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Students often rece/ve notification of a weather or security event ¡n multiple formats, including on their laptops. All photos: Siemens

RISK ANALYSIS andmass notification

NFPA 72 includes risk

analysis, which covers

natural, technological,

and manmade disas-

ters—and addresses

scenarios of concern,

probability, and poten-

tial consequences.

BY RAY GRILL, PE, FSFPE, Arup, Washingtor), D.C.

In the fire alarm community, there hasbeen a lot of discussion about massnotification. The incorporation of mass

notification systems (MNS) in buildings firstgot attention after the Dept. of Defense(DoD) began requiring the installation ofsuch systems as a result of the attack onKhobar Towers in Saudi Arabia in 1996.

Khobar Towers provided housing for theU.S. Air Force, Saudi Air Force, and othermilitary. The explosion—detonated out-side of this high-rise residential building—caused 20 fatalities and injured 372 people.

The marines on security duty became awareof the impending event and did everythingthey could to try to warn occupants, butwithout equipment to facilitate notifica-tion, they were unable to warn all of theoccupants before the explosion.

As a result of the Khobar Towers attack,MNS was required through the DoD Uni-fied Facilities Criteria (UFC) 4-010-01 "DoDMinimum Antiterrorism Standards forBuildings," which became effective in 2002.Concurrently, UFC 4-021-01 "Design andO&M; MNSs" was developed. UFC 4-021-

Consuiting-Specifying Engineer • APRiL 2010

01 provided the design, installation, andmaintenance requirements for MNS.

Soon thereafter, the Air Force petitionedNFPA to start a standard development proj-ect to address the design and installationof MNS, with a goal of revising NFPA 72 toallow fire alarm systems to also performmass notification functions. In response tothat petition, NFPA expanded the scope ofthe Signaling Systems for the Protection ofLife and Property Project to include massnotification.

This scope expansion resulted in signifi-cant revisions to the 2007 edition of NFPA72 focused on allowing fire alarm systemsto also function as MNS. An annex to the2007 edition of NFPA 72 provided guidancefor the design and installation of MNS.

The work of the committees did notstop there. The 2010 edition of NFPA 72was revised, reorganized, and expanded. Itnow includes requirements for the design,installation, and maintenance of MNS in a

The work of the committees did not stop there.The 2010 edition of NFPA 72 was revised,reorganized, and expanded. It now includesrequirements for the design, installation, andmaintenance of MNS in a new Chapter 24 titled,"Emergency Communication Systems."

new Chapter 24 titled, "Emergency Com-munication Systems." This chapter includesall the requirements for emergency voice/alarm communication systems, firefightercommunications, and mass notification. Thename of the code has also been changedfrom the "National Fire Alarm Code" to the"National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code"to recognize this expansion of scope.

As with other systems addressed bythe code, NFPA 72 does not require anMNS to be installed. However, if one is

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provided, the code requires that the systembe designed, installed, and maintainedin accordance with the provisions ofNFPA 72.

Risk analysis

Prior to the incorporation of mass noti-fication requirements in the body of thecode, NFPA 72 did not have any require-ments for risk analysis. While the 2007edition of NFPA 72 has guidelines for thedesign and installation of mass notifica-tion in Annex E, there are no require-ments. The body of the 2007 edition wasmodified to change language that previ-ously prevented a fire alarm system fromeither performing mass notification orbeing integrated with an MNS.

When the new Technical Committee onEmergency Communications Systems wasconsidering Annex E guidelines for thedesign of an MNS for incorporation intothe code as requirements, the committeerealized that many of the MNS designrecommendations needed to consider thespecifics of the project and the many vari-ables that could apply. In order to writerequirements for MNS in the body of the

y

Office and warehousenotification systemsmust be both audibleand visual, tike thissign.

code, the committeedetermined that per-formance-based designapproaches would needto be incorporated. Per-formance-based designincludes risk analysis.

A key requirementof the 2010 edition ofNFPA 72 is that MNS bedesigned to address thenature and anticipatedrisks of the facility. Therequirement for a riskanalysis recognizes that

design approaches for MNS have to bespecific to each project and may need tovary significantly from facility to facility inorder to meet safety goals. The commit-tee also realized that prescriptive require-ments could not address all situations.

What is a risk analysis?NFPA 72 defines risk analysis as a pro-

cess to chararterize the likelihood, vul-nerability, and magnitude of incidentsassociated with natural, technological,and manmade disasters and other emer-gencies that address scenarios of concern,their probability, and their potential con-sequences.

While the code identifies things thatshould be considered in the risk analysis, itdoes not define the detail of analysis. Thecode does not intend that a risk analysisbe a thesis. The depth of analysis needsto be discussed with the owner and otherstakeholders as early as possible in thedesign process to facilitate the work.

The design brief and risk analysis shouldbe prepared and approved before theactual design of the system is procuredto avoid either additional cost for design

Input #212 at csemag.œnVquickresponseConsulting-Spacifying Engineer • APRIL 2010

features that weren't anticipated beforethe risk analysis was prepared, or over-paying for a system that anticipated morefeatures or devices than needed to meetthe safety goals.

Where is a risk analysis required?The design of an MNS requires that a

design brief be prepared using recognizedperformance-based design practices. Thedesign brief becomes the basis for theMNS design and a document that all ofthe design team members, owner, author-ity having jurisdiction, and other stake-holders can agree on. In the context ofcompliance with NFPA 72 2010 edition,the approved design brief sets featuresand performance of the MNS for a spe-cific facility or application. Guidelines forthe preparation of a design brief won'tbe discussed here, but the Society of FireProtection Engineers (SFPE) publishes aguide to performance based design thatis widely recognized in the design andenforcement community.

NFPA 72 specifically requires a risk anal-ysis to be performed under the followingconditions:

partmentation features (i.e., automaticdoor closure). For events other than fire,it may be appropriate and necessary forthese systems to perform one way in afire emergency and another way in theevent of a different type of emergency.Depending on the situation, operationin fire mode in a nonfire condition maycreate confusion or a hazard to life. Thatis why the code recognizes the need toallow for other signals to take priorityover fire alarm signals.

In the case of systems that use trainedpersonnel to direct emergency actions,if the signals to these trained personnelare not given the necessary and appro-priate priority, it may prevent personnelfrom receiving a notification signal thatrequires their immediate action to dirertoccupants or emergency responders.

Drivers of risk analysisThe need for the MNS to be specific to

the application is the main driver for therisk analysis. While there can be manydifferent fire scenarios in a building, theactions required to address occupantsafety can be defined prescriptively in the

The challenge with an MNS is that every facilityor campus has unique risks that need to be

addressed by the system design.

• When signals other than fire signalsneed to take precedence• To inform the determination of surviv-ability criteria for emergency communica-tion system circuits when not specificallydefined by the code• If an MNS is being provided.

Signal priority can impact not only theactivation of notification appliances andthe activation of messages, but also activa-tion of other building features that maybe expected to operate in an emergency.These features might include exhaust andHVAC systems, containment, and com-

code. Performance-based design is appliedwhen there is either a unique buildingdesign or unique hazard that requiresa more in-depth analysis to achieve lifesafety or property goals.

The challenge with an MNS is thatevery facility or campus has unique risksthat need to be addressed by the systemdesign. Nonfire events that should be con-sidered include:• Security breach (presence ofarmed assailants, etc)• Public disturbance (demonstration,riot, etc.)

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Input #213 at osemag.œm/quidtresponseConsulting-Spscifying Engineer • APRIL 2O1O O

NS design featuresI A number of features of a mass notifica-

n system (MNS) are specifically driven by

e risk analysis. These include:

•Whether the system is provided with

apability for remote operation

The definition of notification zones

•Content of the messages and whether

ire-recorded messages wilt be used

'The level oí survivability of notification

Ippljance circuits

Priority of signals (at control equipment

tnd those sent to recipients)

Whether Ihe system will be allowed

9 automatically send messages to

recipients

•Type, location, and security of control

md interface equipment

Whether the system will control the

peration of other building systems

Whether wide area signaling (outside of

•uildings) is required or provided.

• Health (toxic chemical release)

• Geological (earthquake, volcano,

tsunami, etc.)

• Meteorological (tornado, hurricane,

flood, hail, etc.)

• Utility outage

• Medical emergency

• Terrorism-related.

The owner and operators of a facility

need to be involved to assist in defining

the potential risks. A number of questions

should be asked to identify the risks and fea-

tures that may need to be incorporated in a

system design. Here are some examples:

• What event(s) may occur that would need

emergency action (i.e., is it fire, security,

safety, health, environmental, geological,

meteorological, utility service disruption,

or another type of event)?

• What is the urgency of the emergency

event? How quickly will action need

to be taken to avoid injury or

property damage?

• What is the expected severity

of an event?

• What is the probability of an

event occurring?

• What areas of the facility

are subject to the risk?

• What actions need to be taken by

occupants and emergency responders

for each event?

• What is the validity of the emergency

event, and has the emergency event

been investigated and/or confirmed?

• What general and special instructions

should we send to which occupants?

Risk analysis considerations

Key factors that need to be considered

in the risk analysis include:

• The number of people that need to

be notified for the various events

" Characteristic of the occupancy

(i.e., building construction, equipment,

operations)

" Management/staff capabilities

• Extent of notification (there may be

different first responders for different

emergencies).

Emergency response plan

The risk analysis also provides the basis

for the development of the emergency

response plan. The MNS design should be

coordinated with this plan. The risk analysis

may also identify areas of improvement or

modifications needed for the emergency

response plan.

The emergency response plan

should include the following:

• Emergency response team members

and structure

• Emergency response procedures for

each expected type of event

• Emergency response equipment

• Notification/communication

• Message content

• Message recipients

• Authority to send messages

• Initiation procedure

• Emergency response training and drills.

A framework

It was not the intent of the NFPA 72

Technical Committee on Emergency Com-

munication Systems that every risk analysis

be a thesis paper. Preparing a risk analysis

for an MNS can be challenging. One of the

first steps isto get the stakeholders on the

same page in defining the purpose and

goals for the MNS as well as the threats.

The owner and ultimate user of the sys-

tem need to take an active role in defining

these factors. If they don't actively par-

ticipate in this process, the designer could

miss important factors that aren't obvious

to an outside party or make design deci-

sions that are not compatible with the

facilities emergency management plan or

operations.

Different facilities will need different

depths of risk analysis. The breadth and

depth of analysis should be agreed upon

with the owner at the beginning of the

process and should be documented in

the risk analysis. A basic outline for a risk

analysis for the purpose of informing MNS

design should include:

• Project description

• Goals and purpose of the MNS

• Expected characteristics of the occu-

pants

• Expected characteristic of management

and staff (availability, roles in emergen-

cies, etc.)

• Occupancy characteristics (threats and

hazards present)

• Anticipated events that could present a

risk (internal and external)

• Given the factors above, design fea-

tures required for the system to be

effective. Icsel

Griil is a principal with Arup, where he focus-

es on fire protection engineering. He is a

memberoiConsulting Specifying Engineer's

editorial advisory board and a past president

of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers.

Consulting-Specifying Engineer • APRIL 2010

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