Section 10.5.1 of NFPA 72 requires the system designer to be qualified and experienced in the design of fire alarm systems. Some jurisdictions have local requirements, and may permit or prohibit some parties from design work unless properly
licensed (e.g., Professional Engineer). Having a qualified designer on your team will almost always result in better quality products that are accepted more quickly. Many state licensing boards prosecute those who design without proper licenses. It is advisable to understand and comply with all local laws regarding this issue.

Shop drawings must contain a minimum amount of information in order to be used in the field. Shop drawings are intended to provide sufficient information for a minimally qualified installer to install the system. Section 7.4 of NFPA 72 contains the minimum requirements for shop drawings, where they are required by another document, such as the IBC. Where shop drawings are required, Section 7.4 requires complete drawings, calculations, matrix of operation, and specifications to be submitted for approval. Where required, the following items must be included on all design documents:

(1) Name of owner and occupant
(2) Location, including street address
(3) Device legend
(4) Date
(5) Input/output programming matrix
(6) Floor identification
(7) Point of compass
(8) Graphic scale
(9) All walls and doors
(10) All partitions extending to within 15 percent of the ceiling height
(11) Room descriptions
(12) Fire alarm device/component locations
(13) Locations of fire alarm primary power connection(s)
(14) Locations of monitor/control interfaces to other systems
(15) Riser diagram including locations & number of risers
(16) Type and number of circuits in each riser
(17) Routing for Class A compliance, where applicable
(18) Ceiling height and ceiling construction details
(19) General arrangement of the system, in building cross section
(20) Identification of the control equipment depicted
(21) All field wiring terminals and terminal identifications
(22) All circuits connected to field wiring terminals, and circuit identifications
(23) All indicators and manual controls, including the full text of all labels
(24) All field connections to supervising station signaling equipment, releasing equipment, and fire safety control interfaces
(25) Typical wiring diagrams for all initiating devices, notification appliances, and power supervisory devices.

Good shop drawings will facilitate better installations because they provide more complete information.

The primary reasons for failure at this phase of the project are:

(1) Incorrect code references
(2) Didn’t include applicable amendments
(3) Didn’t include stakeholders
(4) Designer didn’t understand the code
(5) Drawings didn’t contain correct information

Take the time to develop a good basis of design, specifications and design drawings.

Know the Code

In order to successfully navigate the choppy waters of fire alarm plans review, the designer must know and properly apply the requirements of the code. This will include the following:

• Detector spacing and placement requirements
• Notification appliance spacing
• Wiring requirements
• Battery calculations
• Notification Appliance Circuit (NAC) calculations

Detector spacing must meet all code requirements. High ceilings, non-smooth ceilings and high movement areas will require detector reduction. Reflected ceiling plans are essential to understand the necessary reductions.

Notification appliance spacing can cause a number of issues. Visible notification appliances have very strict prescriptive requirements, and many designers do not understand the complex rules. Additionally, the rooms that require visible notification appliance coverage must be identified. Break rooms, open offices, corridors, conference rooms, rest rooms and lobbies are areas that will require visible notification appliances. Audible notification appliance spacing is performance based, and achieving the required sound pressure level can be challenging. Understanding room characteristics, such as the type of wall and floor covering can be helpful. Designers with plenty of experience can be of great benefit.

Wiring must be shown on all fire alarm shop drawings. This means the size and routing of all conductors must be shown. It is a wise idea to use a wiring/conduit legend or conductor schedule on the drawings to clearly identify the conductors. Just referencing the NEC is not usually sufficient for most AHJs.

All calculations should be shown on drawings or in the submittals package. Battery calculations are required, and must now be designed with a 20% surplus beyond calculated capacity. Many manufacturers provide spreadsheets that can be used to calculate battery requirements and NAC voltage drops.

Pay Attention to Detail

Plan reviews aren’t that difficult. They require basic code knowledge, some understanding of product requirements. But most of all, they require attention to detail. If you are having difficulties with a review, sit down and examine why this is the case. You may be able to see a trend, such as with detector spacing or calculations.

Most AHJs greatly appreciate a good faith effort, especially when drawings are professionally drawn and a good effort was made to comply with the code. If necessary, sit with the AHJs in your jurisdiction and ask them how you could improve your work to meet their needs. You just may be surprised at the result!

Merton Bunker, PE has more than 23 years of engineering experience including 7 years at the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), where Merton served as both Signaling Engineer and Chief Electrical Engineer. Merton has a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (BSEE), a Master of Science in Engineering Management (MSEM), and is a registered Professional Engineer (PE) in Virginia, Maryland, District of Columbia, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Maine and New Hampshire.

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