Which standard governs water discharge from sprinklers?

• A. Fire Department Connection
• B. Discharge Criteria
• C. Design Criteria
• D. Pipe Sizing

Answer: (B)

Discharge criteria are the requirements that specify how water actually leaves the sprinkler heads when they operate. This includes the rate at which water must discharge, how long it must continue, and how the water is distributed to provide effective fire suppression. In NFPA 13R, this part of the standard focuses on the performance of the discharged water from the sprinklers themselves, which is why it governs water discharge from sprinklers.

The other topics deal with different aspects: a Fire Department Connection relates to how the system is supplied from the exterior, Design Criteria covers overall design parameters, and Pipe Sizing addresses the hydraulics to achieve required flows. These do not define the discharge performance of the sprinklers once they activate.