?
Wednesday, February 1, 2023
Question:
Hi Code Question of the Day. Does the NEC
® require a fire pump to be supplied by an emergency back-up generator? Thanks, Kyle Marzouki
A
Answer:
Hello Kyle, thanks for submitting a question. The answer is “maybe?”. Section 695.3 requires the power supply for electric fire pumps to be reliable. Section 695.3(A) provides individual power sources that may be considered reliable. If none of the individual sources in 695.3(A) are deemed reliable, then Section 695.3(B) permits the use of multiple sources:
(1) Combination of Two (2) or more of the individual source options in 695.3(A); OR
(2) Combination of One (1) or more of the individual sources options in 695.3(A) and an on-site standby generator.
It is also important to mention that the International Building Code (IBC) requires fire pump installations to comply with NFPA 20, Standard for the Installation of Stationary Pumps for Fire Protection. Section 5.5 of NFPA 20 requires an alternate power source for an electric fire pump serving a High-Rise building.
If the fire pump is serving a High-Rise building, or the power supply option in 695.3(B)(2) is used to achieve reliability, then yes, a generator would be required.