http://www.fpaa.com.au/news/news/as-24191-now-out-for-public-comment.aspx?docType=Articles

Public comment is now open on DR AS 2419.1-2021 Fire hydrant installations, Part 1: System design, installation and commissioning, closing on 29 January, 2021. 

Some of the major changes in this edition include: 

• restructuring the document and content to make it easier to read and use;
• including informative appendices to clarify the intent of sections and clauses;
• including new technologies and industry leading practices to enable competitive and cost-effective design and water conservation;
• separating the previous Section 8 (Pipework and valves) into two sections;
• acknowledging the life safety benefits of installed sprinkler systems; and
• introducing a range of provisions for high rise buildings based on internationally applied Standards. 

Some other particular changes of note include: 

• the scope of the document has been amended specifically to exclude certain buildings based on their size or use. 
  
  This includes buildings with an effective height of greater than 135m; Class 7b or 8 buildings with a volume greater than 108,000 m³; buildings using automatic racked storage systems; and buildings that include special hazards.
  
  While performance solutions will address the unique nature of the challenges that these buildings present, guidance on what to consider in regards to such buildings has been provided in Appendices C, D, and E of the standard; 

• the normative references  have been updated to reflect current standards, including for pumpsets and water storage tanks;
• the standard introduces requirements for buildings using podiums  to ensure these aspects of buildings are appropriately addressed;
• a new clause, Clause 3.11, clarifies how distances are to be measured  for the purpose of determining that fire hydrant coverage has been achieved;
• various aspects of hydrant and booster assembly installation have been significantly improved and clarified (including location, clearances, orientation, etc.); and 
• protection requirements for external hydrants have been eliminated where a sprinkler system is installed throughout the building, recognising that the sprinkler system already provides a level of protection.  

How to provide public comment

Anyone who works with fire hydrant systems is strongly encouraged to review this public comment draft and provide feedback their feedback to Standards Australia by Friday, 29 January, 2021. 

To submit your comment:  

1. go to https://www.standards.org.au/ and click on "Public Comment (via Connect)".  This will take you to the sign on page; 
2. sign on to provide comment.  If you don't already have a login, click on the 'register' link to create one; 
3. click on "AS 2419.1" from the list of "All Projects in Public Comment" (note, there are a lot of Standards at public comment so you may need adjust the number of items per page or search for "AS 2419.1").  This will take you to the AS 2419.1 project page; 
4. click on "View And Comment". This will take you to the AS 2419.1 public comment draft which you can then navigate "Section by section" (default view) or in "Single page view; and 
5. in either view, click on the "Comment" button in the section (e.g. clause) you wish to comment on to provide your comment.  

See the Standards Australia guide here for more information on how to use this updated public comment management system.