Understanding the Code Requirements for Fire Alarm System Notification
Getting people bombarded by today’s constant cacophony of sounds and stimuli to react to fire alarms with the urgency for which they were intended has become a critical challenge. Drawing their attention when it means the most demands providers strictly adhere to code and design and install systems to meet stringent requirements.
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Hotel Incidents Cause for Concern
Let’s consider an actual, real-world string of events that took place further illustrating our industry’s audible challenges. The scene takes place in a hotel located in a large metropolitan city; the time, approximately 3 a.m.:
A guest is awakened by the fire alarm system sounding in his hotel room. Although jolted out of a deep sleep, the minute he hears the noise he gets up, quickly dresses, grabs his essentials and heads for the door out of the room. As the individual exits he looks down the hallway to identify if other people are also getting up and leaving. He does not see anyone. Copies of USA Today are in front of most doorways indicating the presence of guests in those rooms but still no one else is leaving. In the hallway, the noise is even more noticeable, yet still no one is evacuating.
A head is then visible poking out of a doorway. Looking down the hallway, first to one side and then the other, the head disappears back into the room. The person likely says to themself, “The fire is not on my floor, guess I can go back to sleep.” Unfortunately, that head with the person attached to it fails to realize that the notification and noise they heard means something. It means, “Please leave the building immediately because your life could be in danger!” Fortunately for that person and the many others who do not heed the alarm, lives were not threatened in this case. The next time they might not be so lucky.
What lies at the root of this type of indifference and disregard? The finger could be pointed in two directions. First, our industry, due to incorrect device installations that have led to nuisance alarms the public finds more irritating and would rather disregard than act upon. Second, the general public, based on “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” syndrome, which should never be considered when a fire alarm notification device is heard.
Recall the 1980
MGM Grand fire in Las Vegas. Although the blaze was contained to the lower level of the hotel, guests residing on the higher floors were found dead due to invisible gases that spread quickly to those upper levels. The point is no matter what anyone may think when hearing a fire alarm system notification device sound, they should always respect it and evacuate. Time is working against everyone in a fire situation, reliable detection and proper notification saves lives!
Keys to Effective Voice Evacuation
Voice evacuation systems installed in occupancies requiring such systems also have audibility code requirements that need to be met. Let’s take a look at some of them:
- Voice messages produced by the voice evacuation system are not required to meet the requirement of 15dB above average ambient sound in an occupancy, but rather must meet the intelligibility audible characteristics as prescribed by code.
- If a voice evacuation system uses an audible alert tone or evacuation tone, it must meet the same sound pressure audible signaling requirements of 15dB about average ambient sound.
- Live or recorded evacuation messages shall be preceded and followed by a minimum of two cycles of a distinctive signal.
Having now examined some of the audible signal requirements of both notification and voice evacuation, let’s take a look at the requirements for visual notification signals:
- A flash rate of not less than one flash per second and not more than two flashes per second.
- All visual signals in an area are required to be synchronized.
- The light intensity (candela) of the visual signal is determined by the mounting location.
- Wall mount visual signal candela ratings are determined by room size and the number of visual appliances used.
- Ceiling mount visual signal candela ratings are determined by room size and ceiling height.
Proceeding With Sense of Purpose
NFPA 72 2010, published by the National Fire Protection Association (nfpa.org), clearly states in 18.2 the purpose for a notification appliance: “Notification appliances shall provide stimuli for initiating emergency action and provide information to users, emergency response personnel and occupants.”
At its core, our industry is predicated on saving lives and minimizing injuries and property damages. Therefore, it is up to us to help educate the general public as to what to do when that “noise for the fire alarm system” is heard.
Ed Heyden is Chief Instructor for the National Training School (NTS). Visit esaweb.org/NTS for more info.
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