List every engine and turbine in the project, then trace each one’s location, enclosure or room, fuel supply and tank, exhaust route, combustion and cooling air, and room separation through every discipline. AI can flag conflicts; the engineer of record and the authority having jurisdiction decide compliance.
What does NFPA 37 cover?
NFPA 37 is the Standard for the Installation and Use of Stationary Combustion Engines and Gas Turbines. NFPA describes it as establishing criteria for minimizing the hazards of fire related to the installation and operation of stationary combustion engines and stationary gas turbines fueled by liquid or gaseous fuels and used as prime movers for emergency generators, fire pumps, and standby and peak power systems.
NFPA’s official NFPA 37 page identifies the 2024 edition as current when checked on October 4, 2026. Confirm the edition, local amendments, and project scope that actually govern the work. The publisher’s newest edition does not establish local adoption.
NFPA 37 sits next to the documents that govern what the engine serves: the NFPA 110 emergency power guide for generator systems and the NFPA 20 fire pump guide for engine-driven pumps. Fuel storage questions may also involve the NFPA 30 guide or the NFPA 54 fuel gas guide. Record which document the authority applies to each part of the installation.
Start from the engine and turbine list
Collect the equipment schedule for every generator, engine-driven pump, and turbine, the electrical one-line and generator plans, the site plan for outdoor enclosures, the architectural plans for engine rooms, the fuel piping and tank drawings, the exhaust and combustion air drawings, the roof plan where exhaust terminates, and the specifications for the equipment and enclosures.
Note whether each unit is indoors, in a rooftop or outdoor enclosure, or in a separate building, and which fuel it uses. Those choices change which sheets carry the answer.
Follow each engine from fuel to exhaust
| Review question | Sources to compare | Decision to record |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment list | Equipment schedules, one-line, fire protection drawings | Reconcile the number, type, and fuel of every engine and turbine. |
| Location | Site plan, architectural plans, electrical plans | Match where each unit is drawn on the site, architectural, and electrical sheets. |
| Room or enclosure | Architectural plans, wall types, enclosure data | Confirm the engine room separation or outdoor enclosure is shown the same way on each sheet. |
| Fuel supply | Fuel piping plans, tank schedule, product data | Check that each unit has a drawn fuel source and that tank labels agree. |
| Exhaust | Mechanical plans, roof plan, sections | Trace the exhaust route to a drawn termination and compare it with nearby intakes and openings. |
| Combustion and cooling air | Mechanical plans, louver schedule, architectural elevations | Identify engine rooms without drawn air openings, or louvers that appear on one discipline only. |
Carry the electrical side into the NFPA 70 electrical guide, exhaust and air into the mechanical drawing checklist, and stored energy alternatives into the NFPA 111 stored energy guide.
Example: generator exhaust that ends at an intake
Hypothetical example. The mechanical plans route the emergency generator exhaust up a shaft to the roof, while the roof plan places a rooftop unit’s outdoor air intake beside the termination. The generator specification also names a different fuel tank size than the tank schedule.
The generator exhaust terminates beside the rooftop unit outdoor air intake on the roof plan, and the generator specification and tank schedule describe different tanks. Please confirm the exhaust termination and the tank basis.
The mechanical and electrical engineers coordinate the termination and correct the tank description. Whether the arrangement meets the adopted code is the engineer’s and authority’s decision.
Review engine and generator documents with Groundbook
Upload the current project PDFs and relevant specifications to Groundbook. Identify the governing issues and add the applicable NFPA 37 reference from a copy you are licensed to use, where the license permits uploading it. State the edition, amendments, review area, and known exclusions in your instructions.
Compare the equipment schedules, one-line, generator and fire pump drawings, fuel piping and tank drawings, exhaust and combustion air drawings, roof plan, and specifications. Flag equipment, locations, enclosures, fuel, and exhaust information that differ between sources. Use the supplied NFPA 37 edition where applicable and cite both sources.
Groundbook links each potential finding to the sheets behind it. Keep a question about which code governs a unit separate from drawings that disagree with each other.
Document review does not size engines, fuel systems, exhaust, or ventilation, or approve the installation. Those decisions remain with the engineer of record and the authority having jurisdiction.