1. What each occupancy requires in São Paulo
Decreto 69.118, São Paulo’s fire safety regulation, classifies a building by occupancy (Table 1) and height (Table 2) before listing the measures. Apartment buildings in general form division A-2; shopping centers are C-3; hospitals, nursing homes, emergency rooms and clinics with inpatient beds are H-3. Table 2 separates single-story buildings from five height bands: up to 6 m, 6 to 12 m, 12 to 23 m, 23 to 30 m and above 30 m.
With up to 750 m² of area and up to 12 m of height, the building follows Table 5, which lists neither hydrants nor automatic sprinklers. Above 750 m² or 12 m, Tables 6A (residential), 6C (commercial) and 6H-2 (hospital) require hydrants and hose reels in every height band.
The difference lies in automatic sprinklers: Table 6A does not include them for residential buildings; in shopping centers they are required from the 23 to 30 m band upward; in hospitals, only above 30 m.
The table notes open another route to sprinklers. In commercial buildings, horizontal compartmentation may be replaced by automatic sprinklers, or by detection plus sprinklers, depending on the height band (Table 6C, notes 1 and 2); in hospitals, horizontal compartmentation in the bands up to 30 m, except single-story buildings, may also be replaced by sprinklers (Table 6H-2, note 7).
When the design uses that substitution, the building gets automatic sprinklers below the band where the table requires them, and the pump serves both systems.
Where there are sprinklers, IT 23 requires the hydrant demand to be added to the sprinkler demand in the hydraulic calculation and in sizing the reserve (10.4.1.1), and the sprinkler reserve duration comes from Table 11: 30 minutes for light hazard, 60 for ordinary and 90 for extra hazard. The hazard class comes from the fire load defined under IT 14 (2.4), not from the occupancy name.
Outside São Paulo, the state regulation applies. NBR 13714, the national ABNT standard for hydrants and hose reels, uses the same threshold: buildings with more than 750 m² of built area and/or more than 12 m of height are protected by hose reels or hydrants according to Table D.1 (Annex D, D.1).
| Occupancy (Table 1) | Up to 750 m² and up to 12 m (Table 5) | Hydrants and hose reels above 750 m² or 12 m | Automatic sprinklers |
|---|---|---|---|
| A-2, apartment buildings | No hydrants or sprinklers in the table | Every height band (Table 6A) | Not listed in Table 6A |
| C-3, shopping center | No hydrants or sprinklers in the table | Every height band (Table 6C) | 23 to 30 m and above 30 m; also in place of compartmentation (notes 1 and 2) |
| H-3, hospitals and inpatient clinics | No hydrants or sprinklers in the table | Every height band (Table 6H-2) | Above 30 m; also in place of compartmentation (note 7) |
2. System type, flow, pressure and water reserve
IT 22 turns occupancy into a system type through Table 3 and gives, in Table 2, the minimum flow and pressure at the most unfavorable hydrant valve. Shopping centers (C-3) are in the type 3 column, with a 40 mm hose and 200 L/min at 40 m of water column.
Apartment buildings (A-2) and hospitals (H-3) are in the column covering types 1 and 2: type 1 uses a semi-rigid hose with nozzle, the hose reel (Table 4), of 25 mm, with 100 L/min at 80 m of water column; type 2 uses a 40 mm hose, with 150 L/min at 30 m of water column.
The technical fire reserve (RTI) in Table 3 grows with floor area. For the shopping center’s type 3, it ranges from 12 m³ up to 2,500 m² to 70 m³ above 50,000 m²; in the residential and hospital column, from 5 to 35 m³ for type 1 and from 8 to 48 m³ for type 2.
In group A, only the largest block’s area counts when the blocks keep the separation distance of IT 07; if they are connected by a basement, the total area counts, and the blocks’ reserves may be added together provided they meet item 4.9.7 (note 3).
These figures are the starting point of the calculation, not the pump’s data sheet. The total head adds the pressure required at the most unfavorable valve, the losses along the way and the elevation difference. In a mixed occupancy with a single main pump, pump flow and tank are sized for the highest hazard, and the total head is calculated for the system’s two most unfavorable hydrants (4.10.3).
When the same set of pumps and piping serves different calculation conditions, the pumps cover the highest pressure and flow values obtained, without simultaneous events (4.12.4).
NBR 13714 makes its own assignment in Annex D. Apartment buildings (group A) use type 1 at 80 L/min with a quick-coupling outlet for a 40 mm hose (D.2); hospitals (group H) use type 1 at 100 L/min (D.3); commerce, which in Table D.1 includes shopping centers, uses type 2, with double 40 mm outlets and 300 L/min per outlet (Table 1); each point has two 40 mm fire hoses and one permanently attached semi-rigid hose (D.4).
The standard itself notes that type 1 operates at relatively high pressures.
Garages follow the building’s system (D.6); in a mixed occupancy that requires different systems, each occupancy has its own, and the garage gets the system intended for the highest hazard (D.5). Stairwell pressurization moves air with fans and does not use the fire pump.
| System (Table 2) | Hose | Flow and pressure at the most unfavorable valve | Occupancies (Table 3) | RTI, from up to 2,500 m² to above 50,000 m² |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type 1 | Semi-rigid (hose reel), 25 mm, 30 m | 100 L/min at 80 m of water column | A-2 and H-3 | 5 to 35 m³ |
| Type 2 | 40 mm, 30 m | 150 L/min at 30 m of water column | A-2 and H-3 | 8 to 48 m³ |
| Type 3 | 40 mm, 30 m | 200 L/min at 40 m of water column | C-3 | 12 to 70 m³ |
3. Elevated tank, booster pump and high-rise buildings
When the reserve is in the roof tank and gravity alone feeds the network, the tank must be high enough to deliver the minimum flows and pressures at the most unfavorable points of the calculation (IT 22, B.2.1). If it is not, a booster pump in a bypass arrangement secures those points, installed according to Annex C (B.2.2), and the downpipe from the tank carries a gate valve and a full-bore check valve in the tank-to-system direction (B.2.3).
In Goiás, a building more than 60 m tall has, in addition to the fire pumps, a fixed transfer pump system to fill the elevated technical reserve (NT 22, C.1.4).
With an elevated tank, IT 22 changes three rules. The jockey pump, mandatory above six outlets to keep the network pressurized, is waived whatever the number of outlets (C.1.15). Manual-only starting, by devices next to the hydrants, is no longer limited to six points, because the network stays permanently full (C.1.10 and C.1.11).
And, for a booster pump started by on-off push buttons, the points that already reach the required flow and pressure by gravity may do without a push button, provided this is shown in the calculations and the isometric drawing (C.2.3).
With a low-level tank, IT 22 prefers the pump under positive suction and accepts the shaft centerline up to 2 m above water level “X” in Figure C.1, or at 1/3 of the tank’s effective capacity, whichever is less (C.1.12).
Above that, suction is negative, allowed only in type 1, 2 and 3 systems: dedicated suction piping, a foot valve with strainer, means to keep the suction always full and a priming tank of at least 100 L for type 1 and 200 L for types 2 and 3, fed by another elevated tank and, as an alternative, by the public water network (C.2.6).
In that case the pump carries a compound gauge on the suction in addition to the discharge pressure gauge (C.1.17). Where there are automatic sprinklers, IT 23 requires positive pressure, with no priming tank (7.5.1).
The reserve may share the tank with domestic use, provided water quality is preserved (4.9.5), and it may be split into units of at least 3 m³, all connected directly to the pump suction piping (4.9.7). The fire reserve may not be formed by combining an underground or ground-level tank with an elevated tank (4.9.8). IT 22 also does not recommend fire pumps with pressures above 100 m of water column, or 1 MPa (C.1.14).
When the design adopts NFPA 20, height changes the requirements. A high-rise building, in that standard, is one where the floor of an occupiable story is more than 23 m (75 ft) above the lowest level of fire department vehicle access (3.3.31), and every fire pump in that building follows Chapter 5 (5.1.1.1).
The chapter requires the pump room location and access to be preplanned with the fire department (5.2), the domestic connection to be above the fire reserve level when one tank serves both uses (5.3.2), a listed flowmeter or a test header discharging back to the tank when the supply is a tank (5.4) and, with an electric pump, a reliable alternate power source under Section 9.6 or a backup fire pump under Section 9.3 (5.5).
In a very tall building, one whose fire protection water demand exceeds the pumping capacity of the fire department (3.3.82), stored water within the building supplies each vertical zone through at least two tanks (5.6.1.1), sized so that at least 50 percent of the demand remains stored with any one tank or compartment out of service (5.6.1.1.3). Each tank has an automatic and a manual refill valve, and each refill valve independently supplies the system demand (5.6.1.2 to 5.6.1.4).
Pumps serving zones beyond the fire department’s capacity need a fully independent and automatic backup pump that keeps every zone in service with any one pump out, or another means capable of the full demand and acceptable to the authority having jurisdiction (5.6.2).
4. Electric pump power: utility, generator or diesel
In São Paulo, the fire pump’s electrical supply is independent of general consumption, so that shutting off the building’s power does not stop the pump motor (IT 22, C.2.7). The switch that feeds it carries the sign “FIRE PUMP POWER SUPPLY – DO NOT SWITCH OFF” (C.2.11), and the building’s service entrance is sized for the fire pumps running together with the other electrical loads at full load (C.2.10).
In a development supplied at medium voltage with a safety generator, the pump may be connected ahead of the building’s main low-voltage switch, with the utility supply dedicated to it and redundancy from the generator (C.2.8); when utility power fails, the electric pump may be supplied by a diesel generator meeting that requirement (C.2.9). In Goiás, NT 22 repeats these rules (C.4.4 to C.4.7).
Goiás NT 22 also sets the minimum number of pumps: a booster pump arrangement is one main pump with a reserve power source; a fixed pump arrangement is one main and one reserve pump, the reserve with a reserve power source, and a jockey may also be needed (C.1.3). The reserve source may be a generator or other sources such as batteries (C.1.3.2), and it is waived when the pump is driven by an internal combustion engine (C.1.3.2.1).
Main and reserve pumps do not run at the same time: with the reserve running because of a power failure, the electric pump does not start when power returns (C.1.3.1). In a low-risk building, with a fire load of up to 300 MJ/m², a fixed pump arrangement does without the reserve pump, and the main pump carries the reserve power source (note 1 to C.1.3).
Running at full load, the pumps have a minimum autonomy of 2 hours up to 1,200 MJ/m², 4 hours from 1,200 to 2,400 MJ/m² and 6 hours above that (C.1.3.3).
Under NFPA 20, an alternate power source is required when the normal source is not reliable or when the power is for a high-rise building (9.3.1), and it is not required when a backup diesel engine, steam turbine or electric pump with an independent source meeting 9.2.2 is installed (9.3.2).
Where provided, it comes from a generator installed under Section 9.6 or another independent source (9.3.3) and must not be disrupted when overhead lines are de-energized for fire department operations (9.3.4). The on-site standby generator complies with Section 9.4 and with NFPA 110 Level 1, Type 10, Class X (9.6.2.1).
For a hospital, having a generator neither waives nor requires a diesel pump by itself. The design shows which arrangement meets the applicable rule, whether a generator that carries the pump together with the other loads (IT 22, C.2.10) or a backup internal combustion engine pump, and records the choice in the design report. The hospital’s own emergency power requirements have their own rules and responsible parties and are not covered on this page.
Warning
Coordinate the fire pump, the generator and the other loads in the power supply diagram: the service entrance must carry all of them at full load (IT 22, C.2.10).
5. Pump room in the building: space, access, noise and vibration
IT 22 requires a pump room with access all around the pumps, space for any on-site maintenance of the pumps and control panel, and the possibility of removing any pump completely (C.1.2). In a buried compartment or a roof valve manifold space (barrilete), access is at least by a fixed vertical ladder, and the manifold space has a minimum clear height of 1.5 m (C.1.2.1).
The pumps are protected against mechanical damage, weather, chemical agents, fire or humidity (C.1.4) and are used for fire fighting only (C.1.3). Where there are automatic sprinklers, IT 23 allows the designer to replace the sprinklers with detectors in the fire pump room and similar rooms that contain exclusively energized electrical equipment, in compartments of up to 200 m² (4.3.2 and 4.3.3).
In a residential building, the practical question is whether the fire pump may share the room with the building’s water pumps. IT 22 prohibits the fire pump in a room with any other kind of machine or motor, except those of water-based fire systems, and allows the building’s domestic water pumps in the same compartment (C.2.5).
NFPA 20 reaches the same point by another route: the room is kept free of storage, equipment and penetrations not essential to the pump (4.14.1.1.5), but domestic water distribution equipment is permitted (4.14.1.1.6).
When NFPA 20 is adopted, a high-rise building’s pump room is separated from other occupancies by 2-hour fire-rated construction or placed 15.3 m (50 ft) away from the building (4.14.1.1.1). In other buildings, with the room fully sprinklered, Table 4.14.1.1.2 requires 2 hours when the exposing building is not sprinklered and 1 hour when it is also fully sprinklered, or the same 15.3 m.
Without direct access from outside, the room is reached through a fire-rated corridor from an enclosed stairway or exterior exit (4.14.2.1.1), except when the pump is in a parking garage or other portion of the building separated from the rest of the building by fire-rated construction equivalent to the pump room and protected by sprinklers that do not rely on that pump (4.14.2.1.1.2). Where required, the room is kept above 4 °C (40 °F) (4.14.3.1).
Neither IT 22, nor Goiás NT 22, nor NBR 13714 sets a noise limit for the pump room; what these rules call acoustic is the control panel alarm. The limit comes from the development’s acoustic specification and local rules: state how close apartments, patient rooms, shops and offices are, and the measurement points and conditions.
An acoustic enclosure must preserve access all around, pump removal, ventilation and engine services, and sound reduction or cost can only be confirmed once the solution is defined.
For vibration, the rules address the coupling and the base. Main pumps are coupled directly to the motor by a flexible coupling, with no belts or chains, with an isolating valve upstream and a check valve and an isolating valve downstream (IT 22, C.1.5). In NFPA 20, the foundation forms a permanent and rigid support for the base plate, and the base plate with pump and driver is set level on it (6.4.4 and 6.4.5).
Supports, connections and the structure under the pump room are coordinated in the design, and none of them should be altered without checking the manuals and the installation.
| Topic | IT 22 (São Paulo) | NFPA 20, when adopted |
|---|---|---|
| Space | Access all around, on-site maintenance and complete removal of any pump (C.1.2) | Room for all components, with clearances between them, to the wall and around energized electrical equipment (4.14.1.1.7) |
| Access | Buried or in a manifold space: at least a fixed vertical ladder; manifold space with 1.5 m clear height (C.1.2.1) | Location and access preplanned with the fire department; without direct outside access, a fire-rated corridor (4.14.2.1 and 4.14.2.1.1) |
| Other machines | Only those of water-based fire systems; domestic water pumps permitted (C.2.5) | Nothing not essential to the pump; domestic water equipment permitted (4.14.1.1.5 and 4.14.1.1.6) |
| Coupling and base | Direct flexible coupling, no belts or chains (C.1.5) | Permanent, rigid foundation; level base plate (6.4.4 and 6.4.5) |
6. Operation, testing and records in an occupied building
NBR 13714 makes periodic preventive maintenance mandatory and has the designer prepare the maintenance plan (5.10.2). The plan is the system’s inspection and verification routine, and one cycle should not take longer than one year (C.3.1). After installation, the piping is flushed internally and acceptance follows Annex C, completed, performed and signed by a legally qualified professional (5.10.1).
The periodic inspection is carried out at intervals of no more than three months by the building’s fire brigade or specially trained staff, usually as a visual inspection that does not affect system capacity (C.2). The checklist includes the pump automation valve assembly (cavalete), automation as specified and the water level at its highest possible point (C.2.2).
Pumps, accessories and alarms are run every two weeks for at least 15 minutes, and audible alarms may be silenced right after activation (note to C.2.2).
The person responsible for the system prepares the periodic inspection report and signs it together with the operational manager of the protected area; corrective maintenance in the period is reported and attached (5.10.2.1).
In São Paulo, the commissioning and periodic inspection report model in IT 22 Annex F ends with a statement that the installation was inspected and complies with IT 22, and that the owner and/or the person responsible for the use are aware of the maintenance and periodic inspection responsibilities under NBR 13714. Who holds those roles in each residential building, shopping center or hospital depends on the bylaws, contracts and facts, and this page makes no legal determination.
In daily operation, one rule avoids surprises: once the motor starts, the main or booster pump is stopped manually only, at the pump’s own control panel in the pump room (IT 22, C.1.6). A start caused by a pressure drop keeps the pump running until someone stops it there, and the operating plan should state who does this and how the event is recorded.
When the contract adopts NFPA 25, a diesel pump runs its no-flow test every week for at least 30 minutes, and most electric pumps run it monthly for at least 10 minutes. Four kinds of electric pump return to weekly testing unless there is a redundant pump: buildings beyond the fire department’s pumping capacity, limited service controllers, vertical turbine pumps and suction from ground-level tanks or from a source without useful pressure without the pump.
The test start is automatic, by draining the pressure sensing line, and qualified personnel attend the running pump unless inspection and testing are automated in accordance with the standard.
Key point
When requesting assistance, send the pump and motor nameplate data, the latest inspection report and a factual description of the issue.
7. Local rules and enquiry data
The classification depends on the state. In São Paulo, Decreto 69.118 and the Fire Department’s technical instructions apply, such as IT 22 (hydrants and hose reels) and IT 23 (automatic sprinklers); in Goiás, the CBMGO technical standards, such as NT 22 and NT 23. NBR 13714 is the national ABNT standard for hydrants and hose reels.
IT 23 accepts NFPA 13 on subjects that Brazilian standards do not cover, but keeps the design area, tables and parameters of the IT itself (4.1).
In São Paulo, the sprinkler technical design submitted to the Fire Department is the preliminary one, with the isometric of the design area and the pipe route to the water supply (IT 23, 4.2); the detailed design does not need to be submitted for review but is kept in the building for the inspector (4.2.1).
To select the pump, FB Bombas uses the data these rules already require of the design. Approval involves the system and the building as well as the pump assembly, and the proposal separates technical scope, services and responsibilities for approval.
- Occupancy (division in Decreto 69.118 Table 1 or local equivalent), built area and height.
- Planned systems: hydrant or hose reel type, automatic sprinklers and how the demands add up.
- Flow and pressure at the most unfavorable point, with the calculation report and the isometric drawing.
- Tank: position (elevated or low-level), technical reserve volume and suction condition.
- Power: independent supply, medium voltage, generator or backup diesel pump.
- Pump room: location, access, available space and nearby noise-sensitive rooms.