Committee sends revised static damper language to full council after stakeholder edits

The BFRW standing committee voted to send a revised code proposal on static ceiling radiation dampers to the full council with a recommendation to file it in the CR102 rulemaking process.

The committee chair noted that proponent Eric VanderMee of Delta E Consulting worked with stakeholders to revisit the draft after changes at the ICC/IECC level, and the group agreed to new language that narrows the scope of several shutdown exceptions and adds five acceptable methods for shutting down systems that use static ceiling radiation dampers.

Why it matters: the proposal clarifies when static ceiling radiation dampers may be installed and how HVAC systems that include them must respond in the event of fire. The changes align Washington-specific language with recent 2027 model-code committee actions and remove three 2024-model-code exceptions the group judged unnecessary.

The proposal applies to fire dampers and ceiling radiation dampers in rated floor–ceiling assemblies but relocates many of the control-option provisions to the section that only covers ceiling radiation dampers for membrane penetrations. Eric VanderMee said the group wanted "to provide a pointer to that section, to provide awareness between these 2 sections" and to avoid applying those shutdown clarifications to all fire dampers. He summarized the committee’s recommendation: "what we're recommending is adding these 5 methods for how to shut down a system."

Key technical outcomes: the draft retains the model-code wording that a "static ceiling radiation damper shall only be provided installed in systems that are automatically shut down in the event of a fire," and adds Washington clarifications about acceptable shutdown methods. The committee limited one local-shutdown option to systems of 500 cubic feet per minute (CFM) or less to address small energy-recovery ventilators commonly used in multifamily units. VanderMee explained that these units are "typically for these apartments" and often range around 50 CFM.

The draft also includes an exception tied to comprehensive automatic fire sprinkler coverage: if a building is provided with an automatic fire sprinkler system and sprinklers serve every space the HVAC system serves, the committee endorsed allowing systems up to 2,000 CFM to not require automatic shutdown. The proposal adds pointers to the International Fire Code (IFC) and to NFPA 13 where the sprinkler-coverage details are referenced.

Committee discussion focused on wording and scope. One committee member proposed changing a plural "requirements" to singular "requirement" for clarity; others, including Angela Haupt, said the plural better reflects the numbered criteria beneath the heading. Members also asked whether the sprinkler exception needed occupancy clarifications; the committee agreed to confirm whether the exception should require sprinkler coverage of the entire building or only the spaces served by the HVAC system.

Formal action and next steps: a committee member moved to forward the draft to the full council with a recommendation to file it in CR102; the motion carried. The chair asked staff to reach out to the council’s fire-code specialist, who was absent, to give him a chance to review the cross-references to the IFC before the full-council vote. The committee asked the proponent to provide a final clean copy of the edited language for incorporation into the rulemaking packet.

Ending note: the committee’s changes intentionally align Washington clarifications with model-code 2027 edits while specifying local limits (500 CFM for local shutdown methods; 2,000 CFM for the sprinkler coverage exception). The full council will consider the recommendation and the proponent’s final edits during the upcoming rulemaking cycle.