NFPA Journal - Spring 2023 - 34

user and operator of the vehicle
charging station. It is important to
note that only qualified persons should
perform maintenance on EVSE. Due to
weather and the potential for physical
impact, cords, charging connectors,
and mounting of the EVSE should be
regularly inspected and maintained.
Many recent questions around EV
charging installations were specific
to parking structures, and NFPA 88A,
Standard for Parking Structures, is
a great resource. It requires that all
installations of EV charging equipment
comply with NFPA 70. While NFPA 70
requires all EV charging equipment to
be listed, it does not provide specific
details around listing. NFPA 88A, on
the other hand, provides those details,
requiring that:
* Electric vehicle charging stations
must be listed and labeled in
accordance with UL 2202, Standard
for Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging
System Equipment.
* Electric vehicle charging system
equipment must be listed and
labeled in accordance with UL 2594,
Standard for Electric Vehicle
Supply Equipment.
* Wireless power transfer equipment
for transferring power to an
electric vehicle shall be listed and
labeled in accordance with UL 2750,
UL LLC Outline of Investigation for
Wireless Power Transfer Equipment
for Electric Vehicles.
The best method of fire protection
for EV charging equipment installations
is fire prevention. This can only
be achieved if the equipment is both
properly installed and properly maintained.
That means that the process
is always ongoing, and that is where
having a proper maintenance program
in place will help reduce potential
risk. As we all travel this new road
of EV charging equipment installations
together, it is important that we
look out for one another and keep it
between the lines-especially from a
safety perspective.
34 | NFPA JOURNAL * SPRING 2023
Corey Hannahs is senior electrical content specialist
at NFPA. NFPA members and AHJs can use the
Technical Questions tab to post queries on NFPA 70 at
nfpa.org/70. To follow the progress on the upcoming
edition of the code, visit nfpa.org/70next.
NFPA 13
Water-based fire
protection systems
Understanding and
applying the concept of
miscellaneous storage
to sprinkler systems
By Tom Goss
A
common question NFPA
technical staff gets is
about when and how
to apply the miscellaneous
storage concept in
NFPA 13, Standard for the Installation of
Sprinkler Systems.
The concept, first introduced in the
1991 edition of NFPA 13, continues to
be misunderstood and is often misused
by fire sprinkler designers, engineers,
contractors, building owner representatives,
and inspectors. Recent fire
losses show how storage can challenge
a fire sprinkler system, and the provisions
of miscellaneous storage help
walk the fine line between the installation
of a costlier, more robust storage
sprinkler system and a more common,
less expensive fire sprinkler system. To
utilize the concept properly, though,
it is important to understand what
miscellaneous storage is and when it
should be applied, as well as the storage
height limitations, pile size limits,
and pile separation requirements.
The first step in the process of utilizing
the miscellaneous storage concept
is understanding what miscellaneous
storage is. The 2022 edition of NFPA
13 defines miscellaneous storage as
" storage that does not exceed 12 feet
(3.7 meters) in height, is incidental to
another occupancy use group, does not
constitute more than 10 percent of the
building area or 4,000 square feet (370
square meters) of the sprinklered area,
whichever is greater, does not exceed
1,000 square feet (93 square meters) in
one pile or area, and is separated from
other storage areas by at least 25 feet
(7.6 meters). " This definition presents
the five requirements of miscellaneous
storage and allows designers, engineers,
or building owner representatives to
decide whether to employ the concept
of miscellaneous storage.
The key phrase in the definition of
miscellaneous storage is that the storage
" is incidental to another occupancy use
group. " The concept of miscellaneous
storage was first introduced to allow for
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NFPA Journal - Spring 2023

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