KEN KIRSCHENBAUM, ESQ ALARM - SECURITY INDUSTRY LEGAL EMAIL NEWSLETTER / THE ALARM EXCHANGE You can read all of our articles on our website. Having trouble getting our emails? Change your spam controls and whitelist ken@kirschenbaumesq.com ********************** Comments on AHJ issue over response time for multiple fire alarms / Software webinars tomorrow October 10, 2023 ************************ SEE WEBINAR REGISTRATION BELOW – REGISTER NOW ***************************** Comments on AHJ issue over response time for multiple fire alarms from article on September 21, 2023 ***************************** Ken My first question would be do the other dealers in the area have the same problem, if yes how do they deal with it? If not find out what equipment they use, what CS they use, or who you made angry. Jim ***************************** Ken, I talked about this about three years ago on your forum here. Here is the information I provided then. I did not cross reference it to todays current code as some AHJ's are still using NFPA 72 2016 edition and earlier. This answer should help name withheld with his issue. Assuming name withheld is not in Canada as they have a stricter signal transmission time than NFPA 72 here in the USA. See below: I did some research to find the code sections in reference to the maximum allowable time it take for a fire alarm signal once originated from the protected building to the central station, and then to the fire dispatch center. In chapter 26 of the 2016 edition of NFPA 72 section 26.3.8 allows a maximum of 90 seconds for a fire alarm signal once initiated from a premise until it is displayed at the central station. This is the first timing regiment. Section 26.2.1.2* states that the central station shall immediately retransmit the signal to the fire command center. The * on this code section shows that there is additional information in Annex A. In annex A under A26.2.1.2 it qualifies the word "immediate" to mean "without unreasonable delay" and goes on to say that routine signal handling at the central station should take a maximum of 90 seconds upon receipt without unreasonable delay. So what could be a "reasonable delay." The time it takes for the public switched telephone network to route the call once the central station has dialed the fire dispatch phone number could be one delay or if the fire command phone number that was dialed shows a busy signal and must be redialed. The time it takes for the communications to answer the phone and take the call from the central station reporting the alarm could be another reasonable delay. These are examples of the reasonable delays I have seen with alarm reporting that are outside the control of any central station reporting the alarm to the fire command or dispatch center. Section 26.2.2 talks about verification which we do not do on commercial fire alarms but in annex A for A26.2.2 it does talk about a maximum of 90 seconds from the time of initiation of fire alarm retransmission to the fire communications center. In past earlier years editions of NFPA 72 it talked about this under end to end communications times. Most all of them use the phrase "without unreasonable delay" but, they don't give examples of what is a reasonable delay is like I have illustrated above. In order to accurately time a fire alarm signal you would need to be on the phone with the central station to be alerted when the signal has displayed there and time it from when it was first initiated at the premise. The display at the central station from initiation at the premise is 90 seconds. The next 90 seconds is the time the central station has until it makes the "attempt" to communicate to the fire command or dispatch center. This timing stops when the central station operator dials the fire dispatch phone number. I have been on past jobs where Fire Inspectors have said that the alarm should be coming across their radio within 3 minutes from the time the horn strobes activate. This is not true or supported by NFPA 72 or any other NFPA code and has been a misunderstanding for some time now. I hope this helps answer any questions and concerns. If I can assist in any way please feel free to call on me. Thank you, Ron Baumann, NICET IV *************************** Ken NFPA 72 does not have a set amount of time for the supervising station to retransmit a signal to the communications center. All of my references are from the 2022 edition of NFPA 72. Section 26.2.1.2 requires that, unless exempted by 26.2.2 and 29.10.9.7, that signals received at the supervising station shall be “immediately” retransmitted to the communications center. Section 3.3.144 gives a definition of “immediately” as “Performed without unreasonable delay.” The 2022 edition of NFPA 72 has 2 additions in regards to subsequent signals from the same protected premise. Section 26.2.1.4.1 requires the supervising station to continue to retransmit signals from the supervising station to the communications center. Section 26.2.1.4.2 allows the communications center to direct the supervising station to cease retransmitting signals for the protected premise in question, and this suppression time can be for up to an hour, after which, the supervising station would be required to again retransmit signals to the communications center. I am guessing that the 90 second time that your AHJ is referencing is the traditional “End-to-End” communication time for alarm signals. So for example, in the 2022 edition of NFPA 72, section 26.6.3.8 (under Performance Based Technologies), requires that the maximum duration between the initiation of an alarm signal at the protected premise, transmission of the signal, and subsequent display and recording of the alarm signal at the supervising station shall not exceed 90 seconds. This 90 second rule for getting the signal from the protected premise to the supervising station has been in place for many editions of NFPA 72 for DACT’s, and in the 2022 edition is in section 26.6.4.2.3.3. The time that it takes the supervising station operator to retransmit the signal to the communications center is not included in this 90 second requirement. Once the supervising station receives the signal, the NFPA only requires that they retransmit that signal to the communications center immediately, or as per the definition, without unreasonable delay. 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