MECKLENBURG COUNTY
FIRE MARSHAL’S OFFICE
Effective Date: 11/01/02
Purpose:
To establish a set of guidelines for performance testing of all newly installed or upgraded fire alarm
systems in order to ensure that all devices and related equipment (i.e. additional fire suppression and
extinguishing systems) meet the minimum requirements of NFPA 72.
Policy:
A. Plans and specifications, or ”shop drawings”, for automatic and manual fire protective
signaling systems shall be submitted and approved by the Mecklenburg County Fire
Marshal’s Office Plans Review Section prior to the installation of equipment and wiring. The
shop drawings shall include at a minimum:
1. Floor plan(s).
2. Locations of all alarm initiation and notification appliances.
3. Alarm control and trouble signaling equipment.
4. Annunciation equipment.
5. Power connection.
6. Battery calculations
7. Conductor types and sizes.
8. Voltage drops calculations.
9. Manufacturer, model numbers and listing information for equipment, devices and
materials.
10. Details of ceiling height and construction.
11. The interface of fire safety control functions.
B. Upon installation of all fire alarm systems and any related equipment, the system(s) shall be
subject to an acceptance test and witnessed by the Fire Marshal.
C. Upon installation and testing of the system(s), test certificates meeting the minimum
requirements of the applicable NFPA standards shall be provided to the inspector at his or her
request.
D. All systems and related fire suppression equipment shall be fully installed, tested and
confirmed operable prior to a Certificate of Occupancy being issued.
E. The following requirements are ones that meet the minimum requirements of NFPA 72 and the
North Carolina Fire Code and are provided as a guide in conducting the required acceptance
test(s):
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1. Manual Fire Alarm Boxes
a. Manual fire alarm boxes shall be located not more than 5 feet from the
entrance to each exit. Additional manual fire alarm boxes shall be located so
that travel distance to the nearest box does not exceed 200 feet measured
horizontally on the same floor.
Exception: Manual fire alarm boxes shall not be required in Group E occupancies where the
building is equipped throughout with an approved automatic sprinkler system, the notification
appliances will activate on sprinkler water flow and manual activation is provided from a
normally occupied location.
b. The height of the manual fire alarm boxes shall be a minimum of 42 inches
and a maximum of 48 inches measured vertically, from the floor level to the
activating handle or lever of the box.
c. Manual fire alarm boxes shall be red in color.
d. Where fire alarm systems are not monitored by a supervising station, an
approved permanent sign on or beside the box shall be installed that reads:
WHEN ALARM SOUNDS - CALL FIRE DEPARTMENT.
e. The fire official can require the installation of listed manual fire alarm box
protective covers to prevent malicious false alarms or to provide protection
from physical damage.
2. Power Supply and Wiring
a. Primary and secondary power supply and wiring shall comply with the
requirements of the ICC Electrical Code and NFPA 72.
3. Zones
a. Each floor shall be zoned separately and a zone shall not exceed 22, square
feet. The length of any zone shall not exceed 300 feet in any direction.
Exception: Automatic sprinkler system zones shall not exceed the area permitted by NFPA 13.
b. A zoning indicator panel and the associated controls shall be provided in an
approved location. The visual zone indication shall lock in until the system
is reset and shall not be canceled by the operation of an audible-alarm
silencing switch.
c. The primary purpose of the fire alarm system annunciation is to enable
responding personnel to identify the location of a fire quickly and
accurately and to indicate the status of emergency equipment or fire safety
functions that might affect the safety of occupants in a fire situation. All
required annunciation means shall be readily accessible to responding
personnel and shall be located as required by the fire official
to facilitate an efficient response to the fire situation.
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FIRE MARSHAL’S OFFICE
d. In buildings that have floors located more than 75 feet above the lowest level
of fire department vehicle access that are occupied for human occupancy, a
separate zone by floor shall be provided for all of the following types of
alarm-initiating devices where provided:
• Smoke detectors.
• Sprinkler water flow devices.
• Manual fire alarm boxes.
• Other types of automatic fire detection devices or suppression systems.
4. Alarm Notification Appliances.
a. Visible alarm notification appliances shall be provided in public and common
areas.
b. Group I-1 and R-1 sleeping accommodations shall be provided with a visible
alarm notification appliance, activated by both the in-room smoke alarm
and the building fire alarm system.
c. Wall-mounted appliances shall have their tops above the finished floors at
heights of not less than 90 inches and below the finished ceilings at heights
of not less than 6 inches. Wall-mounted appliances shall be mounted such
that the entire lens is not less than 80 inches and not greater than 96 inches
above the finished floor.
d. Visible notification appliances shall be located not more than 15 feet from
the end of the corridor with a separation not greater than 100 feet between
appliances. If there is an interruption of the concentrated viewing path, such
as a fire door, an elevation change, or any other obstruction, the area shall
be treated as a separate corridor.
e. In corridors where there are more than two visible notification appliances in
any field of view, they shall be spaced a minimum of 55 feet from each
other or they shall flash in synchronization.
5. Audible Alarms
a. Audible alarm notification appliances shall be provided and sound a
distinctive sound that is not to be used for any purpose other than that of a
fire alarm. The use of the distinctive three-pulse temporal pattern fire alarm
evacuation signal required by NFPA 72 became effective July 1, 1996, for
new systems installed after that date. The audible alarm notification
appliances shall provide a sound pressure level of 15 decibels (dBA) above
the average ambient sound level or 5 dBA above the maximum sound level
having a duration of at least 60 seconds, whichever is greater, in every
occupied space within the building. The minimum sound pressure levels
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shall be: 70 dBA in occupancies in Groups R and I-1; 90 dBA in
mechanical equipment rooms; and 60 dBA in other occupancies. The
maximum sound pressure level for audible alarm notification appliances
shall be 120 dBA at the minimum hearing distance from the audible
appliance. Where the average ambient noise is greater than 105 dBA,
visible alarm notification appliances shall be provided in accordance with
NFPA72 and audible alarm notification appliances shall not be required.
Exception: Visible alarm notification appliances shall be allowed in lieu of audible
alarm notification appliances in critical care areas of Group I-2
occupancies.
b. Where audible appliances are installed to provide signals for sleeping areas,
they shall have a sound level of at least 15 dBA above the average ambient
sound level or 5 dBA above the maximum sound level having a duration of
at least 60 seconds or a sound level of at least 70 dBA, whichever is greater,
measured at the pillow level in the occupiable area. If any barrier, such as a
door, curtain, or retractable partition, is located between the notification
appliance and the pillow, the sound pressure level shall be measured with
the barrier placed between the appliance and the pillow.
c. Actuation of alarm notification appliances or emergency voice
communications and annunciation at the protected premises shall occur
within 10 seconds after the activation of an initiating device.
d. Trouble signals required to indicate at the protected premises shall be
indicated by distinctive audible signals. These trouble signals shall be
distinctive from alarm signals and shall be located in an area where it is
likely to be heard.
6. Smoke Detectors.
a. Spot-type smoke detectors shall be located on the ceiling not less than 4
inches from a sidewall to the near edge or, if on a sidewall, between 4 and
12 inches down from the ceiling to the top of the detector.
b. On smooth ceilings, spacing of 30 feet shall be permitted.
c. Smoke detectors shall not be located directly in the air stream of supply
registers. In spaces served by air-handling systems, detectors shall not be
located where airflow prevents operation of the detectors.
d. An approved, single-station smoke alarm shall be installed in every guest
room and every living area and sleeping room within a guest suite in new
hotels and dormitories, in every sleeping room in lodges or rooming houses,
and inside and outside every sleeping area in the immediate vicinity of the
bedrooms and on all levels of the dwelling unit including basements in new
apartment buildings.
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Exception: In apartment buildings protected throughout by an approved supervised automatic
sprinkler system, the smoke alarms are not required inside the sleeping rooms.
e. In new construction where two or more smoke alarms are required within a
living unit, suite of rooms, or similar area, they shall be arranged so that
operation of any smoke alarm shall cause the alarm in all smoke alarms
within the living unit, suite of rooms or similar area to sound.
f. The alarms shall sound only within an individual living unit, suite of rooms or
similar area and shall not actuate the building fire alarm system.
g. Duct smoke detectors shall be connected to the building’s fire alarm control
panel when a fire alarm system is provided. Activation of a duct smoke
detector shall initiate a visible and audible supervisory signal at a constantly
attended location.
Exceptions:
• The supervisory signal at a constantly attended location is not
required where duct smoke detectors activate the building’s
alarm notification appliances.
• In occupancies not required to be equipped with a fire alarm
system, actuation of a smoke detector shall activate a visible and
an audible signal in an approved location. Smoke detector
trouble conditions shall activate a visible or audible signal in an
approved location and shall be identified as air duct detector
trouble.
h. System-type smoke detectors or other automatic fire detection located in
elevator lobbies, elevator hoist ways and elevator machine rooms used to
initiate fire fighter’s service recall shall be connected to the building fire
alarm system. A lobby smoke detector shall be located on the ceiling within
21 feet of the centerline of each elevator door within the elevator bank
under control of the detector.
i. Smoke detectors shall not be installed in elevator hoist ways.
Exception: Where the top of the elevator hoist way is protected by automatic sprinklers or
where a smoke detector is installed to activate the elevator hoist way smoke relief equipment
7. Door Release Service and Unlocking Devices.
a. Magnetic door holders that allow doors to close upon loss of operating power
shall not be required to have a secondary power source.
b. Any device or system intended to actuate the locking or unlocking of exits
shall be connected to the fire alarm system serving the protected premises.
c. All exits connected shall unlock upon receipt of any fire alarm signal by
means of the fire alarm system serving the protected premises and shall also
unlock upon loss of the primary power.
8. Fire-Extinguishing Systems.
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FIRE MARSHAL’S OFFICE
a. Automatic fire-extinguishing systems or suppression systems shall be
connected to the building fire alarm system where a fire alarm system is
required.
9. Alarm Signals and Monitoring.
a. Fire alarm systems and automatic sprinkler systems shall be monitored by an
approved supervising station in accordance with NFPA 72.
Exceptions:
• Single and multiple-station smoke alarms required by IBC Section 907.2.10.
• Smoke detectors in Group I-3 occupancies.
• Supervising service is not required for automatic sprinkler
systems in one- and two-family dwellings.
• Limited area sprinkler systems serving fewer than 20 sprinklers.
b. Manual fire alarms, automatic fire extinguishing systems, and emergency
alarm systems in Group H occupancies shall be monitored by an approved
supervising station.
Exception: When approved by the building official, on-site monitoring at a constantly attended
location shall be permitted provided that notifications to the fire department will be equal to
those provided by an approved supervising station.
c. Water flow detecting devices shall initiate an alarm no more than 90 seconds
after a sustained flow of at least 10 gpm.
d. Upon activation of the initiating device(s), receipt of the correct initiating
device signal at the supervising central station until the initiation of
retransmission to the public fire service communications center should take
a maximum of 90 seconds.
e. A minimum of two separate means of interconnection shall be provided
between the primary and remote communications center receiving
equipment. This interconnection shall be dedicated and shall not be used for
any other purpose.
Revised Date: 11/01/09
PEOPLE • PRIDE • PROGRESS • PARTNERSHIPS
700 North Tryon Street • Charlotte, North Carolina 28202-2236 • (704) 336-2154 Fax (704) 336-3846
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