NY Fire Alarm Installer flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

NFPA 72

National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code; covers design, installation, testing, inspection, and maintenance of fire alarm and signaling systems, and is adopted by reference through the NYC codes.

NEC Article 760

The National Electrical Code article governing fire alarm circuit wiring, including Class 1, Class 2, Class 3, and power-limited fire alarm circuits, conductor listing, and separation from power wiring.

Authority having jurisdiction

In New York City, the FDNY performs this role for fire alarm plan review, permits, and witnessed acceptance testing, enforcing the adopted Fire Code and its referenced standards.

UL 864 listing

The product standard for fire alarm control units; equipment must be listed for its intended use and installed in accordance with the manufacturer's published instructions and listing conditions.

Protected premises system

A local fire alarm system that sounds notification only within the protected building and does not transmit signals off premises to a supervising station.

Central station system

A supervising station listed to UL 827, staffed 24 hours a day, that receives alarm, supervisory, and trouble signals over two independent supervised communication paths.

NYC high-rise definition

A building having an occupied floor located more than 75 feet above the lowest level of fire department vehicle access, triggering voice evacuation and other high-rise features.

Voice evacuation system

An in-building emergency communications system delivering live or prerecorded voice messages; it requires intelligible speaker coverage and 24 hours standby plus 15 minutes of alarm secondary power.

Smoke detector spacing

On smooth ceilings, spot-type smoke detectors are spaced no more than 30 feet apart, with the last detector within 15 feet of walls or partitions and at least 4 inches from the wall.

Heat detector spacing

Baseline spacing of 50 feet with 25 feet to walls for a 10-foot ceiling; the listed spacing of the specific device governs and must be reduced as ceiling height increases.

Duct smoke detector

Required in supply ducts over 2,000 cfm and return ducts over 15,000 cfm; mounted per the airflow arrow, away from bends, and ahead of filters and branch takeoffs.

Manual pull station placement

Manual fire alarm boxes are mounted 42 to 48 inches above finished floor, within 5 feet of the exit door opening, and unobstructed along the normal path of egress.

Waterflow alarm timing

A sprinkler waterflow switch must cause alarm annunciation within 90 seconds of sustained flow; valve tamper switches on control valves report as supervisory signals instead.

Audible alarm level

Notification appliances must produce a sound level 15 dBA above the average ambient, or 5 dBA above ambient where ambient exceeds 105 dBA, measured in the occupied area.

Sleeping area alarm level

Alarms in sleeping areas must reach at least 75 dBA at the pillow and 15 dBA above ambient, and must use a 520 Hz low-frequency tone where required.

Candela rating selection

Visible appliance intensity is sized to room dimensions and ceiling height per NFPA 72 tables, for example about 15 cd for a 20 by 20 foot room with a 10-foot ceiling.

Temporal-3 pattern

The standard evacuation tone: three 0.5-second pulses separated by 0.5-second pauses, followed by a 1.5-second pause, then repeating continuously.

Visible signal synchronization

Visible notification appliances within the same field of view must flash in synchronization at a rate of 1 to 2 flashes per second to reduce seizure risk.

Class B circuit

A supervised two-wire circuit terminated with an end-of-line resistor; a single open fault causes a trouble and disables every device located beyond the break.

Class A circuit

A supervised circuit with a return path to the control unit; a single open or ground fault does not prevent any device on the circuit from operating.

FPLR and FPLP cable

Fire alarm cable listings under NEC Article 760: FPLR is listed for riser use, FPLP for plenum spaces, and FPL for general-purpose use in approved locations.

Two-hour circuit survivability

High-rise and partial-evacuation systems must protect alarm and voice circuits with 2-hour circuit integrity, using CI cable or a listed 2-hour rated enclosure.

24-hour standby requirement

Protected premises secondary power must carry the system 24 hours in standby plus 5 minutes in alarm; voice evacuation systems require 24 hours plus 15 minutes of alarm.

Battery sizing formula

Capacity equals standby current times 24 hours plus alarm current times alarm duration, with the result multiplied by a derating factor such as 1.25 for battery aging.

Battery capacity rating

Sealed lead-acid battery capacities are published at the 20-hour discharge rate; sizing uses that rating and the manufacturer's derating data for temperature and end voltage.

Dedicated AC circuit

The fire alarm control unit branch circuit must be dedicated, unswitched, provided with a lockable disconnecting means, and marked "FIRE ALARM CIRCUIT CONTROL".

Acceptance test scope

Acceptance testing verifies 100 percent of initiating devices, notification appliances, and interface functions, plus primary power, secondary power, and simulated 24-hour standby operation.

Elevator recall interface

Smoke detectors in elevator lobbies, the machine room, and the hoistway initiate Phase I automatic recall; Phase II is keyed in-car operation used by firefighters.

Record of Completion

The NFPA 72 document prepared by the installing contractor at acceptance, describing the system, devices, and certifications, and delivered to the building owner.

Smoke detector sensitivity test

Detector sensitivity must be verified within one year of installation and at subsequent NFPA 72 intervals; detectors outside the listed range are cleaned, adjusted, or replaced.

Impairment procedure

Before taking a fire alarm system out of service, notify occupants and the FDNY, establish a fire watch, and record the impairment and its restoration in the log.

ITM records retention

Inspection, testing, and maintenance records are retained until the next scheduled test and must be made available to the authority having jurisdiction on request.