NFPA Journal - Fall 2021 - 53

are to stop the flow of oxygen and follow
emergency decompression procedures.
Any room housing Class A, Class B, or
Class C chambers needs to be protected
by either an automatic sprinkler system,
a water mist system, or a clean agent
fire protection system. This can protect
patients and staff from fires originating
outside the chamber. A 2-A:10B:C portable
fire extinguisher is also required to
be installed in the room housing the
hyperbaric chambers.
While designing a fire protection
system to protect life and property is
essential, another crucial safety element
is ensuring that proper operational
procedures are developed and followed
by the administrative and maintenance
staff. Preventing potential ignition
sources from entering the chamber and
only permitting certain fabrics to be
worn or brought into the chamber are
some examples of the safety precautions
that should be taken. Staff must
also be aware of the hazards and properly
trained on how to respond during
an emergency.
While the use of oxygen therapy equipment
such as hyperbaric chambers comes
with associated hazards, having the right
fire protection system design and emergency
procedures means these facilities
can continue to help patients recover in a
safe and controlled manner.
Brian O'Connor is a technical services engineer
at NFPA. NFPA members and AHJs can use the
Technical Questions tab to post queries on NFPA 99
at nfpa.org/99. To follow the progress on the next
edition of the code, visit nfpa.org/99next.
networks of Colonial Pipeline Co. and
demanded it pay a multimillion-dollar
ransom. The attack prompted the
company to shut down its 5,500-mile
pipeline, halting the delivery of refined
petroleum products along much of the
East Coast of the United States.
According to Bloomberg, Colonial
paid the hackers, identified as an affiliate
of a Russian-linked cybercrime
group known as DarkSide, a $4.4
million ransom using cryptocurrency,
much of which has since been recovered
by federal agents. Bloomberg
reported that the hackers were able to
launch the successful cyberassault on
Colonial using a single compromised
password.
As cyberattacks on Colonial and
other companies demonstrate, the
more technology advances the more
integrated it becomes. It is common
for multiple systems within a building
or organization to be integrated over
the internet or an intranet. A building's
fire alarm and signaling systems
can be integrated with many other
systems and therefore exposed to the
same type of cyber threats as other
computers or networks.
That's why the 2022 edition of
, National Fire Alarm and
, will provide guidNFPA
72®
Signaling Code®
NFPA 72
Fire alarms, signaling, and
emergency communication
Cybersecurity and
the 2022 NFPA 72
By Shawn Mahoney
I
n May, we saw how
vulnerable companies
can be to cyber threats
when hackers gained
access to the computer
ance on cybersecurity. Chapter 11 will
require that cybersecurity be provided
for equipment, software, firmware,
tools, installation methods, physical
security of and access to equipment,
data pathways, testing, and maintenance
when other sections of NFPA
72, or other governing laws, codes,
or standards, require it. While NFPA
72 will not include any mandatory
requirements related to cybersecurity,
a new Annex J will provide guidance
on how cybersecurity can be increased
for fire alarm and signaling systems.
It is important to note that, as with
all NFPA codes and standards, the
annexes provide additional information
and do not constitute specific
requirements.
The 2022 edition of NFPA 72 will be
issued this fall.
All fire alarm and signaling systems
are not created equal. Because of that,
there is no one-size-fits-all approach
to providing cybersecurity measures
for these systems. In the new Annex J,
for example, there is no specific guidance
on exactly what needs to be done
to provide acceptable cybersecurity for
a system. Instead, the annex provides
guidance and a framework for what
should be considered.
The annex outlines some existing
cybersecurity standards that should
be used when designing, installing,
or maintaining fire alarm and signaling
systems. Additionally, it calls for
evidence of cybersecurity compliance
for the system provided, evidence that
can come from a nationally recognized
test laboratory, a manufacturer,
or a certification program. Evidence
of compliance should be checked
annually.
The annex also recommends that all
system-related documentation associated
with cybersecurity be included
with the documentation that is
required for the system in Chapter 7 of
NFPA 72. The annex also outlines cases
in which functional testing of a system
is not required for changes made to
that system's software for cybersecurity
as long as specific criteria are met.
Finally, the annex adds that software
changes to a system or system component
that are related to cybersecurity
are permitted to be completed via
remote access.
This cybersecurity information
within the annex is provided to give
manufacturers, users, installers and
maintainers, enforcing authorities,
and insurance groups the ability
to review the requirements. It is
unknown if the annex will be brought
into the body of future editions of
NFPA 72 as requirements, or if it could
become its own standalone NFPA standard.
What we know for now is that
the threat of cyberattacks is not going
away anytime soon. We must protect
all of our systems, including our fire
alarm and life safety systems.
Shawn Mahoney, P.E., is a technical services
engineer at NFPA. NFPA members and AHJs can
use the Technical Questions tab to post queries on
NFPA 72 at nfpa.org/72. To follow the progress
on the upcoming edition of the code, visit
nfpa.org/72next.
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NFPA Journal - Fall 2021

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