What physical characteristics set storage facilities apart form non-storage facilities?
A. Storage height, size of the storage area, and the use of the facility are all factors. Al storage height of 12 feet (4 meters) has traditionally served as a demarcation point. Under the current rules, however, storage height and size of the storage area have become less of a factor. NFPA 13 requires any storage operation, regardless of storage height or size, to classify fire hazard according to the commodity classifications. For example, a warehouse that sores paper products, such as books and stationery, to a height of 10 feet (3 meters) should be protected in accordance with the requirements for Class III commodities, even though the storage height doesn’t exceed 12 feet (4 meters). The size of a storage area affects the probability that a fire will start in the storage area, but doesn’t impact the needed level of protection. It’s often mistakenly assumed that a fire in a storage area will involve the full sprinkler design area. However, full-scale fire tests have shown that the
