NY Fire Alarm Installer key terms

The organization or official, often a fire marshal or building department, that holds legal authority to review plans, issue permits, and approve or reject a fire alarm installation within its jurisdiction.

Equipment that has been tested and certified by a nationally recognized testing laboratory such as UL and appears in that laboratory's published directory for its intended use.

The National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code, which sets requirements for designing, installing, testing, and maintaining fire detection and alarm systems, including circuit performance, power, and inspection intervals.

The Life Safety Code, which governs means of egress and building fire protection features and determines when fire alarm systems, detection, and occupant notification are required in an occupancy.

The main panel that receives signals from initiating devices, processes them, operates notification appliances and output relays, monitors circuit integrity, and supplies power to the system.

A system whose components are all located within one building or group of buildings under single ownership and that detects and signals fire conditions inside those protected areas.

A system in which each initiating device or module carries its own unique address, allowing the control unit to identify and report the specific device that entered alarm or trouble.

A system in which initiating devices are wired together in zone circuits, so the control unit reports only the zone rather than the individual device when an alarm or trouble occurs.

The category assigned to a building or space, such as assembly, business, educational, or residential, based on how it is used, which drives the fire alarm features the code requires.

A detector that samples smoke at one localized point, usually on a ceiling, as opposed to a projected-beam detector that samples smoke across a long open path.

A detector with a light source and photosensor in a chamber; smoke entering scatters light onto the sensor and causes an alarm. It responds especially well to smoldering fires.

A detector containing a small radioactive source that ionizes air in a chamber; smoke particles change the chamber current and trigger an alarm. It responds quickly to flaming fires.

A device that signals alarm when surrounding air reaches a fixed set temperature or rises faster than a set rate, instead of responding to smoke particles.

A detector mounted on an air handling duct with sampling tubes that senses smoke moving through the HVAC system and typically initiates fan shutdown along with alarm signaling.

A manually operated device, usually wall mounted along an exit path, that a person pulls or pushes to send an alarm signal to the fire alarm control unit.

A device on a sprinkler system pipe that senses water movement caused by an open sprinkler head and sends an alarm signal to the fire alarm control unit.

A supervisory device that monitors the position of a sprinkler control valve or similar critical component and sends a trouble signal when it moves from its normal position.

The output circuit that supplies power to horns, strobes, speakers, and similar appliances, and that the control unit monitors for open circuits, short circuits, and grounds.

A device such as a horn, bell, or chime that produces sound to warn occupants; its output must exceed ambient noise by a code-specified margin in the occupied area.

A strobe or flashing light that alerts occupants who are deaf or hard of hearing; its intensity in candela must suit the room size and mounting height.

A system that broadcasts recorded or live voice messages through speakers to direct occupants during an emergency, with speech intelligibility as a key design requirement.

The requirement that visible appliances serving the same area flash at the same time and rate, avoiding the increased seizure risk created by unsynchronized strobes.

The circuit connecting detectors, pull stations, and other initiating devices to the control unit; it is monitored so that opens, shorts, and grounds produce a trouble signal.

A signaling circuit in which a single open or ground fault disables the portion of the circuit beyond the fault, because no redundant return path exists.

A signaling circuit that leaves the control unit, serves all devices, and returns by a separate path, so a single open fault does not stop devices from operating in alarm.

A resistor placed at the far end of a conventional supervised circuit that draws a known normal current; the control unit detects alarm or trouble when that current changes.

A circuit the control unit continuously monitors for abnormal conditions such as opens, short circuits, and grounds, so failures are annunciated instead of going unnoticed.

The normal commercial AC source for the system, typically a dedicated branch circuit feeding the control unit through a marked disconnect or overcurrent device.

The backup source, usually rechargeable batteries, that powers the system when normal AC fails and is sized for a code-required standby period plus alarm duration.

A computation that adds standby current drawn over the required hours to alarm current drawn over the required minutes, then adds a capacity margin for battery aging.

The loss of voltage along a circuit's conductors due to resistance; excessive drop can prevent notification appliances at the end of the circuit from operating correctly.

A fire alarm interface function that automatically sends elevators to a designated floor and removes them from normal service when a lobby or machine room detector activates.

The connection, made through monitored modules or relays, between the fire alarm control unit and other building systems such as sprinklers, HVAC, elevators, or door holders.

The on-site test performed after installation to show that the completed system operates as designed and meets code before the authority having jurisdiction approves it.

A document signed by the installer and owner that lists the installed components, design features, and test results and confirms the fire alarm work is finished.

A field test confirming that a smoke detector's response falls within its listed sensitivity range, using a test instrument or the detector's calibrated readout.

A condition in which a fire alarm or suppression system, or part of it, is out of service; it requires notification, a written record, and often a fire watch.