One of the biggest mistakes a contractor can make is agreeing to replace an existing fire alarm system with exactly what is installed, only with new equipment, in all the existing locations. This is a mistake for the...

Let’s kick off the new year by reviewing changes in the 2022 edition of the NFPA 72 National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code. While most jurisdictions won’t adopt this for a while, it’s good to know what’s coming. Let’s start...

One of the most often-asked questions I receive is “Where in the National Fire Alarm and Signaling Systems Code will I find the section that states the entire existing fire alarm system must be upgraded when the fire alarm...

For those of us who were able to work from home because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we learned that remote work is a viable option for the future, and it is now an enterprise strategy being adopted by the business community...

In their quest to simplify the required paperwork for a fire alarm system installation, the Chapter 7 technical committee for documentation for the 2019 edition of the National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code appears to have...

Because there are many in our profession who believe that all they need to know about fire alarm system application, design and installations is contained in NFPA 72, the National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code, it is...

Designers and installers tend to fall into the same four traps when working on new fire alarm system installations. The first is not understanding NFPA 72, the National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code, and the code process. The...

I often get questions regarding detector placement in difficult areas, and most of the time the answer lies in the Annex A to NFPA 72 of the National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code. I will cover the most common questions here...

Adding the Circuits and Pathways chapter was one of the many changes made in the 2010 edition of NFPA 72 as part of the restructuring of the National Fire Alarm Code. The primary reason for restructuring was to add a chapter...

If you don’t agree that a fire alarm system is more than a fire alarm system, you should probably revisit Chapter 21, Emergency Control Function Interfaces, in NFPA 72 2016, National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code. It defines...