In Atlanta, mixed-use developments continue to grow in popularity, offering locals a blend of residential, retail, office, and parking spaces within one location. While these developments provide convenience and maximize space, they also present complex fire risks.
For business owners and facility managers who oversee multi-use properties, understanding these risks and the fire protection strategies needed to address them is critical to maintaining safety and compliance.
Risk #1: Layered Occupancies with Different Fire Protection Needs
Mixed-use buildings combine a range of occupancy types, each with different fire protection requirements. This alone creates a complicated situation from a fire protection standpoint because the type of fire protection systems needed to protect a building depends on the occupancy type. For example, retail spaces may require kitchen suppression systems. Residential areas often require specific sprinkler coverage. Even parking structures need specialized detection to address vehicle-related hazards.
All these layers create the challenge of one single property requiring multiple fire protection approaches that work together seamlessly. The risk then is that without effective coordination, even a well-maintained system in one area can fail to protect another.
Risk #2: High Traffic, High Hazard, Tenant Turnover in Retail Spaces
High traffic, high hazard areas like retail spaces come with unique fire risks, ranging from stocked storage rooms to densely stocked merchandise racks and display shelves. Combined with high customer traffic, these hazards can increase the potential for a fire emergency.
These fire risks become more complex in the event of tenant turnover, which is a common reality for retail spaces. The issue is that new tenants often remodel, move walls, or add high-voltage equipment, all of which may require fire alarm re-zoning, sprinkler head relocation, or even kitchen hood suppression installation.
It’s important that any changes are reviewed by a certified professional, and that the building owner maintains regular fire system inspections and testing. Building owners should also keep proper documentation to ensure the retail space remains compliant even as tenants change.
Risk #3: Parking Structures that Need a Different Fire Profile
Parking garages, especially enclosed or underground ones, introduce hazards such as vehicle fires and carbon monoxide accumulation. These environments require specially designed detection systems, proper ventilation, and clear paths of egress.
A common oversight in mixed-use developments is assuming that parking areas can be handled with “standard” fire detection.
Parking garages often require:
- Heat detectors (vs smoke detectors)
- Standpipe systems
- CO monitoring
- Specialized sprinkler coverage (depending on design)
Proper installation and ongoing repair of these systems is vital, especially in older mixed-use properties where maintenance may have lagged current NFPA and local standards.
Risk #4: Coordinating Retail, Residential, and Parking Areas
The biggest fire risks in mixed-use developments isn’t always one specific hazard but rather the overall coordination of all the different occupancy types. Building owners can find themselves in somewhat of a “coordination gap” when addressing the fire protection needs of each area of their facility.
In properties with multiple occupancies, rotating contractors, and frequent tenant changes, fire protection systems can become somewhat fragmented or even out of date with current fire codes and performance requirements.
Some common issues include:
- Fire alarm systems not fully interconnected across all tenant spaces
- Sprinkler systems improperly altered during renovations
- Conflicting system requirements left unresolved
- Missed inspections due to frequent tenant turn over
Facility managers who take a proactive approach can significantly reduce risk of fire emergencies. One key tip is to partner with a single fire protection provider for inspections, installation, and repair to make sure that every layer of the property works together as one.
Let Fire Systems Help Protect Your Mixed-Use Property
Fire safety in mixed-use developments is too complex and too important to leave to haphazard and fragmented solutions. A coordinated approach that includes a trusted fire protection company means all your systems remain compliant and ready to perform when needed.
Fire Systems provides fire protection services for mixed-use developments, including installation, inspections, maintenance and repair for fire alarms, sprinklers, kitchen hood systems, special hazard systems, and extinguishers and emergency lighting.
Contact Fire Systems today at firesystems.net or call 770-333-7979 to schedule a consultation.