| Capital Projects Home Page |
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| Division 16 Electrical |
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| 16-11 | Fire Alarms And Detection Systems |
| A. | Codes And Standards |
| See Fire and Life Safety for regulatory requirements. Comply with the most current edition of the following standards: NFPA 70, 72, 72E, 72G, and 74. Automatic fire detectors shall be selected, located and spaced according to the guidelines contained in NFPA 72E and its appendices.Description: Provide general description of project in this section |
| B. | Fire Alarm Control Panel |
| 1. | The fire alarm control system shall be addressable using a Pyrotronics MXL control panel. In small buildings, a hard-wired system may be substituted, using a Pyrotronics System 3 control panel. Approval for this substitution must be obtained in advance from Capital Projects (CP). |
| 2. | If any type of fire alarm control panel other than the above two Pyrotronics models is specified, it must be reviewed for approval in advance by Planning, Design and Construction (CP). |
| 3. | All doors and other front-covers on fire alarm control panels shall swing on factory-installed hinges. Front-covers which need to be lifted off and removed from the panel to gain access to the wiring terminals shall not be allowed. |
| C. | Fire Alarm Sub-Panels |
| When fire alarm sub-panels are needed, they shall be located immediately adjacent to the main fire alarm control panel. |
| D. | Manual Pull Stations |
| 1. | For new addressable installations, manual pull stations shall be Pyrotronics MSI-10. |
| 2. | For new hard-wired installations, manual pull stations shall be Pyrotronics MS-57 or equivalent. The two poles of the switch shall be wired in parallel for backup purposes. |
| 3. | For additions to existing installations, manual pull stations shall be of the same brand and model as existing ones, if available. |
| 4. | When manual pull stations are surface-mounted (as opposed to flush-mounted), proper back-boxes specifically manufactured for the device shall be used. Ordinary electrical junction boxes shall not be acceptable as back-boxes. |
| 5. | All manual pull stations shall be mounted at a height of 48" on center above finished floor. |
| E. | Automatic Fire Detectors |
| 1. | Smoke detectors for the initiation of building-wide alarms shall be Pyrotronics ID-60I or DI-3 (ionization-type) or Pyrotronics ID-60P or PE-3 (photoelectric-type) or equivalent. |
| 2. | Smoke detectors for local-alarm initiation (i.e., detectors with integral horns) shall be Gentex 710 series or Gentex 7100 series or equivalent. |
| 3. | Shunt-trip smoke detectors, which transmit an alarm signal via a normally closed contact (open on alarm) shall not be permitted. |
| 4. | Smoke detectors powered solely by batteries shall not be permitted except for battery-powered smoke detectors installed on a temporary basis to provide for coverage while the permanent smoke detectors or fire alarm system are under repair or otherwise not functioning. |
| 5. | Smoke Detector Operating Voltage: |
| a. | Smoke detectors which activate the building fire alarm system shall be powered by the power supply of the fire alarm control panel and be designed for the operating voltage of the fire alarm system (usually 22 to 28 volts DC). They shall receive their operating power on the same pair of wires which is used for signaling the control panel. These are commonly called zone-powered smoke detectors. |
| b. | Smoke detectors which do not activate the building fire alarm system (e.g., dormitory room smoke detectors with integral horn) shall be 120-volt devices. Power to these detectors shall be controlled by the same circuit breaker that controls the building fire alarm system. |
| 6. | For high-value applications and for high-air-flow applications, air-sampling-type smoke detectors are preferable to spot-type smoke detectors. Brand and model shall be submitted to Capital Projects (CP) for approval. |
| 7. | For high-ceiling applications and for large rooms, photoelectric beam-type smoke detectors are preferred to spot-type smoke detectors. Submit brand and model to Capital Projects (CP) for approval. |
| 8. | For high-ceiling applications the possibility of smoke stratification shall be considered in the design of the smoke detection system. |
| 9. | The use of air-duct smoke detectors is discouraged. Air-duct smoke detectors shall be used only when required by the California State Fire Marshal for the control of heating, ventilating and air conditioning equipment. If an alternative technique for controlling the heating, ventilating and air conditioning equipment is available (e.g., 100% coverage of the affected area by spot-type smoke detectors), the alternative technique is preferred. |
| 10. | Air-duct smoke detectors, when used, shall trip the building fire alarm system in addition to controlling the heating, ventilating and air conditioning equipment. Air-duct smoke detectors shall not be used as a substitute for other types of automatic fire detection. Air-duct smoke detectors shall not serve as the sole method of automatic fire detection. |
| 11. | Spot-type smoke detectors shall be placed no closer than three feet to air-supply or air-return registers. |
| 12. | Rate-of-rise-type thermal detectors which utilize air passing through an orifice for their operation shall not be used in areas where high humidity is anticipated. |
| 13. | The requirements for periodic testing, cleaning, and calibration of fire detectors should be kept in mind when locating detectors. Access for maintenance crews should be as convenient as possible. |
| F. | Sprinkler Flow Switches |
| 1. | Sprinkler flow switches shall be equipped with an integral time delay device which provides a delay of at least 25 seconds but no more than 40 seconds from the beginning of water flow to the initiation of the alarm signal. |
| 2. | All sprinkler flow switches shall be capable of a routine water flow test using an inspector's test valve. Inspector's test valves shall be provided wherever necessary to accomplish this, preferably as far downstream from the flow switch as possible. |
| 3. | Each wet sprinkler system shall have a main flow switch. Sectional flow switches may also be provided. |
| G. | Tamper Switches |
| 1. | Each fire sprinkler shut off valve shall be provided with a tamper switch to supervise it electrically against closure. |
| 2. | On hard-wired systems, each tamper switch shall be wired to a tamper-switch zone in the fire alarm control panel. There shall be one such zone for each tamper switch. Tamper switches shall not be connected to flow switch zones. |
| 3. | Tamper switch activation shall not summon the fire department, cause the building evacuation horns to sound, or light a lamp on the outdoor alarm annunciator. |
| H. | Audible Signaling Devices (Horns Or Bells) |
| 1. | Audible signaling devices shall be Pyrotronics HDC-24 horns or Pyrotronics HSD-24 horn/strobe units, or equivalent. |
| 2. | Audible signaling devices shall be red in color. |
| 3. | At least one audible fire alarm signaling device shall be located so that its signal can be heard at the fire alarm control panel, with the door(s) to the control panel room closed. |
| 4. | No audible fire alarm signaling device shall be located within 20' of a fire alarm control panel or sub-panel, unless it is in a separate room with a closable door in between. |
| 5. | All audible signaling devices shall sound with an interrupted beating sound as opposed to a continuous sound. |
| 6. | Sufficient audible signaling devices shall be provided so that fire alarms can be heard in all areas of the building, including those which are only occasionally occupied, such as machine rooms and electric rooms. All building remodeling projects in existing buildings shall provide for additional fire alarm audible signaling devices if the remodeling would otherwise result in areas where the signals are not sufficiently loud. |
| 7. | Audible signals shall be designed to continue ringing until manually silenced by the fire department. No automatic time-out circuitry shall be used to silence the audible devices. |
| 8. | All fire alarm systems shall include audible signaling devices. Systems dependent on silent alarms shall not be permitted. |
| 9. | A single alarm silence switch shall be provided inside the fire alarm control panel so that the audible alarm signaling devices may be silenced without resetting the fire alarm system. If this switch is of the maintained-contact type, its position shall be supervised so that it cannot unknowingly be left in the silenced position. |
| 10. | Visual strobe alarms of the type required by the authority having jurisdiction shall be provided on all new fire alarm systems. |
| 11. | If full-size horns cannot be located so that adequate sound penetrates closed bedrooms doors, then bedrooms shall be provided with mini-horns, Pyrotronics type HDCM-24 or equivalent. This includes individual dormitory-type bedrooms, bedrooms which are part of suites, and bedrooms in apartments. |
| 12. | Mini-horns (Pyrotronics type HDCM-24 or equivalent) shall be installed in laboratories where the level of sound provided by corridor horns is not adequate. Mini-horns are preferred for this application because of the need to avoid startling laboratory occupants who may be engaged in potentially hazardous activities. |
| 13. | The sound level provided in all areas by audible evacuation signals shall conform to the recommendations of NFPA 72, Appendix A-2-4.9 and NFPA 72G. Basically, this requires at least 15dBA above the equivalent sound level or 5dBA above the maximum sound level, using the definitions and conditions specified by the NFPA. This level of sound shall be provided in all areas, even those which are only occasionally occupied, such as mechanical equipment rooms. All sound measurements shall be performed while the space is completely occupied by its assigned tenants and while normal activities are in progress. |
| I. | Battery Backup |
| 1. | Battery backup shall be provided to power the fire alarm system in the event of AC power failure. |
| 2. | Battery capacity shall be determined in accordance with appropriate codes and industry practice. |
| 3. | Batteries shall be of the lead acid gel type unless otherwise approved by the University. |
| 4. | An automatic battery charger, integral to the fire alarm control panel, shall be provided. |
| 5. | Batteries shall be supervised to detect open circuits, short circuits, grounds, and low battery voltage. |
| 6. | Meters shall be provided as part of the fire alarm control panel to indicate charging voltage and charging current. |
| 7. | Provide 24 hour battery back up test to check for adequate voltage and drop. |
| J. | Door Releases |
| 1. | Alarm-operated door releases shall be of the simple electromagnetic type (Edwards Cat. 1508 or equivalent), as opposed to the integrated hydraulic closer type of door release. |
| 2. | Door releases shall have an operating voltage of 24 VDC. |
| 3. | Each door release circuit shall be independently fused at the fire alarm control panel. The fuse shall be chosen to open the circuit at 125% of normal current. |
| K. | All Devices Shall Trigger Building Central Alarm System |
| 1. | All alarm-initiating devices shall be wired so as to trigger the building central fire alarm system in the event of an alarm. This includes (but is not limited to) elevator-recall smoke detectors, and devices which are part of fire-extinguishing systems such as Halon or range-hood systems. |
| 2. | An exception to this requirement shall be bedroom and apartment areas, where local smoke detectors with integral horn will be permitted. |
| L. | Connection To The Campus-Wide Fire Alarm Signaling System |
| All building fire alarm systems shall automatically transmit all alarm signals to the University of California Police Department. |
| 1. | In locations covered by the campus underground fire alarm loop (in general, the central campus), connection to that loop shall be provided via a Gamewell Three-Fold Master Box. Each master box shall be connected to only one building fire alarm system. The master box shall be located indoors, immediately adjacent to the main fire alarm control panel. It shall be Gamewell type M34-72. The code number shall be determined in consultation with Planning, Design and Construction (CP). |
| 2. | In other locations, connection to the University of California Police Department shall be provided by means of a leased-line driver, integral to the building fire alarm control panel. This driver shall connect to a dedicated telephone line (hard-wired to the University of California Police Department). The driver shall provide output current according to the following specifications: |
| a. | Normal Condition: Between 4 and 11 Milliamps DC |
| b. | Alarm Condition: Between 4 and 11 Milliamps DC, reversed polarity |
| Output of the leased-line driver shall be short-circuit protected (i.e., a short circuit on the output shall not result in damage to the driver or the rest of the fire alarm control panel). |
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