Fire Prevention and Building Code

Compliance for Historic Buildings:

A Field Guide

University of Vermont

Graduate Program in Historic Preservation

Community Advocacy Project

Fall, 1997

Vermont has an unusually high proportion of older buildings many of which are historic. These buildings contribute substantially to the sense of community and place which makes Vermont unique. The dilemma facing many older public buildings involves synthesizing modern fire and safety requirements with the traditional goals of historic preservation. As part of a new or continued use, it is often necessary to make modifications to a historic building so it can comply with current fire and safety code requirements. Therefore, it is important that owners of older and historic buildings seek the assistance of fire safety engineers and architects who specialize in the preservation of these structures.
 

circa 1950 exit sign still in operation

One of the greatest concerns during any rehabilitation project is the potential threat to the lives of occupants from fire. Therefore, of prime importance to local and state officials is the safety of the building's occupants. Issues such as structural integrity, means of egress, the presence of hazardous materials and fire safety influence much of the decision making during the permitting process. More often then not, rehabilitation projects that involve older buildings have to consider the issue of fire safety code compliance. Historic buildings rarely meet modern life safety code requirements. Making the necessary adaptations to comply with national, state and local building and life safety codes can be one of the most difficult challenges for the owner, builder or architect involved in the project. Issues such as open stairways, narrow or dead-end corridors, doors that are too narrow or swing the wrong way, or unrated materials must be dealt with in ways that satisfy the local code before the buildings can be occupied.

Planning is the crucial element in any rehabilitation project. It is important to include in the earliest stages of planning input from those code officials whose concern is with life safety and related matters. Official involvement at the very onset of a project assures that these extremely important issues get full and early consideration, and increases the likelihood that all possible alternatives will be considered.

Buildings codes are written primarily for new construction. They establish a minimum standard for building construction through the use of prescriptive standards that specify allowable materials or techniques. They further establish performance standards that specify the level of performance which any proposed material assembly must meet.
 

Historic Iron Fire Escape, Town Office, Putney, Vermont

Building codes often determine allowable construction techniques or materials by weighing the degree of safety provided by the building against the degree of hazard presented by the user and by taking into account such factors as installed fire detection and suppression systems. Codes are adopted as law based on specific standards prepared by independent associations, such as the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). These standards are typically narrow in their focus and provide more detailed information than the codes themselves.
 
Because of knowledge born from the historical analysis of fire loss, the evolution of life safety codes has grown and surpassed old building designs. Therefore, it remains essential to update code documents at regular intervals in response to new safety formulas and technological advances. New code modifications can present further challenges to the rehabilitation of historic buildings constructed prior to the adoption of the code. These challenges typically must be addressed by local officials with the authority to approve noncomplying alternatives in special circumstances or through variance hearings, usually conducted at a higher level of authority.

A code review illustrates those areas where code requirements are most stringent, and exposes conflicts between code requirements and historic preservation concerns. In some instances this review might assist in determining use and designs that cause the least damage to a structure's historic character. Typical code or life safety deficiencies found in historic and older buildings might relate to construction types, egress issues, use and occupancy, fire suppression, alarm systems, and site concerns. Some deficiencies can be addressed without damage to the historic character of the building, while others require innovative solutions.
 

Sprinkler head placement with minimum impact

Vermont State House, Montpelier, Vermont

Unless an older or historic building is already in compliance with the fire safety requirements, consideration must still be made for the regulatory requirement issues to meet modern code compliance standards. This Field Guide intends to make this process clearer for the owner or building professional as well as the building itself. The issues and illustrated solutions covered in the Field Guide are frequently encountered in a typical building rehabilitation. Illustrated examples are intended to demonstrate a sympathetic solution for that particular structure and are often the most economical. The examples are suggestions and are intended to be seen as creative solutions to fire code compliance in older and historic structures.
 

For a sample page from the Field Guide, click here
 
The Field Guide is available at the Vermont Department of Labor and Industry in Montpelier.
 

Historic Preservation Links and Resources

National Trust for Historic Preservation

University of Vermont Historic Preservation Program

Vermont Division for Historic Preservation

Vermont Heritage Network

This project was completed by Historic Preservation graduate students Paul Austin, Patricia Foster, Matthew Janiga, Steven Melanson and James Moran.