In this installment of my review of the changes made within the 2025 edition of NFPA 72, National Fire Alarm and Signal Code, I shall detail Chapter 26, Supervising Station Alarm Systems.
The First Change
The first change occurs within 26.2.4 Carbon Monoxide Signal Disposition. The requirement for the servicing of a carbon monoxide detector or system has been set to occur within four hours of an alarm or trouble signal.
The change is that these requirements have been moved to their own section, 26.2.4.1.3 and 26,2,4,2,2, Servicing. This will aid the user of the standard in quickly locating the requirements for the servicing of these detectors and systems.
Section 26.3.7.2, Operation and Supervision has been added so as to place into two separate paragraphs the requirements that an operator within a supervising station shall have their duties primarily on the handling of signals. This is to address the NFPA Manual of Style, which requires a single paragraph to have only one requirement. In past editions, there were multiple requirements within a single paragraph.
A new paragraph 26.3.8.3.1.2 was added within the requirements for the handling of alarm signals for Central Station Service. This new paragraph allows for the runner or technician to be recalled from their run if a qualified representative of the owner resets the system. The AHJ, however, must permit this.
A major addition was made to the standard within the section for Performance-Based Technologies. There was concern on the handling of signals that may pass through a remote receiving entity, such as the cloud. These signals may at some point be transmitted directly from the protected premises to a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP)
Paragraph 26.6.3.2.1 requires that alarm, supervisory and trouble signals shall only be acknowledged by the supervising station. In short, a human must be involved in the process. The standard is not quite ready for artificial intelligence to completely take over the handling of signals.
Must Meet NFPA 72 Requirements
The equipment that is used to transmit the signals must also meet the requirements of 26.6.3.2.3.1, which mandates the equipment to be listed as communication and information technology equipment.
New paragraph 26.6.3.2.3.2 was added to state that equipment from a communications provider that is a Managed Facilities-based Voice Network (MFVN) shall be listed independently of the communications technology used. This provides delineation between the equipment at the premises and the service provider.
Latency has become a concern with signal transmissions as technology changes and as new equipment is introduced into communications networks. New paragraphs 26.6.11.3 and 26.6.11.4 have been added.
The first paragraph requires that communications equipment that is used for the transmission of signals shall be compatible with latency and jitter parameters. The second paragraph requires that any communications failure caused by these conditions shall result in a trouble signal at the protected premises.
A second major addition to this chapter is found in paragraph 26.6.3.12.2. This was added to the standard to address the various devices that are being installed within protected premises for the replacement of Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS).
These are typically installed on the telco side of the communications demarcation. A concern has centered on the secondary standby power that is provided to these units. This paragraph requires that all shared on-premises communications equipment shall meet the secondary power requirements of paragraph 26.6.3.13.
That paragraph, which has been in the standard, requires a minimum of 24 hours of standby power unless the AHJ approves a risk analysis to allow eight hours of standby power.
A second new paragraph, 26.6.3.12.1, requires these units to be listed as communications equipment, information technology equipment or telecommunications equipment.
In the sixth and final article in this series on the new additions within the 2025 edition of NFPA 72, I shall cover Chapter 14, Inspection, Testing and Maintenance, as well as Chapter 29, Household Systems.
