The Kansas Fire Marshal provided the following Q & A from CMS on requirements for canopies, trellises, arbors and similar structures attached to the exterior of a nursing home.
Q: Does an exterior open combustible trellis attached to a skilled nursing building need protection from the sprinkler system. The roof structure was not solid and it is not a conditioned space.
A: Yes, it must be sprinklered in accordance with the following. The trellis in questions was more like an overhead arbor, attached to the facility like a canopy.
8.15.7* Exterior Roofs, Canopies, Porte-Cocheres, Balconies, Decks, or Similar Projections
And if the facility states the canopy meets limited combustible, you need to ensure it meets the following with documentation:
4.6.14* Limited-Combustible Material. A material shall be considered a limited-combustible material where all the conditions of 4.6.14.1 and 4.6.14.2, and the conditions of either 4.6.14.3 or 4.6.14.4, are met.
4.6.14.1 The material shall not comply with the requirements for noncombustible material in accordance with 4.6.13.
4.6.14.2 The material, in the form in which it is used, shall exhibit a potential heat value not exceeding 3500 Btu/lb (8141 kJ/kg) where tested in accordance with NFPA 259, Standard Test Method for Potential Heat of Building Materials.
4.6.14.3 The material shall have the structural base of a noncombustible material with a surfacing not exceeding a thickness of 1⁄8 in. (3.2 mm) where the surfacing exhibits a flame spread index not greater than 50 when tested in accordance with ASTM E 84, Standard Test Method for Surface Burning Characteristics of Building Materials, or ANSI/UL 723, Standard for Test for Surface Burning Characteristics of Building Materials.
4.6.14.4 The material shall be composed of materials that, in the form and thickness used, neither exhibit a flame spread index greater than 25 nor evidence of continued progressive combustion when tested in accordance with ASTM E 84, Standard Test Method for Surface Burning Characteristics of Building Materials, or ANSI/UL 723, Standard for Test for Surface Burning Characteristics of Building Materials, and shall be of such composition that all surfaces that would be exposed by cutting through the material on any plane would neither exhibit a flame spread index greater than 25 nor exhibit evidence of continued progressive combustion when tested in accordance with ASTM E 84 or ANSI/UL 723.
4.6.14.5 Where the term limited-combustible is used in this Code, it shall also include the term noncombustible.
