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Committee requires stair protection — pressurization or exterior stair — and flags standby power needs
Summary
The council favored protecting the single stair by requiring either a pressurized interior stair or an exterior stair, and noted that pressurization triggers legally required standby power (generator/alternate sources) for the systems that maintain pressure and life‑safety functions.
The tag group agreed that the single path of egress must be protected, and the draft proposal requires either an exterior stair or a pressurized interior stair for single‑exit R‑2 buildings. Members tied the requirement to additional measures: doors to stairways should swing in the direction of travel (regardless of occupant load) if the stair is pressurized, and pressurization systems must be connected to legally required standby power.
Several participants noted the technology and operational consequences. ‘‘If you’re going with an interior stair, the pressurization would tend to push the doors open, and they may not close. So the idea was to basically use, not try to counteract or have to counteract the pressure pressurization and make sure those doors get closed,’’ a code official said.
The group discussed standby power options — generator sets, stored‑energy systems, separate service or microgrids — and recognized a state amendment under consideration that would list acceptable standby power options. Participants agreed to keep pressurization or an exterior stair as the protection approach and to coordinate the appendix language with the state’s standby‑power amendment.
