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A COMPARISON OF FIRE

ALARM SYSTEMREQUIREMENTS IN THE

US AND UKJames R. Lugar Jr., P.E.Rolf Jensen & Associates, Inc.SFPE 2012 Savannah, GA

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Presentation Objective Compare fire alarm system design methods and products

commonly used in North America and Europe This discussion will focus on requirements in the United

States and the United Kingdom US discussion limited to model codes, current editions as published UK discussion limited to the scope of the Building Regulations for

England and Wales (for buildings other than dwellings)

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Presentation Overview This presentation will answer the following questions:

How does legislation impact fire alarm design? What are common fire alarm design practices? What are common fire alarm system components? How is the fire service summoned?

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Terminology Differences

United States Fire alarm control unit

(FACU) Manual fire alarm box Horn or speaker;

strobe)

Central Station

United Kingdom Control and Indicating

Equipment (CIE) Manual call point Bell, sounder or

speaker; beacon

Alarm receiving centre

Note: Some are also functional differences, which will be discussed

later

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Legislation - US

Law

State or local law adopts building and fire codes Intl Code Council and Natl. Fire Prot. Assoc.

(NFPA)

Code Intl Bldg. Code or NFPA 101 define level NFPA 72, Natl. Fire Alarm & Signaling Code

Std. NFPA 72 ref. other standards for products Ex.: UL 864 control units, UL 1971 visible signals

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Legislation - UK

Law

Building Regulations England and Wales Provide appropriate provisions for early warning of

fire

Guide

BS 5839 Fire Detection and Fire Alarm Systems forBldgs.

Part 1: Code of Practice Provides Recommendations

Implement

BAFE Compliance / LPS 1014 Company BS EN 54 Fire Detection and Fire Alarm Systems

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What Level of System? - USLevel of alarm is prescriptivebased on inherent hazards ofoccupancy classification,building height, contents, etc.

Fire alarm system isdesigned, installed,inspected, tested, and

maintained per NFPA 72.

In general detectors areused sparingly firedetection is primarily viasprinkler water flow signals

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What Level of System? - UKBS 5839-1 Fire Detection Levels

Type L:Protection ofLife

L1: Installed throughout the protected building

L2: Installed only in defined parts of the building

L3: Designed for early warning to permit occupant

escapeL4: Installed for protection of escape routes

L5: Installed in specific areas per fire safetyobjectives

Type P:

PropertyProtection

P1: Installed throughout the protected building

P2: Installed only in defined parts of the building

Type M:Manual

Manual alarms only no detection provided

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Product Approvals

United States Regulations and model codes

require compliance with NFPA 72and applicable standards, with

ANSI/UL standards usually citedas examples

Conformity can be demonstratedby listing of the product by aNationally Recognized TestingLaboratory (NRTL) as complying

with that standard Some states require State FireMarshal approval (based onNRTL report) in order to permitproducts to be disallowed shouldlocal problems emerge (exCalifornia)

United Kingdom Regulations require compliance

with ISO, CEN, or nationalstandards (in that order)

Example BS EN 54 Conformity can be

demonstrated by the CE markauthorized by any Notified Body within the EU

CE mark must be accepted inany EU member countryregardless of the testingorganization

National testing lab marks signifyingcompliance with national standardsmay only be recognized in thatcountry (ex VdS in Germany)

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Manual Alarm InitiationUnited States

Manual fire alarm box(pull station)

Usually required but canbe omitted in somesprinklered occupancies(with one at an attendedlocation)

United Kingdom

Manual Call Point (breakglass)

Primary component of firealarm system required inType L and M installations(optional Type P)

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Detection Zones BS 5839-1 Detectors (and call points) are required to be zoned to

direct responders to the fire Zone indication provided at the CIE

Also applicable to addressable systems Recommendations provided for:

General zoning Maximum floor area Search distance

No similar requirements provided in US codes.

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Alarm Notification - US Minimum and maximum audibility levels throughout per

NFPA 72 Intelligible speech (voice alarm systems)

Accessibility guidelines require visible notification viastrobes in all public or common use areas

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Visible Notification - US

NFPA 72 provides specificrequirements for: Flash rates and

synchronization Mounting locations and

heights Spacing based on strobe

intensity in candelas (cd) Wall mounted Ceiling mounted

Wall-mounted

Ceiling-mounted

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Alarm Notification - UK

Audible sounders Provided for Types L

and M, optional Type P Typical 65dBA min or

5dBA above ambient;limited areas 60dBA;

75dBA sleeping areas Voice can be used,

esp. for stagedevacuations

Above: Examples ofsounders from Tyco

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Visual Alarm Signals - UK

Used to supplementaudible where deemedineffective

Red color preferred;mount above 2.1m(82.7 in.)

Can be used forhearing impaired tactile devices morecommon

Tyco beacon

Tyco beacon integralwith sensor (forsleeping area)

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Fire Alarm System Wiring Both NFPA 72 and BS 5839-1 include provisions for

protection of circuits and redundancy based on theinherent hazard, such as: Separation of circuit types and routing for redundancy Fire-resistance of wiring for staged evacuations Adequate support of system wiring

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System Wiring, Continued

United States

Wire types can includeplenum, riser, or circuit

integrity (rated) Protection is partprescriptive and partdesigners discretion. NFPA72 defines: Circuit classes based on

redundancy 3 levels of survivability

Ex.: 2 hr. fire resistancerequired for selectiveevacuations

United Kingdom

Fire alarm wiring isstandard fire resistance orenhanced fire resistance

Enhanced fire resistanceis recommended formultiple conditions

including unsprinkleredbuildings with stagedevacuations orunsprinklered high-risebuildings

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Summoning the Fire Service

United States

The fire alarm system isrequired to automaticallytransmit signals: commonmethods include Central Station Proprietary Station

NFPA 72 includes specifictransmission requirements Occupants can also call, but

monitoring is generallymandatory

United Kingdom

The primary method is bypublic emergency callsystem

Alarm receiving centres(ARCs) can be used forType L and M whenwarranted

ARCs are used for Type P(property protection)

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Any Questions?Thanks for your participation!Contact Information:James R. Lugar Jr., P.E.

Rolf Jensen & Associates, Inc.3384 Peachtree Rd. NE Suite 550

Atlanta, GA 30326+1 (404) 239-1000

jlugar@rjagroup.com

mailto:jlugar@rjagroup.commailto:jlugar@rjagroup.com