I was recently asked to help settle a dispute between a life safety consultant and a health care facility regarding protection of open spaces connected to corridors in health care facilities. A consultant tasked to ensure the facility was compliant with The Joint Commission Life Safety Standard informed the facility that they were deficient in meeting the Joint [Read More]
When is CI Cable Used For Hospital Notification Circuits?
NFPA 72 Chapter 23.10.2 states: “Fire alarm systems used for partial evacuation and relocation shall be designed and installed so that attack by fire within a notification zone shall not impair control and operation of the notification appliances outside that notification zone.” Most, if not all hospitals use partial evacuation or relocation when a fire [Read More]
When are 2 Hour Rated Circuit Protection for Fire Alarm Systems Required?
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An electrical circuit’s survivability in harsh conditions is defined by the method of its installation. Some circuits that are relied upon to supply power to critical functions related to life safety need extra protection from fire, water and physical damage. Those of us in the fire alarm industry know circuit integrity (CI) cable enhances survivability [Read More]
Are Fire Alarm Strobes Required in the City of Chicago?
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Update 8/1/20: With the adoption of the new Chicago Building Code effective August 1, 2020, as well as an update of the Illinois Accessibility Code (IAC) in October 2018, strobes are now required in fire alarm installations in Chicago. There are no longer Class I or Class II type fire alarm systems in Chicago. The [Read More]
New Chicago Construction Code Occupancy Types
In a previous blog, we discussed which Chicago Construction Codes have already been updated, which are going to be updated on 8/1/20 and which are going to be updated in 2021. We’ve also reviewed one of the upcoming changes to fire alarm requirements in Chicago. In this blog, we’ll continue to identify changes to required [Read More]
Do fire alarm strobes always have to be synchronized?
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I was recently asked a question about whether two strobes had to be synchronized if they were the only two in a field of view . The facility’s fire alarm vendor told him that if a field of vision had just two strobes in it, they did not need to be synchronized. When he tried [Read More]
Are fire alarm notification devices required in all areas of a hospital?
As hospitals upgrade their existing life safety systems to include newer technology, designers of record may not be sure of where notification devices should be placed, given the need for quiet areas in a hospital. Since this is a non-evacuation occupancy, private mode signaling can be used for fire alarm announcements, as allowed by NFPA [Read More]
What Version of NFPA 72 Record of Completion is IDPH Using?
Since we service many hospitals and long term care facilities, we run into a number of different opinions on which version of the NFPA 72 Record of Completion (ROC) the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is requiring as part of its closeout documentation. You’ll get different answers, depending on the general contractor. Since the [Read More]
If I Have Sprinklers, Do I Need Smoke Detectors? Part 1
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It can be hard to separate life safety code requirements. Much of it can seem redundant, leading some to over-design when they’re not sure what the requirements are. This can be especially true where sprinklers and detection are concerned. It’s important to remember that sprinklers are meant to control the spread of fire, providing occupants that [Read More]
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