Denver Fire Alarm Test Prep

Initiating Devices and Notification Appliances

Ted “Smitty” Smith 2013

Initiating devices shall be protected from mechanical

damage Protective guards must be listed for use with the

device Duplicate terminals provided for the express purpose

of supervising the wire Detectors installed in concealed locations above 10’

AFF shall be provided with remote alarm indicators Remote alarm indicators must in an accessible

location and clearly marked for function and associated detector

17.4

General Requirements for Smoke and Heat

Detectors Can not be recessed unless specifically listed

for recessed mounting. Partitions and walls that extend to 15% of the

ceiling height effective divide the room and the locations on each side shall be considered separate rooms

17.5

Total or Complete Coverage includes

All rooms Storage areas Attics and lofts Other subdivisions of the building Inside all closets Enclosed stairways

17.5.3.1

Total coverage does NOT include inaccessible

areas Exception: Not required in a blind inaccessible

area if one of the following apply: Ceiling is attached to the underside of a

combustible roof Space is entirely filled with non combustible

insulation Spaces over room which do not exceed 50 square

feet Spaces between facing studs which are closer

than 6”

17.5.3.1

Total coverage does not require detectors below

open grid ceilings if: Grid openings are ¼” or larger Material thickness does not exceed least dimension Openings account for at least 70% of the surface

area Total coverage does not require detectors in

plenums above suspended ceilings when each connection from the plenum to the HVAC system has a detector.

17.5.3.1

Total coverage does not apply to under open

loading docks and shall not be required in accessible under floor spaces when: The space is not accessible for storage or

entrance The space contains no equipment, pipes, wires

or conveyors Floor over the space is tight No flammable liquids are on the floor above the

space

17.5.3.1

Partial, Selective and Non0required coverage

Intent is to protect against special hazards When installed must comply with NFPA 72

requirements as if it was a required area

17.5.3.2 and 17.5.3.3

HEAT DETECTOR GENERAL

Heat Detectors- General

Heat detection design docs has to include the performance objective of the system

Must be marked with a color code or numerals at least 3/8” to indicate temperature

Temperature of the detector shall be at least 20 degrees F above the maximum expected temperature at the ceiling.

17.6.1

Heat Detector Location and Spacing

Can not exceed their listing Detectors shall be located ½ their listed spacing from walls

and partitions within the top 15% of ceiling height All points on the ceiling shall have a detector within .7 of the

listed spacing Ceiling mount detectors shall NOT be mounted within 4” of

the sidewall Wall mounted heat detectors shall be mounted between 4”

and 12” of the ceiling Line type heat detectors shall be mounted within 20” of the

ceiling unless mounted on the bottom of joists and beams

17.6.3

Solid Joist Construction

Joists project down more than 4” and are spaced 3’ or less

Requires heat detectors be mounted on bottom of joists Spacing perpendicular to the joists shall be

reduced by 50%

17.6.3.2

Definition: Beam project down more than 4”

and spaced more than 3’ A ceiling is considered to be a smooth ceiling

if the beams project no more than 4” from the ceiling

Spacing at right angles to beam travel not more than 2/3 listing for 4.1” to 18”

More than 18” and more than 8’ on center: Each bay considered a separate area

17.6.3.3

Beams less than 12” and less than 8’ on

center detectors can be mounted to the bottom of the beam

Ratio rules: D/H Beam depth to Ceiling Height greater than .10 in Beam Pocket, Less than .10 on beam bottom W/H Beam spacing to Ceiling Height greater

than .40 in Beam pocket, less than .40 on beam bottom

17.6.3.3

Sloped Ceiling (Peak and Shed type)

Less than 30 degrees, all detectors spacing using height at ceiling

30 degrees plus: all detectors, except those at peak, spaced using average slope height or height of peak

Row of detectors first placed at or within 36” of the peak

17.6.3.4

Ceiling Heights up to and including 10’ shall

use heat detector listed spacing Ceiling Heights above 10’ and up to and

including 30’ shall reduce spacing using table Minimum spacing for heat detectors shall not

be required to be less than .4 times the height of the ceiling

17.6.3.5

SMOKE DETECTORS

During construction if installed for signaling

shall be cleaned and verified to be within listed sensitivity

During construction if not operational must be protected and then verified to within listed sensitivity or replaced

Where detection is not required during construction they should not be installed until AFTER clean up

17.7.1.11

Detectors installed on the sidewall shall have

some portion of the detector within 12” of the ceiling

Smoke detectors installed under raised floors shall be mounted in their listed orientation

Default spacing listing is 30’ unless otherwise marked

All points on the ceiling shall a detector within .7 times the selected spacing

17.7.3

Solid Joists and Beams Beam depth less than 10% of ceiling height

shall be considered a smooth ceiling Detectors permitted either on ceiling or on

bottom of beam 10% or greater

40% or greater detectors in pockets Smooth ceiling in parallel to beam ½ smooth ceiling perpendicular to the beams

17.7.3.2

Sloped Ceiling with Beam Parallel For sloping ceilings with the beams running

parallel up the slope Detectors shall be located within the pocket The ceiling height is the average height over

the slope Smooth ceiling shall be permitted within the

beam pocket parallel to the beams

17.7.3.2

For beam depths less than or equal to 10% of the ceiling

height detectors shall be located with smooth ceiling spacing perpendicular to the beams

For beam depths greater than 10% of the ceiling height the following applies for perpendicular spacing to the beams:

Where beam spacing is equal to or greater than 40% of the ceiling height, detectors shall be located in each pocket

Where beam spacing is less than 40% of the ceiling height detectors shall not be required to be in the pocket but shall be spaced not greater than 50% of smooth ceiling spacing

17.7.3.2

Sloped Ceiling (Peaked and Shed) For sloped ceilings with solid joists, smoke detectors

shall be located on the bottom of the joists For peaked ceilings, smoke detectors shall be

located within 3’ of peak For shed ceilings, smoke detectors shall be located

within 3’ of the high side For both peaked and shed ceilings, spacing shall be

based on a horizontal projection of the ceiling (measured horizontally, not down the slope)

17.7.3.3

Raised Floors and Suspended Ceilings Spaces above suspended ceilings and beneath

raised floors shall be considered separate areas for smoke detector spacing

Smoke detectors located in concealed areas shall not be a substitute for open air detectors

17.7.3.4

Air sampling Detectors Each port of an Air Sampling type smoke

detector shall be treated as a spot type smoke detector for the purposes of location and spacing

Max transport time from the farthest sampling point shall not exceed 120 seconds

Air sampling detectors shall give a trouble signal when air velocity is outside manufacturers specified range

17.7.3.6

Air sampling system piping shall be labeled

with SMOKE DETECTOR SAMPLING TUBE. DO NOT DISTURB

Air sampling tubes shall be labeled: At changes in direction or branches of piping At each side of penetrations At intervals of piping not greater than 20 feet

17.7.3.6

Projected Beam Detectors Projected beam detectors using mirrors shall be

installed according to the manufacturer’s instructions (normally reduce spacing by 1/3)

A projected beam-type detector shall be considered equivalent to a row of spot-type smoke detectors

***On smooth ceilings, spacing of not more than 60 feet between beams and 30 feet from a sidewall should be used as a guide

17.7.3.7

***Projected beams may be suspended from

the ceiling instead of wall mounted, with the transmitter and receiver no more than ¼ the selected spacing from the end walls

17.7.3.7

Heating, Ventilating, & Air-Conditioning (HVAC) Plenum areas require the use of smoke

detectors listed for such use, (HVAC) Smoke detectors in ducts or plenums are not a

replacement for open area detection ***Detectors should not be located closer than

36” from an HVAC supply or return opening

17.7.4

Duct Smoke Detectors Detectors installed in the air duct systems

shall not be a substitute for open air detectors NFPA 90A – Detectors approved for air duct

use shall be installed on the supply side of the air handling system per NFPA 90A (greater than 2000 cfm supply), return side duct detectors for greater than 15,000 cfm (return serving 2 or more floors)

17.7.5.5

Detectors installed in air ducts hall obtain a

representative sample of airstream Detectors may be mounted:

Rigidly with the duct On the wall of the duct with the sensing

element protruding into the duct Outside the duct with sampling tubes

protruding into the duct, through the duct using projected light beam

17.7.5.5

The location of all detectors installed in HVAC

duct system shall be clearly and permanently recorded

Detectors mounted outside the duct shall allow verification of airflow through the detector

All penetrations of the air duct in the vicinity of a detector shall be sealed

17.7.5.5

Door Release Detectors Open area detectors can be used for door

release service When door release is accomplished directly

from the smoke detectors, they shall be listed for door release service

For door release service, when the door header is 24’ or less from the ceiling 1 ceiling mounted or 2 wall mounted detector(s) shall be required

17.5.5.6

For door release service, when the door header is

greater than 24” on one side only 1 ceiling mounted (on higher side) or 2 wall mounted detectors shall be required

For door release service, 2 ceiling or wall mounted detectors shall be required 1 on each side of the door when the door header is more than 24”, on both sides, from the ceiling

For door release service when using detectors specifically listed for door frame mounting; only one detector shall be required

17.5.5.6

When using integral door closer/smoke

detectors 1 detector shall be required When door release is intended to prevent

smoke transmission in one direction only, 1 detector shall be required on the side of smoke confinement

Where multiple doorways exist and the distance between them exceeds 24”, they shall be treated separately

17.5.5.6

Where ceiling mounted detectors are installed

for single or double doorways they shall be installed: On the centerline of the doorway No more than 5’ measured along the ceiling and

perpendicular to the door Away from the door a distance equal to or

greater than the depth of the door header or 12” whichever is greater

17.5.5.6

Nameplates for notification appliances shall

include electrical requirements Nameplates for appliances shall include rated

audible or visible performance or both Nameplates for appliances shall include their

operation parameters or reference their installation documents which have that information

18.3

Appliances used in special environments shall

be listed for such use Appliances used for signaling other than fire

shall not have the word “FIRE” or any fire symbol on it

Appliances shall be mounted and supported independently of their conductors

Appliances shall be provided with terminals or leads such that connections are monitored for integrity (supervised)

18.3

An average ambient sound level of 105 dBa shall

require a strobe The total sound pressure shall not exceed 110 dBa

anywhere in the occupied area Sounds from normal or permanent sources lasting

more than 60 seconds shall be included in ambient sound level measurement, sounds from temporary or abnormal sources are not required to be included

Voice/comm. Systems shall be prerecorded, synthesized , or live and have voice intelligibility

18.4.1