Consulting-Specifying Engineer - February 2008 - (Page 12)

M/E Roundtable Alarm panel versatility This month’s panelists discuss how fire alarm codes are addressing issues of mass notification and calls for easier modification of existing fire panels. BY MELISSA HILLEBRAND, Associate Editor PARTICIPANTS CSE : The 2007 edition of NFPA 72, Fire Alarm Panels, has a new annex for mass notification. How did this come about and what are continuing developments moving toward the 2010 code cycle? RODGER REISWIG: In June of 2003 the Air Force Civil Engineering Support Group petitioned NFPA to add detailed information for mass notification systems. In particular, they were concerned with a conflict that the fire alarm had to take priority over all other signals. NFPA 72 created Annex E and placed it in the 2007 edition of NFPA 72, National Fire Alarm Code, to give guidance as to how mass notification systems could interoperate with fire alarm control systems. As a result of the new Annex E the NFPA Standards Council subsequently requested the NFPA 72 Technical Correlating Committee (TCC), to review mass notification systems and determine if the material should be brought into the body of the code, and if so, how. The TCC’s response was a recommendation to create a new Technical Committee for emergency communications systems (ECS) and include in it all emergency communications. This also meant that portions of the existing code that pertained to emergency communications would have to be moved from their existing locations. The new ECS technical committee met several times in 2007 and developed a draft of the new chapter. The draft was then submitted as a proposal to NFPA 72. During the proposal stage there were also other proposals submitted that have to be coordinated with the draft proposal. WILLIAM KOFFEL: Among other changes to the 2002 edition of NFPA 72, the new annex provides guidelines to assist in coordinating design and installation of integrated mass notification and fire alarm systems to ensure effective communication during an emergency situation. Although it is not known at this time, continuing developments may include further developments to the annex, or more likely the eventual adoption of the annex into the body of the standard. LYNN NIELSON: For the 2010 code cycle, the Standards Council directed the TCC to form a new committee. The technical correlating committee formed a technical committee and gave them responsibility for emergency communication systems including mass notification systems. With the formulation of this new committee and through public proposal and comment processes, I anticipate further refinements for the 2010 code cycle. CSE: Some experts suggest that legislation of recent years and greater concerns for life safety have led to systems that can be easily modified in the future. Do you find this to be the case? REISWIG: I believe today’s fire alarm systems are a natural progression of mass notification systems. The fire alarm system has been performing mass notification for years with the use of strobe lights, horn, bells, and voice over fire alarm speakers. Fire alarm systems have been used for years to provide additional emergency notification, such as weather alerts and other emergencies such as chemical spills and biological hazards, especially in the industrial world. John Alford, Koffel, PE, William E. PE, LEED AP Senior Plumbing FSFPE and Fire Protection Assocs. President, Koffel Engineer, TLC Engineering, Elkridge, Md. Orlando, Fla. Lynn B. Nielson, PE William R. Hoover Sr. Director-at-Large Fire Plans Examiner City of Henderson A. O. Smith Corp. Henderson, Nev. Milwaukee Rodger Reiswig, SET Melody Lutz Director, Industry Relations Vice President for Technical Sales SimplexGrinnell Boca Raton, Fla. Keltech Inc. Delton, Mich. 12 Consulting-Specifying Engineer • FEBRUARY 2008

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Consulting-Specifying Engineer - February 2008 Contents Viewpoint News M/E Roundtable How To Write Control Sequences Mentoring Engineers: Myths, Motivations, and Models Keep Young Electrical Engineers Grounded Protecting a Vulnerable Population Codes & Standards Case Study New Products Equipment Lifecycles Advertisers Index Green Space

Consulting-Specifying Engineer - February 2008

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