Mercantile Occupancies

Facilities where a large variety of goods and services are displayed and sold.  Included are shopping centers, department stores, drugstores, supermarkets, gas stations, malls, etc.

Requiring more thorough inspection than any other occupancy.  The majority of materials found will be class A yielding a light hazard occupancy.  However, some stores have a wide verity of products that will react differently in a fire.

• Plastics usage is increasing with no limit in sight.
• There may be no restrictions on the overall amount of material in the facility.
• Ma & Pa stores vs. Sam's club

NFPA 101 seperates merchantile occupancies into three (3) categories:

• Class A:  Sales area of 30,000 sq. ft. and greater or more than three (3) sales floors.
• Class B:  Between 3,000 sq. ft. of sales area or store use of a balcony, mezzanine, or floors above or below the street level.
• Class C:  Less than 3,000 sq. ft. of sales area and street level only.

One half of the exits must be provided so that they can be reached without having to go through turnstiles and checkout stands.

• Note:  Wegman's use of shopping carts after normal shopping hours.

No occupant should have to travel more than 100 ft. to the nearest exit.  And 150 ft. if the building is fully sprinklered.

All exits must have illuminated exit signs.  Classes A and B must have emergency backup exit signs.

All Class A stores must have a manual fire alarm system.

Generally, any large store is required to be sprinklered.

       
INDEX Occupancies

FPT 102 - Fire Prevention and Inspection // Instructor: Kevin M. Kolb        Slide #13