When are 2 Hour Rated Circuit Protection for Fire Alarm Systems Required?

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]

When Does CI Cable Need to be Used?

Circuit Integrity (CI) cable is an expensive method to ensure life safety circuits continue to function during a fire. At a cost of about $6 a foot, compared to $1.50 a foot for plenum rated fire alarm cable, why would an installer use this type of cable? Well obviously because he has to, but why [Read More]

Can I Install an Emergency Voice System Without a Microphone?

I was recently asked whether a designer that wanted to use a voice message as a general alarm announcement for a fire alarm system that would not by code require an emergency voice system, be required to have a microphone installed as well. I hadn’t run into that situation before, but it makes sense to [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]

Combining an Existing PA System with a Fire Alarm Voice System

  In our last post, we discussed how more campus administrators are combining fire alarm notification and general paging functions by using the fire alarm system for both.  This is being applied to new installations.  In this post we’ll explore whether integrating an existing PA system with a fire alarm voice system is a viable solution [Read More]