Commercial Fire Alarm Installation: The Shop Drawing

Commercial Fire Alarm Installation: The Shop Drawings

Fire alarm system designs must comply with the National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code, NFPA-72. Also, in most jurisdictions, a building permit is required which should include the required fire alarm systems. These must be approved before any installation may begin.

For approval, complete specifications, system descriptions and drawings, must be submitted. The notification appliance circuit, input/output matrix and battery calculations must be included.

Shop Drawing Requirements

Shop drawings are the detailed drawings submitted to the authority having jurisdiction for the location involved before review and approval. These provide the details of the system and connections, such as the location of each device, appliances, wiring sequences and methods, and depictions of how the components are to be linked. Floor plan drawings, control panel wiring, riser diagrams, conduits and routing details must be included.

Point-to-point wiring diagrams must depict exactly how the electrical network will be connected.

Formatting the Shop Drawing for Commercial Fire Alarm Installation

Using uniformly sized paper, the drawing detail should include:

1. Identification of the building, deed holder, and occupants
2. Name of installer or contractor
3. Location of protected premises
4. Citation that the design is in accordance with NFPA®70 (Standard for Fire Safety and Emergency Symbols)
5. Date of issue and any revisions

Moreover, drawn according to scale, shop drawings for fire alarm systems should clearly identify the floor, compass direction, walls and doors, partitions, descriptions and device locations, primary power location, monitor and control interface locations. All components of the fire alarm system, conductor, conduits, and site of air diffusers located near smoke detectors should also be depicted.

System Representation

Shop drawings must represent:

1. Location of control equipment
2. Field wiring terminals
3. Circuit identification
4. Indicators and controls
5. Connections to supervising stations and safety control interfaces
6. Risers with wiring diagrams included

Notifier Fire Alarm Panels

Notifier Fire Alarm Panels are the most capable control panels available. This state of the art emergency management system can be configured to control a few interconnected detection devices for small buildings, to monitor a large campus, or a complicated high-rise block wirelessly.

In simplest terms, fire alarm control panels consist of connected detection elements that sense the presence of fire and smoke, output devices like alarms to notify occupants of a potential emergency, a power source, and a secondary power supply.

Notifier by Honeywell Fire Alarm Control Panels are designed with industry leading smoke detection capability to provide the earliest possible warning in case of emergency.

The Notifier Fire Alarm Panels can be equipped with a variety of accessories to accommodate facility types and unique requirements. The system communicates with a central monitoring location and can transmit emergency information from fire detection devices to remote fire departments.

Evacuation Assistance

Notifier Fire Alarm Panels may be integrated with Onyx Digital Voice Command, an emergency voice communication system that can provide live paging or digital voice commands to direct evacuation. Also, Notifier offers their LED Sign Gateway to display predetermined graphic instructions to assist further in an emergency evacuation situation.

Connectivity

For large hospitals, high-rise buildings and campuses, the Notifier High-Speed NOTI-FIRE-NET will link multiple Notifier intelligent fire alarm control panels into a single system. Each panel may be programmed differently, while NOTI-FIRE-NET maintains integration among all units. To monitor existing conditions from a remote location, Notifier offers a choice of Gateways to access the control panel from any remote location. Each Gateway protocol may be programmed for a range of circumstances.

Installation

Contact a certified Notifier representative to design the best system for your facility. Early detection and notification are the most important elements of occupant safety.

Fire Alarm Design- The Retrofit

Fire Alarm Design – The Retrofit

As buildings age, so do their components. After 20 years or more, much of the electrical, heating, and plumbing equipment requires upgrades or replacement. More importantly, fire detection and alarm systems become antiquated and may not perform when needed. Grime accumulates, parts wear out, and older systems become obsolete compared to many of today’s state-of-the-art sensing devices.

The primary responsibility of a building owner is to protect the safety of the occupants. A closer review of the existing system may signal that your building is due for a fire alarm design retrofit.

Newer, more sensitive devices can detect smoke and other dangerous emissions far sooner than older ones could. Alarms and other notifications today can be transmitted wirelessly to central locations for rapid response.

Retrofitting Building Fire Alarm Designs

When retrofitting an existing building with a new fire alarm design, the first course of action is to consult with an expert who is licensed and experienced in mapping systems that will meet local requirements as well as the National Fire Alarm Code (NFA-72). Working with the consultant and local fire authorities during the design phase can prevent problems later.

Working with the blueprints or CAD-computerized replication of the building, the consultant can determine the number and placement of sensing and suppression devices, as needed.

Additional Functions of the Fire Alarm Retrofit

Besides smoke and fire detection, and alarm notification, modern devices can be wirelessly connected to a central monitoring location. Also, programmed voice and LED devices can be installed to guide evacuations. Other features of a fire alarm design retrofit could include the automatic unlocking of all stairwell and exit doors, self-illuminated lighting, emergency shut-off of hazardous gas, HVAC control to retard smoke, and evacuation route charting.