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The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) voted to amend NFPA 10 and NFPA 72 to include electronic monitoring in lieu of mandatory physical 30-day inspections. The ruling went into effect at the beginning of September.
Strong support for the acceptance of the technology came from fire officials, end-users and members of the fire protection industry. According to the NFPA, electronically monitored fire extinguishers allowed under their codes must include the ability to assess proper location, access without obstruction and pressurization.
Moreover, the system must provide record- keeping in the form of an electronic event log at the control panel. Specific changes to NFPA 10 include the addition of a definition of electronic monitoring in Chapter 3 and specific details in Chapter 7. NFPA 72 included the addition of electronic monitoring definitions to Chapters 3, 5 and 6.
