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U.S. FIRE CODE Regulations [Propane Canada](Propane Canada Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Industry-initiated adjustments to U.S. fire code regulations are expected to further stoke the cylinder exchange marketplace. An ambitious scientific study determined that steel and aluminum cabinets currently in use are sturdy enough to provide adequate protection from cars and SUVs crashing into them at typical parking lot speeds. The National Propane Gas Association's (NPGA) Cylinder Exchange Council and the Propane Education & Research Council(PERC) collaborated on an $111,500 project to dampen the costs and construction requirements faced by propane marketers wishing to install barbecue cylinder exchanges in front of stores and at other locations. International Fire Code (IFC) standards mandated that concrete-filled steel posts sunk three feet into the ground, called vehicle impact bollards, be positioned in parking lots fronting retail outlets hosting the exchange cages. In addition to carrying a price tag of $150 to $300 per post, which the propane marketer usually covers, some merchants objected to having those bollards planted on the sidewalk in front of their stores. Local fire officials frequently insisted on the posts per IFC regulations, which are predominantly enforced in 41 states. The National Fire Protection Association's rules (NFPA 58 for the propane industry) are not as onerous. "NFPA 58 is pretty vague, simply requiring protection in accordance with good engineering practice when there is a risk of vehicle impact," according to Jeffrey M. Shapiro, President of International Code Consultants, which conducted much of the PERC/NPGA study. "There is an annex that describes the use of bollards, guardrails or raised sidewalks as possible considerations, but no contemplation of the value of a cylinder exchange cabinet as an independent method of impact protection," he says. "The IFC has traditionally been interpreted to require the use of bollards because of the way it's written." Code change The Cylinder Exchange Council set out to remedy the problems posed by the IFC standards, and the members achieved their goal. The 2015 edition of the IFC will change to recognize the cylinder exchange cabinet as providing suitable protection against vehicle impact in lieu of other methods. "Developing the comprehensive foundation necessary to substantiate a change to the IFC's longstanding vehicle impact protection requirements took three years of research and advocacy work," Mr. Shapiro reports. "In the end, the NPGA Cylinder Exchange Council, with sponsorship provided by PERC, was successful in eliminating bollard requirements for the protection of cylinder storage and exchange cabinets after demonstrating cabinets and cylinders are able to withstand vehicle impacts that equal or exceed the capabilities of code-compliant bollards. Absorbing the impac t "As a group we had discussions of impact protection requirements throughout the states and how much they varied," says Ed Ferguson, the Cylinder Exchange Council's past chairman. "The concern was how can one type of protection be allowed in one area, and in another area the code was much more stringent. It created a lot of confusion." In a three-phase process, Shapiro analyzed the existing information and documentation that was available along with devising and overseeing an array of elaborate and aggressive testing protocols conducted at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. "We knew we had to have a credible testing laboratory," Ferguson says. "We were able to prove that the cabinets and the DOT container itself was suitable protection against vehicle impact." Numerous cylinder exchange configurations were subjected to various levels of distress brought about by crashing into them with a vehicle-mimicking device known as a bogie. Using differing amounts of weight and speed, the bogie demonstrated under closely watched and scientifically recorded conditions that would happen when assorted vehicle models and designs come into unintended contact with the cages. "We wanted to see how the installations would perform in real life," Bruce Swiecicki says. "The testing of the cylinder/cabinet system revealed that none of the pressurized cylinders leaked, leading to the conclusion that sufficient protection was provided by the enclosed metal cabinet and the cylinders themselves." Cabinets were crumpled, abused and knocked out of commission, yet the cylinders held their load. A selection of bollard construction techniques was also employed, a strategy that dramatically underscored a flaw in the IFC standards: The requirements did not take into account differing soils, ground conditions and pavements - ultimately proving that some of the bollard installations were inadequate to offer protection beyond that of the cylinder cages themselves. "The testing revealed that the performance of that system was highly dependent on the soil compaction, fill and surface materials used," Swiecicki says. "When installed in loose soil, the system was unable to protect an installation from a vehicle travelling at about 10 miles per hour." What they're saying Greg Kerr, PERC's Director of Research and Development, says the results of the study clearly show that bollards are not needed. Ferguson has been in the propane industry for 34 years, and says he has never seen this type of testing. He notes that he is impressed with the thoroughness of the research and verified handson demonstrations to prove the propane industry's position on the bollard issue. "It lets our customers and the public know how safe cylinder exchanges are when done correctly," he says. "It goes a long ways to assure folks that the cylinder exchange business is safe." (c) 2014 Northern Star Communications Ltd. |