Chapter 9 — FIRE PROTECTION AND LIFE SAFETY SYSTEMS
Section 911 — FIRE COMMAND CENTER
2025 California Building Code (Title 24, Part 2) · 2025 edition · updated 2026-07-29 · California
Italicized text is a California amendment to the model code, as printed in the official publication.
[F] 911.1 General. Where required by other sections of this code, in buildings classified as high-rise buildings by this code and in all F-1 and S-1 occupancies with a building footprint of over 500,000 square feet (46 452 m [2] ) and Group I-2 occupancies having occupied floors located more than 75 feet above the lowest level of fire department vehicle access, a fire command center for fire department operations shall be provided and shall comply with Sections 911.1.1 through 911.1.7.
[F] 911.1.1 Location and access. The location and access to the fire command center shall be approved by the fire code official.
[F] 911.1.2 Separation. The fire command center shall be separated from the remainder of the building by not less than a 1-hour fire barrier constructed in accordance with Section 707 or horizontal assembly constructed in accordance with Section 711, or both.
[F] 911.1.3 Size. The fire command center shall be not less than 0.015 percent of the total building area of the facility served or 200 square feet (19 m [2] ) in area, whichever is greater, with a minimum dimension of 0.7 times the square root of the room area or 10 feet (3048 mm), whichever is greater. Where a fire command is required for Group F-1 and S-1 occupancies with a building footprint greater than 500,000 square feet (46 452 m [2] ) in area, the fire command center shall have a minimum size of 96 square feet (9 m [2] ) with a minimum dimension of 8 feet (2348 mm) where approved by the fire code official.
[F] 911.1.4 Layout approval. A layout of the fire command center and all features required by this section to be contained therein shall be submitted for approval prior to installation.
[F] 911.1.5 Storage. Storage unrelated to operation of the fire command center shall be prohibited.
[F] 911.1.6 Required features. The fire command center shall comply with NFPA 72 and shall contain all of the following features:
- The emergency voice/alarm communication system control unit.
- The fire department communications system.
- Fire alarm system zoning annunciator panel required by Section 907.6.4.3.
- Annunciator unit visually indicating the location of the elevators and whether they are operational.
- Status indicators and controls for air distribution systems.
- The firefighter’s control panel required by Section 909.16 for smoke control systems installed in the building.
- Controls for unlocking interior exit stairway doors simultaneously.
- Sprinkler valve and waterflow detector display panels.
- Emergency and standby power status indicators.
- A telephone for fire department use with controlled access to the public telephone system.
- Fire pump status indicators.
- Schematic building plans indicating the typical floor plan and detailing the building core, means of egress, fire protection systems, firefighter air replenishment system, firefighting equipment and fire department access and the location of fire walls, fire barriers, fire partitions, smoke barriers and smoke partitions.
- An approved Building Information Card that contains, but is not limited to, the following information: 13.1. General building information that includes: property name, address, the number of floors in the building above and below grade, use and occupancy classification (for mixed uses, identify the different types of occupancies on each floor), and the estimated building population during the day, night and weekend. 13.2. Building emergency contact information that includes: a list of the building’s emergency contacts including but not limited to building manager and building engineer and their respective work phone number, cell phone number, e-mail address. 13.3. Building construction information that includes: the type of building construction including but not limited to floors, walls, columns, and roof assembly.
on Jul 18, 2025 11:14 AM (CDT) THEREUNDER.
FIRE PROTECTION AND LIFE SAFETY SYSTEMS
13.4. Exit access and exit stairway information that includes: number of exit access and exit stairways in the building, each exit access and exit stairway designation and floors served, location where each exit access and exit stairway discharges, interior exit stairways that are pressurized, exit stairways provided with emergency lighting, each exit stairway that allows reentry, exit stairways providing roof access; elevator information that includes: number of elevator banks, elevator bank designation, elevator car numbers and respective floors that they serve; location of elevator machine rooms, control rooms and control spaces; location of sky lobby, location of freight elevator banks. 13.5. Building services and system information that includes: location of mechanical rooms, location of building management system, location and capacity of all fuel oil tanks, location of emergency generator, location of natural gas service. 13.6. Fire protection system information that includes: location of standpipes, location of fire pump room, location of fire department connections, floors protected by automatic sprinklers, location of different types of automatic sprinkler systems installed including, but not limited to, dry, wet and pre-action. 13.7. Hazardous material information that includes: location of hazardous material, quantity of hazardous material.
Work table.
Generator supervision devices, manual start and transfer features.
Public address system, where specifically required by other sections of this code.
Elevator fire recall switch in accordance with California Code of Regulations, Title 8, Division 1, Chapter 4, Subchapter 6, Elevator Safety Orders.
Elevator emergency or standby power selector switch(es), where emergency or standby power is provided. 19. A master switch for unlocking elevator lobby doors permitted by Section 1010.2.12.1.
[SFM] Fire command centers shall not be used for the housing of any boiler, heating unit, generator, combustible storage or similar hazardous equipment or storage.
[F] 911.1.7 Fire command center identification. The fire command center shall be identified by a permanent easily visible sign reading “FIRE COMMAND CENTER” located on the door to the fire command center.
911.1.8 Ventilation. The fire command center shall be provided with an independent ventilation or air-conditioning system.
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Ask AI about this code▸ Contents — 2025 California Building Code (Title 24, Part 2)
- Chapter 1 — ADMINISTRATION
- Chapter 2 — DEFINITIONS
- Chapter 3 — OCCUPANCY CLASSIFICATION AND USE
- Chapter 4 — SPECIAL DETAILED REQUIREMENTS BASED ON OCCUPANCY A…
- Chapter 5 — GENERAL BUILDING HEIGHTS AND AREAS
- Chapter 6 — TYPES OF CONSTRUCTION
- Chapter 7 — FIRE AND SMOKE PROTECTION FEATURES
- Chapter 7A — MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION METHODS FOR EXTERIOR W…
- Chapter 8 — INTERIOR FINISHES
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▸ Chapter 9 — FIRE PROTECTION AND LIFE SAFETY SYSTEMS
Overview- Section 901 — GENERAL
- Section 902 — FIRE PUMP AND RISER ROOM SIZE
- Section 903 — AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER SYSTEMS
- Section 904 — ALTERNATIVE AUTOMATIC FIRE-EXTINGUISHING SYSTEMS
- Section 905 — STANDPIPE SYSTEMS
- Section 906 — PORTABLE FIRE EXTINGUISHERS
- Section 907 — FIRE ALARM AND DETECTION SYSTEMS
- Section 908 — EMERGENCY ALARM SYSTEMS
- Section 909 — SMOKE CONTROL SYSTEMS
- Section 910 — SMOKE AND HEAT REMOVAL
- Section 911 — FIRE COMMAND CENTER
- Section 912 — FIRE DEPARTMENT CONNECTIONS
- Section 913 — FIRE PUMPS
- Section 914 — EMERGENCY RESPONDER SAFETY FEATURES
- Section 915 — CARBON MONOXIDE (CO) DETECTION
- Section 916 — GAS DETECTION SYSTEMS
- Section 917 — MASS NOTIFICATION SYSTEMS
- Section 918 — EMERGENCY RESPONDER COMMUNICATION COVERAGE
- Chapter 10 — MEANS OF EGRESS
- Chapter 11 — RESERVED
- Chapter 11A — HOUSING ACCESSIBILITY
- Chapter 11B — ACCESSIBILITY TO PUBLIC BUILDINGS, PUBLIC ACCOMM…
- Chapter 12 — INTERIOR ENVIRONMENT
- Chapter 13 — ENERGY EFFICIENCY
- Chapter 14 — EXTERIOR WALLS
- Chapter 15 — ROOF ASSEMBLIES AND ROOFTOP STRUCTURES
- Chapter 16 — STRUCTURAL DESIGN
- Chapter 16A — STRUCTURAL DESIGN
- Chapter 17 — SPECIAL INSPECTIONS AND TESTS
- Chapter 17A — SPECIAL INSPECTIONS AND TESTS
- Chapter 18 — SOILS AND FOUNDATIONS
- Chapter 18A — SOILS AND FOUNDATIONS
- Chapter 19 — CONCRETE
- Chapter 19A — CONCRETE
- Chapter 20 — ALUMINUM
- Chapter 21 — MASONRY
- Chapter 21A — MASONRY
- Chapter 22 — STEEL
- Chapter 22A — STEEL
- Chapter 23 — WOOD
- Chapter 24 — GLASS AND GLAZING
- Chapter 25 — GYPSUM PANEL PRODUCTS AND PLASTER
- Chapter 26 — PLASTIC
- Chapter 27 — ELECTRICAL
- Chapter 28 — MECHANICAL SYSTEMS
- Chapter 29 — PLUMBING SYSTEMS
- Chapter 30 — ELEVATORS AND CONVEYING SYSTEMS
- Chapter 31 — SPECIAL CONSTRUCTION
- Chapter 31A — SYSTEMS FOR WINDOW CLEANING OR EXTERIOR BUILDING…
- Chapter 31B — PUBLIC POOLS
- Chapter 31C — RADIATION
- Chapter 31D — FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS
- Chapter 31F — MARINE OIL TERMINALS
- Chapter 32 — ENCROACHMENTS INTO THE PUBLIC RIGHT-OF-WAY
- Chapter 33 — SAFEGUARDS DURING CONSTRUCTION
- Chapter 34 — RESERVED
- Chapter 35 — REFERENCED STANDARDS
- Appendix A — EMPLOYEE QUALIFICATIONS
- Appendix B — BOARD OF APPEALS
- Appendix C — GROUP U—AGRICULTURAL BUILDINGS
- Appendix D — FIRE DISTRICTS
- Appendix E — RESERVED
- Appendix F — RODENTPROOFING
- Appendix G — FLOOD-RESISTANT CONSTRUCTION
- Appendix H — SIGNS
- Appendix I — PATIO COVERS
- Appendix J — GRADING
- Appendix K — GROUP R-3 AND GROUP R-3.1 OCCUPANCIES PROTECTED B…
- Appendix L — EARTHQUAKE RECORDING INSTRUMENTATION
- Appendix M — TSUNAMI-GENERATED FLOOD HAZARDS
- Appendix N — REPLICABLE BUILDINGS
- Appendix O — PERFORMANCE-BASED APPLICATION
- Appendix P — SLEEPING LOFTS
- Appendix Q — EMERGENCY HOUSING