Electical Contractor

Establishing a common protocol to make it easier for systems to work together is a major goal of the security systems sector.

One of the first things you discover when reading NFPA 72 (2010), the National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code, is the interdependence of the chapters.

Surely, you have heard of green construction and the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating system.

Many of the problems encountered in troubleshooting fiber optic networks are related to making proper connections. Since the light used in fiber optic systems is infrared (IR) light, which is beyond the range of the human eye, one cannot see it.

Security systems are very different than fire alarm systems. According to John Fenske, director of global security product management, Johnson Controls, the main difference is how the systems are adopted. Nowadays, a building cannot be occupied unless a fire alarm system is installed.

There have been extensive changes to the 2010 edition of NFPA 72, the National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code. One of the more significant changes was the addition of the circuits and pathways chapter, Chapter 12. Twenty years ago, all we had to describe fire alarm circuits was Class A and B.

Cloud computing is emerging as the next wave of innovation in business-computing systems, so much so that some predict a major upheaval in the world of information technology (IT).

Fire protection and security, including mass notification, access control and surveillance, are natural candidates for systems that should be converged.

In order to get started in systems integration, you must make a number of basic decisions; these decisions are similar, whether you are dealing with new construction or an existing building.