Thomas P. Hammerberg

Life Safety Columnist

Thomas P. Hammerberg, SET, CFPS is an indepe ndent fire alarm presenter and consultant residing in Jasper, GA. Tom served on multiple NFPA technical committees as well as actively participating in the ICC code making process for many years. He is NICET Level IV certified in Fire Alarm Systems and a Certified Fire Protection Specialist. He can be reached at TomHammerberg@gmail.com.

Certifiable Benefits

Are you certified in the fire alarm or life safety field? If you are, why did you do it? If not, why not? I have heard many claims about the benefits and drawbacks of getting certified. I’d like to share some of my...

Integrated Systems

Nov 2019

Pass With Flying Colors

Thomas P. Hammerberg

In my September article, I wrote about ways to improve chances of passing the fire alarm acceptance test the first time. It takes some effort on the part of the fire alarm contractor, but it can be done. This will improve job...

Integrated Systems

Sep 2019

A Method to the Madness: Tips for how to pass acceptance testing the first time

Thomas P. Hammerberg

NFPA 72 describes three types of fire alarm testing: acceptance testing for new systems, re-accep-tance testing for modifications to systems and periodic testing for the ongoing testing of existing fire alarm systems. Over...

A ceiling fire alarm in commercial space.

Integrated Systems

Jul 2019

The Alarms They Are A-Changin’: The Future of Fire Alarms in Smart Buildings

Thomas P. Hammerberg

As a member of the NFPA 72 Protected Premises Technical Committee during the past few code cycles, I have found it very interesting to discuss proposed changes to fire alarms of the future. Technology is improving the...

0719 Life Safety Systems Image Credit: Shutterstock / Rogistok

Integrated Systems

May 2019

Hey, Where's the Fire? Keeping Safe While Doing Fire Safety

Thomas P. Hammerberg

We must consider safety issues when installing a fire alarm system, interconnecting to other building systems, and testing and/or repairing fire alarm systems. We must also consider occupant safety during an alarm...

Integrated Systems

Mar 2019

Incoming Transmission: Fire Alarm Communication Methods

Thomas P. Hammerberg

Some of the greatest changes in NFPA 72 over the last couple of code cycles have been the changes in ways to transmit signals from the fire alarm control unit to the monitoring facility. I’d like to take this opportunity to...

Integrated Systems

Jan 2019

New Year, New Revenue: Finding Fire Alarm Service Revenue Opportunities

Thomas P. Hammerberg

Happy New Year! Now that there is a lot of new construction going on, it is easy to put testing and servicing of fire alarms on the back burner. Since a number of companies will do just that, now is the best time for...

Integrated Systems

Nov 2018

Network Connections: Are Class N Pathways the Fire Alarms of the Future?

Thomas P. Hammerberg

What will fire alarm systems of the future be like? Technology is changing rapidly, and historically, fire alarm systems have not kept up with these modifications. That is starting to change. In the 2016 NFPA 72, National...

Codes & Standards

Sep 2018

Update on Commissioning: The Latest on NFPA 3

Thomas P. Hammerberg

I have written a couple of articles about NFPA 4, Standard for Integrated Fire Protection and Life Safety System Testing, in the past. The last one in December was about getting it referenced in the model codes to make its...

Integrated Systems

Jul 2018

Fresh Off the Vote: Changes to 2019 NFPA 72

Thomas P. Hammerberg

The 2019 edition of NFPA 72, National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code, was voted on during the technical session at the NFPA Conference in Las Vegas in June. Only a few Certified Amending Motions were filed, none of which would...

Integrated Systems

May 2018

On Top of the Changes: Fire Alarm Power Supplies

Thomas P. Hammerberg

There have been a few changes to the requirements for fire alarm system power supplies, and more are coming. This is a good time to review the ones we have so far. Obviously, since a fire alarm system is a life safety system...

Codes & Standards

Mar 2018

Codes They Are a-Changin': The 2018 NFPA 101, Life Safety Code

Thomas P. Hammerberg

In the January issue, we discussed changes to the fire alarm requirements in the 2018 International Building and Fire Codes. This month, let’s look at changes in the 2018 NFPA 101, Life Safety Code. First and foremost, it is...