Which statement about fire areas and mezzanines is true?

The true statement regarding fire areas and mezzanines is that equipment platforms do not count towards determining fire area, and mezzanine area does not necessarily require fire sprinklers, depending on specific criteria.

In fire safety regulations, a mezzanine is considered an intermediate floor that is open to the floor below and does not have its own occupancy definition. The logic behind excluding mezzanine areas from fire area calculations is tied to their size and purpose; they generally serve as access or storage spaces that do not significantly alter the overall fire area when evaluated under most codes.

Meanwhile, the requirement for fire sprinklers is contingent on factors such as the size and occupancy load of the mezzanine, as well as the building's overall fire protection plan. Therefore, in certain scenarios, smaller mezzanines may not require sprinklers, reinforcing the second part of the answer.

This combined understanding reflects how mezzanines and equipment platforms are treated in fire safety evaluations, which forms the basis for the correct statement concerning fire areas and mezzanines.