Fire Side Chat: What NFPA 720 Tells Us About CO Detection
Clarity in notification is especially important considering all the various electronic systems installed in a typical building today. There is growing concern among experts in the life-safety community regarding conflicting messages that may occur at the same time. The last thing we want to do is add to the confusion of a building’s occupants during an emergency situation by having several different audible warning messages or tones and different visuals occur at the same time.
NFPA 72 addresses the same issue from the standpoint of fire and mass notification (MNS) while NFPA 720 does so from the standpoint of CO detection. Frankly, there will eventually be a time in the life of a building or campus when two or more emergency conditions happen at the same time. Knowing how to integrate them into a single, cohesive, code-compliant system is an important aspect of the life-safety mission.
According to Section 5.2.3 of NFPA 720, titled “Separate Systems,” “The requirements of this chapter shall not preclude the use of separate fire, life safety, and carbon monoxide detection systems, provided that the systems do not generate simultaneous conflicting notification to building occupants or conflicting activation of safety functions” (NFPA 720, 2009).
In the case of MNS, fire alarm and MNS functions can be integrated in such a manner that both systems benefit from the same notification appliance circuit (NAC) devices. The same strategy can be achieved by defaulting to a common fire alarm platform through which both fire and CO detection, as well as local and remote notification, can be achieved. Not only that, by doing this, it’s possible to consolidate control functions, power requirements and other integral aspects, which will result in a cost savings to the client.
For more information on CO detection, visit www.FireNetOnline.com and www.nfpa.org.
Who Can Install CO Systems
Like its fire alarm counterpart, carbon monoxide (CO) detection systems must be designed by those with appropriate accreditation, implemented by qualified installers and serviced by experienced technicians. The designer must be listed on the construction documents and proof of qualifications must be provided on demand by the appropriate authority having jurisdiction (AHJ).
Sections 4.3.2.2 and 4.3.3 of NFPA 72 cover the qualifications necessary for design, installation and service of CO detection systems. Individuals can be factory trained on a specific brand of equipment; they can be certified by a nationally recognized certification entity; or they can be registered, licensed or certified (under Section 4.3.3) by the state in which the design/installation is to take place.
Single and Multiple CO Alarms
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) not only covers system-type carbon monoxide (CO) detection, but Chapter 9 also addresses the issue of code compliance, installation, maintenance and testing from the standpoint of single and multiple CO alarm devices. For all intents and purposes, this area of CO detection
applies to residential applications where alarm devices are commonly employed in place of systems-grade
ones, which is where standalone devices are most often used.
Like their fire and heat detector counterparts, CO alarms must be listed by a third-party testing and listing firm for the purpose to which they are used. They also must be installed according to the manufacturer’s installation instructions. Coverage as set forth by the CO alarm device manufacturer is a major factor in effectiveness. An onboard piezoelectric device can be used to signal a warning when problems in a detector occur.
Like their automatic detector counterparts, standalone and multiple-alarm units require two sources of power: primary and secondary. Section 9.5.2 of NFPA 72 covers these power supply requirements, such as the use of an electric lighting circuit for primary power and a dry-cell battery for secondary. In a subsequent “Fire Side Chat,” we’ll cover additional facts regarding today’s CO detection systems as specified by NFPA 720.
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About the Author
Shane Clary, SSI Contributor
Shane Clary, Ph.D., is Security Sales & Integration’s “Fire Side Chat” columnist. He has more than 37 years of security and fire alarm industry experience. He serves on a number of NFPA technical committees, and is vice president of Codes and Standards Compliance for Pancheco, Calif.-based Bay Alarm Co.
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