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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:

  1. The emergency voice/alarm communication system control unit.
  2. The fire department communications system.
  3. Fire alarm system zoning annunciator panel required by Section 907.6.4.3.
  4. Annunciator unit visually indicating the location of the elevators and whether they are operational.
  5. Status indicators and controls for air distribution systems.
  6. The firefighter’s control panel required by Section 909.16 for smoke control systems installed in the building.
  7. Controls for unlocking interior exit stairway doors simultaneously.
  8. Sprinkler valve and waterflow detector display panels.
  9. Emergency and standby power status indicators.
  10. A telephone for fire department use with controlled access to the public telephone system.
  11. Fire pump status indicators.
  12. 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.
  13. 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.

  1. Work table.

  2. Generator supervision devices, manual start and transfer features.

  3. Public address system, where specifically required by other sections of this code.

  4. Elevator fire recall switch in accordance with California Code of Regulations, Title 8, Division 1, Chapter 4, Subchapter 6, Elevator Safety Orders.

  5. 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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Contents — 2025 California Building Code (Title 24, Part 2)
2025 California Building Code (Title 24, Part 2)
  1. Chapter 1 — ADMINISTRATION
  2. Chapter 2 — DEFINITIONS
  3. Chapter 3 — OCCUPANCY CLASSIFICATION AND USE
  4. Chapter 4 — SPECIAL DETAILED REQUIREMENTS BASED ON OCCUPANCY A…
  5. Chapter 5 — GENERAL BUILDING HEIGHTS AND AREAS
  6. Chapter 6 — TYPES OF CONSTRUCTION
  7. Chapter 7 — FIRE AND SMOKE PROTECTION FEATURES
  8. Chapter 7A — MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION METHODS FOR EXTERIOR W…
  9. Chapter 8 — INTERIOR FINISHES
  10. Chapter 9 — FIRE PROTECTION AND LIFE SAFETY SYSTEMS
  11. Chapter 10 — MEANS OF EGRESS
  12. Chapter 11 — RESERVED
  13. Chapter 11A — HOUSING ACCESSIBILITY
  14. Chapter 11B — ACCESSIBILITY TO PUBLIC BUILDINGS, PUBLIC ACCOMM…
  15. Chapter 12 — INTERIOR ENVIRONMENT
  16. Chapter 13 — ENERGY EFFICIENCY
  17. Chapter 14 — EXTERIOR WALLS
  18. Chapter 15 — ROOF ASSEMBLIES AND ROOFTOP STRUCTURES
  19. Chapter 16 — STRUCTURAL DESIGN
  20. Chapter 16A — STRUCTURAL DESIGN
  21. Chapter 17 — SPECIAL INSPECTIONS AND TESTS
  22. Chapter 17A — SPECIAL INSPECTIONS AND TESTS
  23. Chapter 18 — SOILS AND FOUNDATIONS
  24. Chapter 18A — SOILS AND FOUNDATIONS
  25. Chapter 19 — CONCRETE
  26. Chapter 19A — CONCRETE
  27. Chapter 20 — ALUMINUM
  28. Chapter 21 — MASONRY
  29. Chapter 21A — MASONRY
  30. Chapter 22 — STEEL
  31. Chapter 22A — STEEL
  32. Chapter 23 — WOOD
  33. Chapter 24 — GLASS AND GLAZING
  34. Chapter 25 — GYPSUM PANEL PRODUCTS AND PLASTER
  35. Chapter 26 — PLASTIC
  36. Chapter 27 — ELECTRICAL
  37. Chapter 28 — MECHANICAL SYSTEMS
  38. Chapter 29 — PLUMBING SYSTEMS
  39. Chapter 30 — ELEVATORS AND CONVEYING SYSTEMS
  40. Chapter 31 — SPECIAL CONSTRUCTION
  41. Chapter 31A — SYSTEMS FOR WINDOW CLEANING OR EXTERIOR BUILDING…
  42. Chapter 31B — PUBLIC POOLS
  43. Chapter 31C — RADIATION
  44. Chapter 31D — FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS
  45. Chapter 31F — MARINE OIL TERMINALS
  46. Chapter 32 — ENCROACHMENTS INTO THE PUBLIC RIGHT-OF-WAY
  47. Chapter 33 — SAFEGUARDS DURING CONSTRUCTION
  48. Chapter 34 — RESERVED
  49. Chapter 35 — REFERENCED STANDARDS
  50. Appendix A — EMPLOYEE QUALIFICATIONS
  51. Appendix B — BOARD OF APPEALS
  52. Appendix C — GROUP U—AGRICULTURAL BUILDINGS
  53. Appendix D — FIRE DISTRICTS
  54. Appendix E — RESERVED
  55. Appendix F — RODENTPROOFING
  56. Appendix G — FLOOD-RESISTANT CONSTRUCTION
  57. Appendix H — SIGNS
  58. Appendix I — PATIO COVERS
  59. Appendix J — GRADING
  60. Appendix K — GROUP R-3 AND GROUP R-3.1 OCCUPANCIES PROTECTED B…
  61. Appendix L — EARTHQUAKE RECORDING INSTRUMENTATION
  62. Appendix M — TSUNAMI-GENERATED FLOOD HAZARDS
  63. Appendix N — REPLICABLE BUILDINGS
  64. Appendix O — PERFORMANCE-BASED APPLICATION
  65. Appendix P — SLEEPING LOFTS
  66. Appendix Q — EMERGENCY HOUSING

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