
					 15.1.6,
					 15.2.6.2,
					 15.2.6.3, 15.2.11.1.1, 15.2.11.1.2, 15.2.11.2, 15.3.2.1, 15.3.4.1.2,
					 15.3.4.2.1, 15.3.6, 15.3.7.2, and 15.7.2.1 are amended, sections
					 15.1.2.1.1,
					 15.1.2.2.1,
					 15.2.11.1.3,
					 15.3.4.3.1.7, 15.7.4.2.1, and 15.7.4.4 are added and sections 15.2.2.2.3.1,
					 15.3.4.2.3, 15.3.4.2.3.1, 15.3.4.2.3.2, 15.7.2.2, 15.7.2.3, and 15.7.3.3 are
					 deleted, to read as follows:
15.1.2.1.1. Educational occupancies shall include child
					 care operations established and operated by an intermediate school board, the
					 board of a local school district, the board or governing body of a
					 state-approved nonpublic school, or by a person or entity with whom a school
					 contracts for services, if the child care center in located in a school that is
					 approved by the state fire marshal.
15.1.2.2. Unless otherwise permitted by section 15.1.4.1.1;
					 educational occupancies shall not include any of the following:
(a) A part or full-day preschool.
(b) A day care center.
(c) A kindergarten-only building.
(d) A building that houses a combination of
				  preschool and kindergarten.
(e) A
				  building that houses a combination of day care and kindergarten.
15.1.2.2.1. A program specifically tailored for special
					 needs children, special needs adults, or both, who range from 17 to 26 years of
					 age, that is located in a community in a facility such as a shopping mall or
					 business building, where the students will gain specific job experience and
					 learn life studies, shall not be defined as a school.
15.1.6. For minimum construction requirements, refer to the
					 Michigan rehabilitation code,
					 R
					 408.30551 to
					 R
					 408.30577.
15.2.2.2.3.1. Deleted.
15.2.6.2. Travel distances to an exit shall not exceed 200
					 feet (61 meters) from any point in the building unless otherwise permitted by
					 section 15.2.6.3 or 15.2.6.4 (see also section 7.6).
15.2.6.3. Travel distance shall not exceed 250 feet (76.2
					 meters) in educational occupancies protected throughout with an approved
					 automatic sprinkler system pursuant to section 9.7.
15.2.11.1.1.
					 The school or designated representative shall ensure every room or space that
					 is more than 250 square feet (23.2 square meters) and is used for classroom or
					 other educational purposes or is normally subject to student occupancy shall
					 have not less than 1 outside window for emergency rescue or ventilation that
					 complies with the following unless otherwise permitted by section
					 15.2.11.1.2:
(1) The windows shall be openable from the
				  inside without the use of tools, only held closed by a single operation lock,
				  and provide a clear opening of not less than 20 inches (50.8 centimeters) in
				  width, 24 inches (61 centimeters) in height, and 5.7 square feet (0.5 square
				  meters) in area. A screen on the window shall be readily removable without any
				  special knowledge or tools.
(2) The
				  bottom of the opening shall be not more than 44 inches (112 centimeters) above
				  the floor and any latching device shall be capable of being operated from not
				  more than 54 inches (137 centimeters) above the finished floor.
(3) The clear opening shall allow a
				  rectangular solid with a width and height that provides not less than the
				  required 5.7 square foot opening and a depth of 20 inches to pass fully through
				  the opening.
(4) The windows shall
				  be accessible by the fire department and shall open into an area that has
				  access to a public way. Windows opening onto an open court, as defined in the
				  code, are acceptable.
(5) The
				  windows shall be identified by a permanent, durable, and legible sign having
				  letters not less than 5/8 of an inch high and 1/8 of an inch wide.
15.2.11.1.2. The requirements of section 15.2.11.1.1 shall
					 not apply to any of the following:
(1)
				  Buildings protected throughout by an approved automatic sprinkler system in
				  compliance with section 9.7.
(2)
				  Where the room or space has a door leading directly to the outside of the
				  building.
(3) Rooms located 4 or
				  more stories above the finished ground level.
(4) Where awning type or hopper-type windows
				  that are hinged or subdivided to provide a clear opening of not less than 4
				  square feet (0.38 square meters) or any dimension of not less than 22 inches
				  (560 millimeters) meet the following criteria:
(a) The windows shall be permitted to
				  continue in use.
(b) Screen walls
				  or devices located in front of required windows shall not interfere with rescue
				  requirements.
(5) Where
				  a room or space complies with the following:
(a) Doors shall exist that allow travel
				  between adjacent classrooms.
(b)
				  Doors used to travel from classroom to classroom shall provide either of the
				  following:
(i) Direct access to exits in both
				  directions.
(ii) Direct access to
				  an exit in 1 direction and to a separate smoke compartment that provides access
				  to another exit in the other direction.
(c) The corridor shall be separated from the
				  classrooms by a wall that restricts the passage of smoke, and all doors between
				  the classrooms and corridor shall be self-closing or automatic-closing pursuant
				  to section 7.2.1.8.
(d) The length
				  of travel to exits along such paths shall not exceed 150 feet (46
				  meters).
(e) Each communicating
				  door shall be marked in accordance with section 7.10.
(f) No locking device shall be permitted on
				  the communicating doors.
(6) If a window retrofit project is
				  undertaken, then compliance with the window clear opening dimensions is not
				  required. Unless the existing sill construction is being modified, the existing
				  sill height can be maintained. All other requirements of section
				  15.2.11.1.1
				  shall apply.
(7) A school building
				  constructed before August 1, 1989, that is in compliance with both of the
				  following provisions:
(a) The windowless
				  section of the story is not more than 25% of the total area of the story,
				  excluding corridors.
(b) All
				  windowless rooms, spaces, and public assembly places have 50% of their required
				  exits visible directly to the exterior of the building and within 20 feet from
				  the door of the occupied room.
15.2.11.1.3.
					 Windowless student occupied rooms in additions to existing buildings or
					 renovated buildings shall be permitted where it is impractical to comply with
					 section 15.2.11.1.1 where all of the following:
(1) A minimum of 50% of the required exits
				  pass into a separate atmosphere created by a minimum 2-hour fire rated barrier
				  with labeled 90-minute fire rated door assemblies in all openings. Glazing,
				  other than permitted in the door by NFPA 80, shall be permitted only if the
				  glazing has been tested for a 2-hour rating as well. Such construction shall
				  completely separate the building from exterior wall to exterior wall.
(2) Each separate area shall have approved
				  exiting pursuant to the code.
(3) A
				  maximum of 25% of the total area of the student occupied rooms in the building
				  shall be permitted to be windowless.
15.2.11.2. Lockups. Locking devices for designated "quiet
					 rooms" shall meet all of the following criteria:
(1) The locking mechanism shall be a spring
				  operated latch, which is manually depressed to keep it in the latched position.
				  Upon manual release, the latch shall automatically return to the unlatched
				  position.
(2) A viewing window
				  shall be required for observation of the student.
(3) There shall be constant supervision by a
				  teacher or responsible adult at all times a student is in the room.
15.3.2.1.
					 Rooms or spaces for the storage, processing, or use of materials specified in
					 section 15.3.2.1(1) to (4) shall be protected pursuant to the following:
(1) The rooms or spaces shall be separated
				  from the remainder of the building by fire barriers having a minimum 1-hour
				  fire resistive rating or protected by automatic extinguishing systems as
				  specified in section
				  8.7in
				  the following areas:
(a) Boiler and furnace
				  rooms, unless such rooms enclose only air-handling equipment.
(b) Rooms or spaces greater than 100 square
				  feet used for storage of combustible supplies.
(c) Rooms or spaces used for the storage of
				  hazardous materials or flammable or combustible liquids in quantities deemed
				  hazardous by recognized standards.
(d) Janitor closets [see also
				  15.3.2.1(4)].
(2) The
				  rooms or spaces shall be separated from the remainder of the building by fire
				  barriers having a minimum 1-hour fire resistance rating and protected by
				  automatic extinguishing systems as specified in section
				  8.7in
				  the following areas:
(a) Laundries.
(b) Maintenance shops, including wood working
				  and painting areas.
(c) Rooms or
				  spaces used for the processing or use of combustible supplies deemed hazardous
				  by recognized standards.
(d)
				  Industrial arts and crafts rooms.
(3) Where automatic extinguishing is used to
				  meet the requirements of section
				  15.3.2(1)
				  or (2), the protection shall be permitted pursuant to section
				  9.7.1.2.
(4) Where janitor closets
				  addressed in section
				  15.3.2.1(1)(d)
				  are protected pursuant to the sprinkler option of section
				  15.3.2.1(1),
				  the janitor closet doors shall be permitted to have ventilating louvers.
15.3.4.1.2.
					 The requirements of section 15.3.4.1.1 shall not apply to buildings meeting all
					 of the following criteria:
(1)
				  Buildings having an area not exceeding 1,000 square feet.
(2) Buildings containing a single
				  classroom.
(3) Building located not
				  less than 10 feet from another building.
15.3.4.2.1. Initiation of the required fire alarm system
					 shall be by manual means in accordance with section 9.6.2.1(1). Manual fire
					 alarm pull stations shall be provided pursuant to sections 9.6.2.2 to 9.6.2.5
					 of the code and at all exterior doors in the natural path of escape whether or
					 not the path of escape is designated a required exit by these rules.
15.3.4.2.3. Deleted.
15.3.4.2.3.1. Deleted.
15.3.4.2.3.2. Deleted.
15.3.4.3.1.7. A presignal system pursuant to section
					 9.6.3.3 shall be permitted.
15.3.6. Corridors shall be separated from other parts of
					 the story by walls having a minimum 1-hour-fire-resistance rating pursuant to
					 section
					 8.3unless
					 otherwise permitted by the following:
(1) Corridor protection shall not be required
				  where all spaces normally subject to student occupancy have at least 1 door
				  opening directly to the outside or to an exterior exit access balcony or
				  corridor pursuant to section 7.5.3.
(2) The following shall apply to buildings
				  protected throughout by an approved automatic sprinkler system with valve
				  supervision pursuant to section 9.7:
(a)
				  Corridor walls shall not be required to be rated, provided that the walls form
				  smoke partitions pursuant to section
				  8.4.
(b) The provisions of section
				  8.4.3.5
				  shall not apply to normally occupied classrooms.
(3) Where the corridor ceiling is an assembly
				  having a 1-hour-fire-resistance rating where tested as a wall, the corridor
				  wall shall terminate at the corridor ceiling.
(4) Lavatories shall not be required to be
				  separated from corridors, provided they are separated from all other spaces by
				  walls having a 1-hour-fire-resistance rating pursuant to section
				  8.3.
(5) Lavatories shall not be required to be
				  separated from corridors, provided that the building is protected throughout by
				  an approved, supervised automatic sprinkler system pursuant to section
				  9.7.
(6) In school buildings
				  constructed before August 1, 1989, every interior corridor, including corridors
				  in flexible plan buildings, shall be constructed to be reasonably
				  smoke-tight.
(7) In a school
				  building constructed before August 1, 1989, and which is protected throughout
				  by an approved automatic sprinkler system installed pursuant to section 9.7 of
				  the code, corridor walls are not required.
15.3.7.2.
					 The requirements of section 15.3.7.1 shall not apply to any of the
					 following:
(1) Where all classrooms
				  have exterior exit access pursuant to section 7.5.3.
(2) Buildings protected throughout by an
				  approved automatic sprinkler system pursuant to section 9.7.
15.7.2.1. Emergency egress drills shall be conducted
					 pursuant to the act.
15.7.2.2. Deleted.
15.7.2.3. Deleted.
15.7.3.3. Deleted.
15.7.4.2.1. Items permitted to be located in exit
					 corridors, provided the required clear width of the corridor is not obstructed,
					 shall be limited to include fixed benches or hardwood or non-combustible
					 material, trophy cases which are not used for excessive amounts of combustible
					 materials, drinking fountains, telephones, vending machines, and other fixtures
					 or items as approved by the authority having jurisdiction.
15.7.4.4. Desks and other instructional equipment shall be
					 prohibited in required egress corridors.