With the impending discontinuation of the hard copper (POTS) phone lines, and in fact many municipalities already no longer have hard copper pairs from end user to the fire department dispatch center, is it a violation of NFPA 72 if the DACT connections to the fire department use PBX phone lines? Some fire alarm system [Read More]
Does a sprinkler in a LULA elevator pit mandate elevator recall?
I get this question on occasion when there is confusion over the relationship between elevators and sprinklers. The short answer is probably not. The base requirement of ASME 17.1 (2007) Sec. 2.27.3.2.1(c), which calls for fireman’s service if a sprinkler head is in the hoistway, is exempted for electric Limited Use/Limited Access (LULA) elevators by [Read More]
Can I Use VoIP to Replace My Fire Alarm Telephone Lines?
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Utilizing the internet to send fire alarm signals to a monitoring station is a subject that confuses end users, designers and installers alike. Many installers will just say ‘You can’t’ regardless of the equipment currently used, even though that’s usually not the case. While it’s true that older, existing equipment probably can’t use VoIP, there are options [Read More]
Elevator Recall Integration with Fire Alarm Systems
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What is elevator recall? When is it required? When should it be integrated with a fire alarm system? How is that accomplished? These are a few of the many questions both elevator and electrical contractors have when elevator work is performed. With the constantly changing technologies and capabilities of elevator control and fire alarm systems, [Read More]
Using Wireless Smoke Detectors With Fire Alarm Systems
The newest development coming out of the various fire alarm manufacturers is wireless smoke detectors and control/monitor devices. These UL 268 and UL 864 approved devices can be programmed to act like a stand alone, battery powered smoke detector with the added benefit of being supervised for proper operation and without having to replace the batteries every [Read More]
Defining Generator Testing Frequency Requirements
I recently received a question regarding emergency generator testing in a medical facility that touched on testing frequency and what defines a method of off site monitoring. Here’s the question: My local AHJ expects my Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) to run the generator weekly. They utilize NFPA 1 (2012) and NFPA 72 (2010). Both NFPA 1 in [Read More]
Fire Alarm and Emergency Voice System Testing and Inspection
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In our last post, we talked about why it’s important to use a third party to test a smoke detector’s sensitivity level. In this post, we’ll cover another area of concern: verification of outputs. In a simple system that just activates the horn/strobes, that may seem to be an easy task. However, there is always more than [Read More]
Testing & Inspecting Fire Alarm & Emergency Voice Systems
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A fire alarm system is required to be tested regularly, the results of which are reviewed by the fire department. When scheduling a test of a facility’s fire alarm system, property managers have a vested interest in maintaining safety compliance and limiting their liability exposure while keeping an eye on operating costs. Operating cost reduction might seem [Read More]
Smoke Detector Testing
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At Affiliated Fire Systems, we often get asked about a smoke detector’s lifespan . Specifically, when should a building manager replace smoke detectors? There is no hard and fast lifespan for a commercial smoke detector. To be clear, commercial smoke detectors are connected to a fire alarm panel, not the battery operated devices you can [Read More]
Elevator Recall Activation
I recently had a question asked about whether two smoke detectors are required to activate simultaneously in a single elevator lobby in order for cab recall to be initiated. The answer is there is no current national code that requires two detectors to activate before recall occurs. The two detector activation is what we call ‘cross zoning’, and [Read More]
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