Every facility has inherent and unique risks, which introduce emergency communication design challenges. Understanding emergency communication system design, installation, and maintenance criteria requires engineers to be familiar with the applicable codes and standards, primarily NFPA 72: National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code. Whether designing to provide emergency communication for fire or mass notification emergencies, NFPA 72 can be used as a tool to enhance the design, installation, and reliability of fire alarm systems used for emergency communications.

1. Fire and Life Safety:
Notification and Emergency
Communication Systems

2. 1. The audience will understand applicable sections of the 2013
edition of NFPA 72: National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code.
2. Attendees will learn the design criteria for emergency
communications systems (ECS).
3. Viewers will understand the factors required to be considered
when designing mass notification systems (MNS), a subset of
emergency notification.
4. Viewers will learn how to apply (and subsequently specify)
available notification technologies in ECS and MNS applications.
Learning Objectives

3. Ray Grill, PE, FSFPE, LEED
AP, Arup, Washington, D.C.
Moderator: Jack Smith,
Consulting-Specifying Engineer
and CFE Media, LLC
Presenters:

4. Sponsored by:
Fire and Life Safety:
Notification and Emergency
Communication Systems
Ray Grill, PE, FSFPE, LEED AP
Principal
Arup

5. Agenda
• ECS in the context of NFPA 72
• Overview of NFPA 72 requirement for
designing ECS and risk analysis required
• Key considerations for the analysis
• Design features driven by the risk analysis
• NFPA 72 requirements for notification
appliances

6. Chapter 24 – Emergency Communications

7. Systems Addressed
• 24.4 One-way ECS
– 24.4.2 In-building Fire EVACS
– 24.4.3 In-building MNS
– 24.4.4 Wide-area MNS
– 24.4.5 Distributed Recipient MNS
• 24.5 Two-way ECS
– 24.5.1 Two-way in-building wired
– 24.5.2 Two-way radio enhancement
– 24.5.3 Area of refuge ECS
– 24.5.4 Elevator ECS

8. Why Risk Analysis in NFPA 72?
• Incorporated into the Scope for ECS TC
• Recognizes that emergency
communications need to be designed to be:
– Specific to the facilities and hazards
– Coordinated with the emergency response plan
• Prescriptive requirements can not address
all situations

9. What is a risk analysis?
• In the context of NFPA 72:
– 3.3.246 Risk Analysis. A process to
characterize the
likelihood, vulnerability, and magnitude
of incidents associated with
natural, technological, and manmade
disasters and other emergencies that
address scenarios of concern, their
probability, and their potential
consequences.

10. Risk Analysis vs. Emergency Response Plan
NFPA 72 Definition
• 3.3.93 Emergency Response Plan.
A documented set of actions to address
response to natural, technological, and man-
made disasters and other emergencies
prepared by the stakeholders from
information obtained during the risk analysis.

11. New to the 2013 Edition

12. When is a Risk Analysis Required?
• When other signals
need to take priority
over fire

13. When is a Risk Analysis Required?
• Determination of pathway survivability for ECS
circuits when not specifically defined in NFPA 72
– MNS circuits may have a different level of survivability
than circuits required for fire emergencies
24.3 ECS – General Requirements

14. 2016 Proposed Change to Survivability
for Fire EVAC
• Two new exceptions
– Level 1 survivability shall be permitted if
the building construction is less than 2
hour rated
– Circuits required to be survivable are
Class X and the runs are separated by
at least 1/3 the diagonal of the
notification zone through which they are
passing

15. When is a Risk Analysis Required?
• When providing a mass notification
system (MNS)

18. 2016 Proposed Changes
• 24.3.11.2 The detail and complexity of the risk
analysis shall be commensurate with the
complexity of the facility for which the mass
notification system is designed.
• 24.3.11.3 The risk analysis shall be permitted
to be limited in scope to address the
communication requirements of an existing
emergency response plan.

19. When is a Risk Analysis Required?
• 24.4.3 In-Building Mass Notification
Systems

20. When is a Risk Analysis Required?

21. When is a Risk Analysis Required?
• 24.4.4 Wide-Area Mass Notification

22. When is a Risk Analysis Required?
• 24.6 Information, Command and Control

27. Tools for the Risk Analysis
• A.24.3.11.1

29. Emergency Response Plan
• Emergency response team structure
• Emergency response procedures
– Related to building system emergencies,
– Personnel/occupant emergencies
– Terrorism
– Events of nature
• Emergency response equipment
• Notification/communication
– Message content
– Authority to communicate
– Initiation procedure
• Emergency response training and drills

30. Design Considerations
• Management/
staff capabilities
• Extent of
notification
• Coordination
with the
emergency
response plan

31. MNS Design Features driven by Risk
Analysis
• Capability for remote operation
• Definition of notification zones
• Survivability of speaker circuits
• Priority of signals and messages
(MNS versus fire)

32. MNS Design Features driven by Risk
Analysis
• Inclusion of devices to automatically
activate MNS notification (i.e. CBRN)
• Type, location and security of control
and interface equipment
• Control of other building systems
(i.e., elevators, HVAC, security, proce
ss, etc.)
• Need for wide area MNS

33. MNS Design Features driven by
Risk Analysis

34. Framework for Risk Analysis
I. Project description
II. Goals and purpose of MNS (user
driven)
III. Expected characteristics of the
occupants and management
IV.Occupancy/use characteristics
V. Anticipated events presenting a risk
VI. Design features required to address
events presenting a risk

35. Chapter 18 – Notification Appliances
• 18.4.1.4.1 – Designer required to identify rooms and
spaces requiring audible notification
• 18.4.1.4.2 – Only requires audible devices in occupiable
areas
• 18.4.1.4.3 – Requires the designer to document the sound
pressure levels required to be produced
• 18.5.2 – Requires documentation of visual appliances

36. Chapter 18 – Notification Appliances
• Designing for Intelligibility

37. • Designing for Intelligibility

38. Chapter 18 – Notification Appliances
• 18.4.10.2.1 – Specifically states that
intelligibility is not required in every ADS
(Acoustically Distinguishable Space)
• 2010 Edition of 72 incorporated the
requirement that the designer identify
ADSs

39. ADS Example

40. Chapter 18 – Notification Appliances
• Table 18.5.5.4.1 (a) – Revised to
delete the column for installations
using two lights per room on opposite
walls

41. Sponsored by:
Thank you!
Ray Grill, PE, FSFPE, LEED AP
Principal
Arup
1120 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 200
Washington, DC 20036
Ray.Grill@arup.com

42. Ray Grill, PE, FSFPE, LEED
AP, Arup, Washington, D.C.
Moderator: Jack Smith,
Consulting-Specifying Engineer
and CFE Media, LLC
Presenters:

43. Fire and Life Safety:
Notification and Emergency
Communication Systems