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Warehouses

 

 The mission of the Warehouse Inspection Group is to perform comprehensive inspections on these highly technical storage arrangements in order to reduce large-loss fires involving warehouses. Fire Prevention’s Warehouse Inspection Group performs annual inspections and walk-throughs to ensure proper storage heights, arrangements, and commodity classification. A permit program was developed to help manage this program and verify the adequacy of fire safety systems in high-piled combustible storage facilities.

High-Piled Storage and Tire Storage Permits

 High-piled storage systems have been involved in some of the largest fire loss incidents across the nation, resulting in huge monetary costs, interruption of business, and increasing insurance costs. The Denver Fire Department developed a high-piled storage program in 2004 and is continuously striving to keep up with the newest in fire protection solutions for the unique challenges associated with high-piled storage facilities.

The Denver Building Codes that supports the mission and validates the program:

 Denver’s Fire and Building Codes are based on the International Codes, the uniform standard for most of the nation.  Combustible storage is regulated in Section 413 of the Denver Building Code, which requires that high-piled stock or storage in any occupancy group shall comply with the Fire Code.  Chapter 32 of the Fire Code provides requirements on the configuration, height of storage and additional requirements that are triggered based on the area of storage.  The requirements may include an automatic fire sprinkler system, automatic detection system, smoke/heat venting, or additional exterior doors.

High-piled storage is defined as:

 Storage of combustible materials in closely packed piles or combustible materials on pallets, in racks or on shelves where the top of storage is greater than 12 feet (3658 mm) in height.  High-piled combustible storage also includes certain high-hazard commodities, such as rubber tires, Group A plastics, flammable liquids, pallets and similar commodities, where the top of storage is greater than six feet (1829 mm) in height

 The High-piled Storage downloadable support information and permit application are available on:   https://www.denvergov.org/content/denvergov/en/fire-department-home/inspections/warehouse-inspections.html