Rancho Cucamonga Fire Protection District Prevention Bureau Standard

Transcription

1 Rancho Cucamonga Fire Protection District Prevention Bureau Standard Title: Fire Alarm and Monitoring Systems Standard # 9-3 Effective: May 2002 Number of Pages: 7 Revised: January 2014 INTENT The intent of this standard is to provide regulations consistent with local needs for the installation, repair, modification, inspection, testing, and maintenance of fire alarm systems, sprinkler waterflow and supervisory systems, and the devices and programming associated with these systems. AUTHORITY This standard is in accordance with RCFPD Ordinance FD 54, the 2013 California Fire Code, and the applicable Standards of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). DEFINITIONS The terms used in this standard are intended to be consistent with the Building Code, the Fire Code, NFPA 72, and state regulations and have the same definitions as the definitions contained in those documents. ADOPTED STANDARD 1. General Automatic and/or manual fire alarm systems and sprinkler waterflow and supervisory systems shall be designed, installed, inspected, tested, and maintained in accordance with the provisions of the Fire Code, NFPA 72, and this standard. 2. Combination Systems a. Combination systems shall be in accordance with the Fire Code and NFPA 72. Exception: Burglar/intrusion security system features and/or devices shall not be integrated with fire alarm systems or sprinkler waterflow and supervisory systems. b. Burglar/intrusion alarm systems shall not include fire detection and/or notification features or devices unless the system control unit and all devices are listed by the State Fire Marshal for fire alarm use. c. Previously approved combination fire alarm or sprinkler waterflow and supervisory systems that contain security system features and/or devices may remain in service if: i. The security devices and the control unit have been approved by the State Fire Marshal as fire alarm system components, and ii. The burglar/intrusion devices and/or features do not cause false or unwanted fire alarms. d. Required alterations to a previously approved combination system shall be in accordance with Item 7 of this standard. RCFPD Standard #

2 3. Detectors a. Automatic fire detectors installed for the protection of the fire alarm system control unit or sprinkler waterflow and supervisory system control unit shall be combination fixed temperature and rate of rise heat detectors where ambient conditions are such that the installation of smoke detectors could reasonably be expected to result in false alarms. For example, when the system control unit is installed in a room required by Section 509 of the Fire Code as amended, a heat detector shall be installed for the protection of the system control unit. b. To comply with the Fire Code s notification requirements for duct detectors installed in occupancies that do not require a fire alarm system, duct detectors may be connected to a sprinkler waterflow and supervisory system. c. When monitored by the system control unit, duct detectors shall be provided with remote annunciator lamps and remote test switches located on the ceiling or wall in the vicinity of the detector. d. Unless otherwise required by the Building Code, the Fire Code, NFPA 72, or other state regulation, the activation of a duct detector shall cause a supervisory signal only. Such signals shall be consistent with the provisions of NFPA 72 for supervisory signals. e. All smoke and heat detectors, including those installed for elevator recall, door release service, and/or smoke spread control, shall be installed and function in accordance with the Fire Code and NFPA Elevator Recall a. Elevator recall shall be in accordance with the Building Code, the Fire Code, applicable state regulations, and NFPA 72. b. In buildings without a fire alarm system, elevator recall service shall not be provided by the sprinkler waterflow and supervisory system. A separate elevator recall control and supervisory control unit shall be provided for elevator recall service. 5. Identification of Alarm Zones and Device Locations a. A diagram that corresponds to the floor plan for the building or space in which a monitored system is installed shall be posted in a conspicuous and readily accessible location acceptable to the fire code official. This diagram shall identify the location of each system component and shall use the same identifying language that is programmed into the system for the individual zones and/or devices. See Item 10 below. Existing diagrams will need to be updated when fire alarm systems are modified. b. Doors providing access to rooms or areas where the fire alarm control unit is located shall be labeled FACU Inside. For exterior doors, this identification shall consist of a permanent, weather-resistant sign or letters. The lettering shall be at least three inches in height. Signs shall have a red background with white lettering. Adhesive or stenciled letters are typically red but can be any color approved by the fire code official which contrasts with the color of the door or door glazing. Interior doors shall be identified in a manner acceptable to the fire code official. 6. Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance a. Upon completion of any repairs and/or modifications for which a permit was required and issued, the contractor shall provide the fire code official with a record of completion that is equivalent to the Fire Alarm and Emergency Communication System Record of Completion contained in NFPA 72. RCFPD Standard #

3 b. Inspection, testing, and maintenance of fire alarm and sprinkler waterflow and supervisory systems shall be in accordance with the Fire Code and the applicable NFPA standards. c. Inspection, testing, and maintenance shall be performed only by personnel who meet one or more of the service personnel qualifications found in NFPA 72. d. Prior to commencing any inspection, testing, and/or maintenance, the supervising station shall be notified that authorized work is being performed on the system and that alarm signals received at the supervising station shall not be transmitted to the Fire Dispatch Center until such time that the supervising station has been notified that the work on the system is completed. Building occupants shall also be notified prior to and after the completion of authorized work. Failure to notify the supervising station prior to commencing work on a system will result in the contractor being billed for the cost of any responses to alarms transmitted by the supervising station. Only the supervising station shall be notified of authorized work on the system. Service personnel are not authorized to contact the Fire Dispatch Center. Contacting the Fire Dispatch Center for non-emergency reasons will result in the service person being billed for the cost of a non-emergency call for service to the dispatch center. e. Personnel performing required inspections, testing, and maintenance shall provide the fire code official with a report that is equivalent to the Fire Alarm and Emergency Communication System Inspection and Testing Form contained in NFPA 72 or the Fire District s Fire Alarm Service/Test Report. f. Acceptance test reports shall include a copy of the supervising station s activity report for the protected premise. This report shall include the entire time period of the acceptance test. 7. Installation, Alteration, or Replacement of Equipment a. As required by the Fire Code and NFPA 72, the fire code official shall be notified, by means of a plan submittal, of all installations of and alterations to a fire alarm system or sprinkler waterflow and supervisory system. Plan submittals shall be in accordance with Appendix A of this standard. b. Plans shall be submitted and approved when it is necessary to replace a fire alarm control unit. When approved by the fire code official, emergency replacement of a fire alarm control unit can precede the submittal of as-built documents. c. Documentation satisfactory to the fire code official shall be provided when obsolescence or similar circumstances require the installation of replacement detection, initiating, and/or notification devices that differ from the originally installed devices. d. Upon completion of an installation, alteration, or replacement of equipment that required a permit, the contractor shall provide the fire code official with a record of completion that is equivalent to the Fire Alarm and Emergency Communication System Record of Completion contained in NFPA Large Family Day Care The fire alarm signaling equipment required by the Fire Code to be installed in a large family day care shall consist of a manual fire alarm box that when operated activates an electrically powered horn or bell notification device. These devices do not need to be interconnected with any other fire alarm device or system, do not require a control unit, do not need to be electrically supervised, and do not need emergency power. The manual fire alarm box and the notification device shall be attached to the structure. An electrical permit issued by the Building & Safety Department is required to install this fire alarm signaling equipment. RCFPD Standard #

4 9. Manual Fire Alarm Boxes and Protective Covers a. Manual fire alarm boxes shall not be installed on sprinkler waterflow and supervisory systems or elevator recall control systems. b. When the Fire Code allows the elimination of manual fire alarm boxes due to the installation of fire sprinklers, manual fire alarm boxes shall not be installed. c. In existing buildings that are protected throughout with a fire sprinkler system, manual fire alarm boxes may be removed upon approval of the fire code official if the current Fire Code would not otherwise require the installation of manual fire alarm boxes. d. Listed, non-alarming manual fire alarm box protective covers conforming to the specifications of the Fire Code shall be installed over all new manual fire alarm boxes. e. Listed, non-alarming manual fire alarm box covers shall be installed over existing manual fire alarm boxes when in the opinion of the fire code official such boxes are in locations that make nuisance and unwanted alarms likely or when there is a history of false or unwanted alarms originating from a manual fire alarm box. 10. Monitoring a. Monitoring of fire alarm systems, fire sprinkler systems, standpipe systems, alternative automatic fire extinguishing systems, fire extinguishers, elevator recall, smoke detection systems, partial or selective systems, and non-required systems shall be in accordance with the Fire Code and NFPA 72. b. All monitored systems shall include visible annunciation acceptable to the fire code official. Systems installed after the effective date of this standard shall utilize alphanumeric display visible annunciation. Systems shall be designed, installed, and programmed such that all signals from all components report (describe/identify) the exact location of the component or device. This can be accomplished by the use of addressable devices and a compatible control unit or point-specific control units that are limited to a single device per point or zone. c. Monitoring shall be performed by a listed central station service or by a qualified remote supervising station that meets all of the criteria in NFPA 72. A proprietary supervising station may provide the required monitoring when approved by the fire code official. 11. Notification Delay Features The inclusion and/or enabling of a pre-signal feature, positive alarm sequence, and/or alarm verification shall be approved by the fire code official. 12. Annunciation a. Annunciation in multi-tenant buildings without a main entrance or common lobby shall be provided by the control unit. In cases where the control unit is not capable of annunciation and device identification as required by Item 10 of this standard, a remote annunciator with such capability shall be provided in the proximity of the control unit. b. Remote annunciators shall be capable of providing the device-specific information required by Item 10 of this standard (see above). c. Remote annunciation shall be provided near the main entrance to single-tenant buildings. d. Remote annunciation shall be provided near the main entrance or common lobby of multitenant buildings. 13. Emergency Service An emergency, on-demand service capable of responding to requests by the fire code official for resetting, troubleshooting, maintaining, repairing, or servicing a monitored system shall be provided by or contracted to a fire alarm service - local company. Emergency service shall include, RCFPD Standard #

5 as a minimum level of service, one or more qualified technicians available 24 hours a day who are capable of responding to alarm and supervisory signals within two hours of a request by the fire code official and capable of responding to trouble signals within four hours of a request by the fire code official. 14. Silencing and Resetting a. In Group A, E, I, R-1, and R-2 occupancies, silencing and/or resetting the system shall be accomplished by a key-operated switch or other similar method acceptable to the fire code official that provides equivalent protection against unauthorized silencing and/or resetting. b. Copies of keys and/or special tools required to access and/or reset system components are required to be locked in the Knox Box. These keys and/or tools shall be made available to the fire code official at the time of the acceptance test. c. A fire department reset code shall be programmed into each monitored system. The reset code shall be An additional 1 shall be included at the end of the reset code for each additional digit beyond four that is required to reset the system. d. Reset instructions shall be posted in a location that is readily accessible to Fire District personnel. This provision does not imply a requirement for the reset instructions to be posted in a location accessible to the public. e. Reset instructions shall include all information necessary to completely reset the system and all features, devices, and components of the system. Reset instructions that are posted in publicly accessible locations should not include reset codes. 15. Third Party Verification The installing contractor of a new fire alarm system or sprinkler waterflow and supervisory system shall provide a verification of compliant installation as allowed by NFPA 72. The fire code official may require third party verification for additions, alterations, and/or modifications to a previously approved fire alarm system depending on the extent and nature of the permitted work. Acceptable verifications are UL Certification, FM Certificate of Compliance, or written verification by an independent third-party acceptable to the fire code official. This provision does not imply a requirement to maintain such verification beyond its initial expiration date. RCFPD Standard #

6 Appendix A Rancho Cucamonga Fire Construction Services Fire Alarm Submittal Information 1. General: a. An acceptable submittal package is four (4) sets of plans and two (2) sets of submittal documents required herein and/or by the Standard. Documents with date restrictions must be current. b. Documents that must be submitted with the plans include, but are not limited to: i. Manufacturer s cut sheets for all equipment and devices. ii. Verification of California State Fire Marshal listing for all equipment and devices. c. Documents required to be submitted in order to obtain a final approval include but are not limited to: i. A diagram that corresponds to the floor plan for the building or space in which a monitored system is installed. This diagram shall identify the location of each system component. See Item 5 in the Standard. The minimum acceptable size of this diagram is 8 ½ inches by 11 inches. More detailed diagrams or diagrams of large facilities may need to be larger so that the diagram is legible. The diagram will be posted in a location acceptable to the fire code official. Existing diagrams will need to be updated when fire alarm systems are modified. ii. Instructions for contacting and requesting the emergency, on-demand service required by Item 13 of the Standard. iii. Silencing and reset instructions in accordance with Item 14 of the Standard. iv. Third party verification in accordance with Item 15 of the Standard. v. A document comparable to the Fire Alarm System Record of Completion contained in NFPA 72. vi. A copy of the supervising station s activity report for the acceptance test. This report shall include the entire time period of the acceptance test. d. The system designer and the system installer are required to have a current fire alarm permit issued by RCFPD. If the designer and/or installer do not already have this permit, a permit must be issued by the fire code official before plan submittals will be accepted. Contact the Prevention Bureau at with any question about this permit. 2. Each set of plans must contain the following information: a. The legal business name, business address, telephone number, license class, and license number of the system designer and the system installer (when the system installer is not the system designer). addresses are desirable but nor required. b. Scope of Work This statement needs to be conspicuously located on the plans and needs to clearly explain the proposed work. In some cases it may be necessary to explain what work is not proposed so that that Scope of Work is clear. c. Notes referencing which codes and versions of the code are being applied to the design and installation. d. Sequence of Operation chart. e. Complete battery calculations and/or details on how secondary power will be provided. f. Building information to include the construction type, number of floors, total square footage, occupancy classification(s), occupant load(s), etc. g. Single line diagram. h. Point to Point diagram. i. The floor plan diagram required in Item 1c.i above needs to be reproduced on the plans in addition to being submitted as a separate document. j. A complete legend that identifies the quantity, type, function, and California State Fire Marshal listing of each component and device. Continues on the Next Page RCFPD Standard #

7 3. The following notes need to be provided verbatim on the plans: a. Unless otherwise required by the Building Code, the Fire Code, NFPA 72, or other state regulation, the activation of a duct detector shall cause a supervisory signal only. Such signals shall be consistent with the provisions of NFPA 72 for supervisory signals. b. Knox Boxes are not required to be electrically supervised. c. All junction boxes (J-boxes) used for the fire alarm system or sprinkler waterflow and supervisory system shall be painted red and marked with the words fire alarm. d. Batteries must be marked by the manufacturer with the month and year of manufacture. The date of installation must be indicated on the battery. e. Exterior doors providing access to the control unit shall be labeled with the wording FACU Inside. This identification shall consist of a permanent, weather-resistant sign or letters. The lettering shall be at least three inches in height. Signs shall have a red background with white lettering. Adhesive or stenciled letters are typically red but can be any color approved by the fire code official which contrasts with the color of the door or door glazing f. Interior doors providing access to the control unit shall be identified in a manner acceptable to the fire code official. g. The circuit breaker protecting the circuit that powers the control unit shall be equipped with an approved lock-out device. The location of the circuit breaker shall be indicated at the control unit in a manner acceptable to the fire code official. h. The telephone connections or other communication equipment, including the phone numbers assigned, shall be identified in a manner acceptable to the fire code official. i. Third party verification shall be presented at the time of the acceptance test. j. RCFPD labels reminding service technicians to contact the supervising station prior to commencing service or repair work shall be installed on devices in locations specified by the fire code official. k. Copies of keys and/or special tools required to access and/or reset system components are required to be locked in the Knox Box. These keys and/or tools shall be made available to the fire code official at the time of the acceptance test. l. Listed and approved protective covers shall be installed over every manual fire alarm box. Protective covers shall be in accordance with the Fire Code. Covers that emit a local alarm are prohibited unless specifically approved by the fire code official. m. Fire alarm and sprinkler waterflow supervisory systems shall not be placed in service until the acceptance test is completed and the fire code official has given final approval of the system. 4. Plan Review Times and Requirements: a. The first submittal turn around time is approximately 10 working days. The turn around time for the second and subsequent submittals is approximately 5 working days. Working days are Monday through Thursday excluding holidays. b. At the time of plan check submittal, a Permit Application Worksheet must be completed by the submitting contractor. c. Permit and plan check fees, except for expedited service, are based on the type of system and the number of devices. d. Expedited plan check requests shall be made in writing and approved prior to the plans being submitted. The cost of expedited plan checks will be the actual fully burdened cost of the service based on the time required to complete the plan check. e. Question regarding plan submittals or plan checks and requests for inspections or acceptance tests should be directed to Fire Construction Services at Business hours are Monday through Thursday 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Voice mail is available 24 hours. RCFPD Standard #