In my last article, I wrote about the significant changes to the 2016 NFPA 72, National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code. One change that I did not bring up is to the NFPA process. In 2016, the “change lines” in the columns next to revised or new text will no longer be there. NFPA has decided to remove them from NFPA 72 and will show both the old and new text in the NFPA 72 Handbook. If you don’t like this new procedure, please inform the NFPA.


Let’s review the changes to the remaining chapters. In Chapter 18, Notification Appliances, the most controversial change concerns strobe-light pulse duration. The new language in 18.5.3.2 states, “The maximum light pulse duration shall be 20 milliseconds [it used to be 200 milliseconds] with a maximum duty cycle of 40 percent.”


An exception was also added to this requirement: “Lights used to meet the requirements of 18.5.5.5 (Spacing in Corridors) shall be permitted to be listed and labeled to have pulse durations up to 100 milliseconds.” This change was made due to concerns about the previous requirements for indirect viewing, especially in well-lighted areas. Manufacturers differ in opinion, and UL is conducting ongoing testing. Stay tuned.


In Chapter 21, Emergency Control Function Interfaces, the committee made some changes to the elevator terminology. Instead of “fire fighters’ service recall,” it is now called “Phase I Emergency Recall Operation.” This was done to better correlate with the terminology in ASME A17.1, the elevator code.


Another change in 21.3.6 now reads, “Smoke detectors shall not be installed in unsprinklered elevator hoistways unless they are installed to activate the elevator hoistway smoke relief equipment or to initiate Phase I Emergency Recall Operation.” The recall section was not in previous editions for unsprinklered hoistways. There were many other editorial changes to the elevator section, as well. The above only describes the significant changes. Additional changes were made to clarify the requirements for Fire Service Access Elevators in Section 21.5, and now the section indicates which elevator functions are permitted to be displayed on the fire alarm annunciator.


In Chapter 23, Protected Premises Fire Alarm Systems, there was a notice of intent to make a motion (NITMAM) to overturn the language in 23.6.1, SLC Zones, and return it to the 2013 language stating that a single fault on a signaling line circuit (SLC) could not cause the failure of more than 50 addressable devices. However, that NITMAM did not pass, so the language will read, “A single fault on a pathway connected to the addressable devices shall not cause the loss of the devices in more than one zone.”


Additional language added to this section states that each floor of the building shall be considered a separate zone, and, for floors with multiple zones, each zone on the floor shall be considered separate, with a few exceptions. The NITMAM was introduced because of potential concerns for installations in small and mid-sized structures. The original purpose of this requirement is to ensure that a single SLC does not connect too many devices in a multistory building where a fault on that SLC could leave an extensive part of the building unprotected.


There is a new section for the Class N devices in Chapter 23. I covered Class N in the last article, so I won’t go into more detail here. You can read more in 23.6.2, Class N Devices, and 23.6.3, Class N Shared Pathways.


Chapter 24, Emergency Communications Systems, added language to allow nonlisted loudspeakers to be used to achieve intelligibility if no listed loudspeaker is capable of doing so. That is pretty significant.


To improve the code launguage, the committee also made many editorial changes, such as removing the word “evacuation” from “signaling zones” to make it more generic.


Section 24.9, Two-Way Radio Communications Enhancement Systems, was, for the most part, deleted with a reference to NFPA 1221. I mentioned last month that all of the testing requirements for these systems were relocated from Chapter 14 to NFPA 1221.


Chapter 26, Supervising Station Alarm Systems, removed the requirements for Alarm Signal Preverification in 26.2.3. This was new in 2013 and added a lot of confusion for dispatchers. The 90-second verification is still allowed where adopted by a jurisdiction, but the monitoring company will no longer have to notify the fire department that a signal has been received and is being verified.


In Chapter 29, Household Alarms, the effective date for listing for resistance to nuisance alarms was delayed until January 2019. This will allow time for testing and research to be finished and for the testing standards to be updated.


These are not all of the changes you will find in the 2016 NFPA 72, but I covered the more significant ones. NFPA set an effective date of Sept. 7, 2015, for this document, so it is available for purchase now.