Review of Fire Sprinkler Standard
THE AUTOMATIC fire sprinkler systems Standard NZS 4541:2003, which covers the design, installation and maintenance of fire-control sprinkler systems, has undergone a substantial review.
The public comment period for the draft of this reviewed Standard has now closed. Widespread publicity, generated by Standards New Zealand, the Department of Building and Housing and the Fire Protection Association New Zealand, resulted in approximately 1000 comments, ranging from minor editorial corrections to recommendations for significant changes. Public comments suggest changes to every section of the Standard, including areas from the 2003 edition of the Standard that were not proposed for amendment, such as Part 11, which covers precautions to be taken when an installation is rendered inoperative. The sprinkler committee working groups will now meet to review the public comments before submitting them to the sprinkler committee for final review in March 2006.
The new sprinkler Standard is due to be published by late 2006. As signifi cant changes are likely to occur between the draft and the final document, the draft should not be used as the basis for the design and installation of sprinkler systems.