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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
Happy New Year to all of you! Each year, I like to start out with a column on fire alarm changes for new editions of the codes. We begin with the 2018 International Building Code (IBC). As a reminder, the fire alarm...
In the last year or two, I have written a few articles about NFPA 3, Recommended Practice for Commissioning of Fire Protection and Life Safety Systems, and NFPA 4, Standard for Integrated Fire Protection and Life Safety...
As I teach fire alarm seminars around the country, one of the greatest problem areas brought up is interfacing fire alarm systems with elevators. Elevator and fire inspectors do not enforce the same codes, and therein lies...
We have all heard the phrase “That’s good enough for government work!” Whether said in jest, sarcasm or resignation, it implies you have done all you’re going to do, and the result will just have to suffice. In the world of...
For years, there has been concern about the waking ability of fire alarm audible notification appliances. In general, they have gone through numerous changes since the 1980s. Back then, it was common to use bells to signal an...
Beginning with the 2010 edition of NFPA 72, National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code, all of the “styles” of circuits were deleted, and four “classes” were added. A new chapter, Circuits and Pathways, was added during the...
There has been discussion about unwanted alarms in the last few years. The fire service says this is “an industry problem,” but is it? What can be done to improve the reliability of fire alarm systems so people stop ignoring...
For healthcare facilities, many states use only National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 101, Life Safety Code, because it is the code that the joint commission references. However, some states use the International...
In today’s world, wireless is our life. Your mobile phone and tablet operate on either a cell signal or Wi-Fi. We connect our computers using Wi-Fi most of the time, in our homes and offices and when we travel. Fire...
“The only thing worse than training employees and losing them is to not train them and keep them.” I’ve heard Wayne D. Moore cite this Zig Ziglar quote many times during presentations, and, for me, it always hits home....
I like to start each year with an update on changes in codes and standards going into effect during that year. For this article, I review changes to the 2015 International Building Code (IBC). Of course, these will not apply...
Before you read this column, please read “It’s a Trap!” by Wayne Moore on page 62. Wayne shared it with me, and I would like to continue that conversation. This is a topic near and dear to me, and it is important to our...
We all know our an industry is governed by codes and standards. While many complain about some of the requirements, few try to do anything about it. We all have an opportunity to fix things that we don’t like. Most people don...
In May, the Automatic Fire Alarm Association (AFAA) held its annual Codes Conference and annual meeting. The most talked about presentation was called “Is There An App For That?” Our presenters collected recommendations from...
