HomeMy WebLinkAbout401.016 - Fire Related Construction AddendaEffective Date: January 2017 Darla J. Scott, Supervising Fire Inspector
Current Revision Date: 6/26/2025 Section 401.016
Next Revision Date: 6/26/2028 Page 1 of 4
Fresno City Fire Department
400 Prevention Manual
SECTION 401.016 FIRE RELATED CONSTRUCTION ADDENDA
PURPOSE
This policy has been established to provide direction for all disciplines and trades
involved in the construction process who submit plans to the Fresno Fire Department
(FFD or Department) for review and approval, most commonly fire sprinkler plans and
fire alarm plans.
APPLICATION
This policy applies to designers, firms, contractors, and installers to ensure they
understand the requirements for the submission of addendums to previously approved
plans.
OPERATIONAL POLICY
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OPERATIONAL GUIDELINE
Based upon the need for uniformity in application across the Department’s diverse
service delivery area, and after careful deliberation, the Department has determined
the following:
1. Changes to approved installation plans (regardless of system type) that are
made in the field will require updated construction plans to be prepared and
submitted to the Department for review and approval.
2. It is the responsibility of the designer, contractor, or installer to have addendum
plans prepared and submitted to the Department for review and approval as
soon as any change to approved construction drawings are made.
a. To determine if an addendum plan is required, the designer, contractor, or
installer should consult the explanatory material of the applicable
installation standards for their project.
3. When addendum plans are required by FFD staff, updated plans shall be
submitted to the Department for review and approval. A hold will be placed in
Effective Date: January 2017 Darla J. Scott, Supervising Fire Inspector
Current Revision Date: 6/26/2025 Section 401.016
Next Revision Date: 6/26/2028 Page 2 of 4
the Department’s permit tracking system and no inspections will be scheduled
or conducted until the addendum plans have been approved.
4. Addendum plans must be prepared in accordance with applicable Department
policies.
5. Normal plan review turnaround times shall apply.
6. “As-built” plans are not an acceptable alternative to the addendum submittal
and approval process.
PROCESS
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INFORMATION
As noted in the California Fire Code (CFC), the fire code official has the authority to
formulate policies they deem necessary based upon local conditions, including those
related to plan submittals.
Plans submitted to the Department must meet a minimum standard to be reviewed.
For fire sprinkler plans, these requirements are outlined in Fire Prevention Manual,
Section 401.011, Fire Sprinkler Plan Specifications. For fire alarm plans, these
requirements are outlined in the Fire Prevention Manual, Section 401.012, Fire Alarm
System Plan Specifications.
Once plans have been reviewed and approved by the Department, installation work
may begin. As work progresses, construction changes may cause the installation to
be altered from the Department approved plans.
When this occurs, it is the responsibility of the designer, contractor, or installer to
submit an addendum plan to the Department for review and approval of the changes.
Currently, there is no adopted definition in the California Building Code (CBC) or CFC
for minor deviations from approved plans. The Department recognizes that the lack
of a common definition can create difficulty, with each person evaluating the required
field changes differently based on their respective position (regulator vs. contractor).
However, changes to approved plans that are made in the field are, by their very
definition, significant and likely to impact system performance. Several adopted
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standards require the authority having
jurisdiction (AHJ) to approve field changes from approved plans. For example, NFPA
13, Automatic Sprinkler Systems, Chapter 28, Plans and Calculations, Section 28.1.2,
requires approval from the AHJ when there are deviations from the approved plans,
without exception. NFPA 13, NFPA 72, and the CFC also do not differentiate from the
Effective Date: January 2017 Darla J. Scott, Supervising Fire Inspector
Current Revision Date: 6/26/2025 Section 401.016
Next Revision Date: 6/26/2028 Page 3 of 4
existing built environment or new construction, when it relates to plan submittal
documents.
The CFC also requires that addendum plans follow the provision of CFC, Section
106.3, Amended Construction Documents, which outlines specific requirements
related to when addendum plans are to be submitted for approval.
At times, field installation personnel fail to grasp how significant field changes made
to a fire protection system affect performance. Any field change made to a fire
protection system by installation personnel warrants additional review by the
Department.
The Department has experienced an increased number of failed final inspections due
to addendum plans not being submitted in a timely manner, causing delays in
completion of projects. Additionally, contractors have stated that the delay is caused
by FFD personnel when the fact is contractors failed to submit the required addendum
plans in a timely manner when notified to do so by FFD staff during field inspections.
The increase in these instances caused FFD to determine that it is in the best interest
of all parties involved to discontinue allowing inspections to be scheduled and/or
conducted until the addendum plans have been approved.
In the past, the Department allowed an outdated process of requiring “as-built” plans
from many contractors; however, this process was labor intensive for Department
staff. Additionally, there were many cases where required plans were never submitted
or the submitted plans were not code compliant, which caused additional delays in
projects.
Therefore, the current process of not allowing inspections to be scheduled or
conducted until addendum plans have been approved is warranted from a practical
application and cost of service standpoint.
DEFINITIONS
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CROSS-REFERENCES
Administrative Manual
Section 401.011, Fire Sprinkler Plan Specifications
Section 401.012, Fire Alarm System Plan Specifications
California Building Code (CBC), current edition
Effective Date: January 2017 Darla J. Scott, Supervising Fire Inspector
Current Revision Date: 6/26/2025 Section 401.016
Next Revision Date: 6/26/2028 Page 4 of 4
California Fire Code (CFC), current edition
Chapter 1, Administration, Section 106.3, Amended Construction Documents
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
Standard 13, Automatic Sprinkler Systems, Chapter 28, Plans and
Calculations, Section 28.1.2
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
Standard 72, National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code