The color lens attachments are easy to install on any non-fire-printed strobes, including horn strobes, speaker strobes and strobe-only devices. Rated from -35°F to 151°F, these color lens strobe attachments may be used indoors and outdoors and are available for wall- or ceiling-mount strobes. They are listed to UL 1638.


The SpectrAlert Advance series contains wall-mount horns, strobes, horn strobes, speakers, speaker strobes, chimes and chime strobes, as well as ceiling-mount horns, strobes, horn strobes, speakers and speaker strobes. System Sensor also offers a complete line of SpectrAlert Advance emergency communication and mass notification system devices and accessories, and outdoor SpectrAlert Advance products, including ceiling-mount strobes and horn strobes.

The SpectrAlert Advance products feature a plug-in design that allows installers to pre-wire mounting plates and check wiring continuity before installing any devices. Other features include 11 field-selectable candelas on wall and ceiling products, a higher sound output on horns and horn strobes, and a rotary switch for horn tone selection.

Funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), the $787 billion economic stimulus package enacted and signed into law in February 2009, are now being disbursed. According to www.recovery.gov, the U.S. government’s official ARRA spending Web site, $25 billion of ARRA funds had been awarded as of December 2009. Only $18 billion of this sum has already been disbursed, however.

A significant portion of ARRA funds is earmarked to 28 federal agencies to finance contracts, grants and loans around the country. This translates into construction jobs being financed through the federal agencies. If your company is involved in the construction industry, it is important that you understand that there are “strings” attached to these funds. Although many of the restrictions are technical in nature, keep in mind these pointers to better understand how the fire and life safety systems market fits into the scope.

How is funding directed?

There are three main avenues in which a project can receive funding from the federal agencies. Because much of the funding went directly to state and local governments, the first opportunities are state/local government projects. Other possibilities include current federal program initiatives or open or new solicitations/grants from the federal agency. The point to remember is that any project is a potential recipient of ARRA money. Make sure you find out from your customer whether it has received ARRA money, and what ARRA requirements apply to the project.

ARRA requirements

The ARRA requirements create challenges for building contractors and suppliers that hope to work on ARRA-funded projects.

Reporting: Because the ARRA promised accountability and transparency into how money would be spent, it requires quarterly reporting of certain information regarding an ARRA-funded project. The reporting is required from two types of ARRA recipients: direct grant recipients and prime contractors to a federal agency. While it is very unlikely that a fire and life safety system contractor would be a direct recipient of grant money, it will still have to submit some routine administrative information to the grant recipient, such as name and address of the business, and its DUNS number.

If a fire and life safety contractor is a prime contractor to a federal government agency, it will need to do full ARRA reporting. Prime contractors also must report certain information on their first-tier subcontractors.

Reporting is done through the online reporting tool available at www.FederalReporting.gov, where the contractor must register in advance. Either manually enter the information or upload Microsoft Excel^® or XML templates. Keep in mind that the first reports are due at the end of the third quarter 2010.

Prevailing Wages: All construction projects receiving ARRA funds must pay Davis-Bacon wages; all standard Davis-Bacon requirements apply. This is true whenever the project receives any funding, in whole or in part, from ARRA. This is a significant expansion of the reach of the Davis-Bacon Act, as it formerly applied only to projects owned by federal government agencies.

If you have ever worked on a project for a federal government agency, you are already familiar with Davis-Bacon requirements. If not, a good place to start is the Web site of the Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor at http://www.dol.gov/whd/contracts/index.htm

“Buy American” Provisions: One of the more complicated provisions of the ARRA is the Buy American requirements. On its face, it sounds simple: all iron, steel and manufactured products used in ARRA-funded projects must be manufactured in the U.S. In reality, the application of this to an individual project is very complicated. The key point to remember is: Don’t assume a product can’t be used just because it isn’t made in the U.S. Numerous conditions and exceptions may allow the use of foreign-made products. Your supplier sales representative should be able to help you determine what products can be used. For example, System Sensor sales representatives have access to extensive resources to help explain Buy American requirements.

To start, it is important to know that the Buy American requirements apply to “manufactured goods.” Each item of manufactured goods must be manufactured in the U.S. Importantly, there is no requirement for the origin of the components. A manufactured good is compliant if it is manufactured in the U.S, even if all of its components are non-U.S. 

What is a “manufactured good”? It is anything that is brought to a project site for installation into the project. This is an important point for fire alarm panels. If a panel can be assembled offsite and brought to the site and installed as a single item, it is probably compliant. Remember, there is no requirement for the origin of its components.

Here are some very general guidelines to follow: First, the Buy American requirements only apply to projects for public works or buildings. If your project is on a commercial or private building rather than a government-owned building, the requirements may not apply. Ask your customer.

Next, if a product is not available from a U.S. source, it may qualify for an unavailability exception. In most cases, these must be requested before a contract is awarded. If the product you are considering is not made in the U.S., ask your supplier sales representative for help on this.

In addition, if the total project value is over $7,804,000.00, the project owner might be required to follow U.S. trade agreements and allow products from certain countries, notably Mexico, Canada and most European countries. Ask your customer whether any trade agreements apply. If they are unsure, your supplier sales representative might be able to help.

There also is an exception that applies when the use of U.S. products would increase the cost of the overall project by 25 percent or more. This would be unlikely in most projects, but if the project scope is primarily a life safety system, it could happen. Coordinate this with the project owner to find out if it might apply.

If the project owner is a federal government agency, there is a very important caveat to the rules. The Federal Acquisition Regulation treats an entire life safety system as a single product, no matter how the individual components or devices are brought to the project site. That means that when a project is ARRA-funded, the system is automatically compliant because the components can come from anywhere. (NOTE: This only works for an ARRA-funded project owned by a federal agency. For non-ARRA-funded projects, the traditional Buy American Act applies, which has a component test.)

In short, you can’t disqualify a product just because it is made outside the U.S. In fact, because of the many rules and exceptions, a non-U.S. product might be compliant on one project but not on another. Never assume that the answer on one project will be the same on the next. Your supplier sales representative should be able to help you determine the use of products on any particular project.

Other ARRA Requirements: There are other ARRA requirements that the project owner will be required to insert in all contracts. These include:

• Audit and Oversight: The federal government has extensive powers to audit contractor and subcontractor records and investigate any allegations of misuse of money.

• Registration in Central Contractor Registration: All grant recipients and prime contractors must register in a federal government database of contractors.

• Whistleblower Protection: Employers are limited in the actions they can take against employees who report any fund fraud or misuse.

• Mandatory Disclosure: All contractors are required to report any suspected misconduct or wrongdoing related to the performance of an ARRA project.

• Subcontracts and purchase orders must include ARRA obligations.

Here are some tips if you are working on an ARRA-funded project:

• Notify your sourcing function as early as possible when ARRA-funded contracts or contract modifications are being considered. They should include ARRA requirements in all RFQs and RFPs. Consider pre-screening key suppliers.

• Add ARRA obligations to all affected purchase orders

Although ARRA-funded projects include many provisions, being prepared for the numerous restrictions will enable contractors to better understand expectations and make informed decisions on pursuing ARRA-funded jobs. Your supplier sales representative will likely have access to resources to help in analyzing ARRA requirements. Don’t hesitate to ask for assistance if you are unsure about any requirements.

The Voltage Drop Calculator, a stand-alone, downloadable application, enables users to quickly plan and model notification appliance circuits (NACs) using the entire line of SpectrAlert^® Advance notification appliances and legacy devices. The tool calculates voltage drop based on wire resistance, circuit distance, filtered vs. unfiltered panels, device settings and distances between devices.

The application’s simple step-by-step format allows users to accurately calculate voltage drop along a NAC by analyzing each device on the circuit and determining if enough operating voltage is available at each device location.

The three main steps involved in creating a circuit can be done systematically or independently, and updates/changes are done as users move through the program. In Step One, users create a panel or list of panels. The panels are generic in nature, but have defined characteristics such as DC or FWR power supplies. Step Two is where users create and name each NAC connected to the panel. In Step Three, users select the devices to add to the circuit from a series of product categories in a drop-down format.

The new Voltage Drop Calculator is loaded with powerful and useful features. One feature of particular interest is that each project can be saved individually and shared as needed. Users can build a NAC and print or e-mail it for review by a coworker, submit it to the Authority Having Jurisdiction or keep it in the job file. The printing feature accommodates multiple types of submission forms.

Download the Voltage Drop Calculator at www.systemsensor.com/volt.



The Mounting Options Tool simplifies the SpectrAlert Advance application design process by matching devices and mounting locations with a variety of back boxes and AV accessories for all SpectrAlert Advance notification appliance installations.

The Mounting Options Tool, designed to be intuitive, helps users quickly choose installation characteristics appropriate for their applications. The first step is selecting installation details from a series of drop-down lists, including device type, such as a horn strobe; mounting location (indoor or outdoor); back box options (sizes compatible); and required or optional accessories. The application automatically limits subsequent available options based on the user’s previous selections.

Access the Mounting Options Tool at www.systemsensor.com/mount.



The Equivalent Facilitation Calculator uses data provided by the designer to perform the calculations described in Chapter 7 of the 2007 edition of NFPA 72, which permits the use of a performance-based alternative in lieu of tables for spacing ceiling-mounted AV devices. Visitors may perform notification circuit design calculations by entering ceiling strobe candela values and inputting the longest wall and the ceiling height of the room.

The Equivalent Facilitation Calculator can be found at www.systemsensor.com/efc.

Can you tell us about your company?

Advanced Cabling Systems was founded as a structured cabling company in 1995. Now with more than 60 employees and two offices in Arkansas, we are recognized as the leader in low-voltage technologies in Arkansas. In addition to structured cabling, Advanced now offers fire alarms, mass notification, security, access control, school intercom, and nurse call. Advanced’s annual revenues were $1.5 million in 2002 and are expected to reach $10 million this year.

Why are you successful?

Through our System Sensor manufacturer representative, Mark Gilmore, and National Training Manager, Rick Swift, we have developed not only a close relationship, but have become known in Arkansas as a leader in training and implementation of System Sensor products to engineers and fire marshals. We run very successful twice-a-year, one-day product code and regulation seminars.

For example, as to state and local fire safety regulations, we invite responsible government employees to the System Sensor seminars to make them more knowledgeable about codes, device placement, testing and inspections.

We also have a bidding department that keeps up with the bid process through Dodge and CMD. We are most successful in the design build and negotiated markets. We offer a full line of products and consider ourselves a one-stop shop for our customers’ needs…one place to buy, one place to warranty and one place to call if concerns arise.

We believe strongly in customer service, we automatically notify our customers when their detection devices need updating or scheduled maintenance is required. We have a dedicated sales and service department just for testing and inspections. This helps our clients to maintain a fully working system for emergencies.

What are the benefits of System Sensor products?

System Sensor offers a full line of life safety products that are on the cutting edge in development, are easy to install, are clearly superior in sound quality, and are well known. System Sensor also offers a full line of horns, strobes, horn strobes, speakers, speaker strobes, and both wall- and ceiling-mount devices. System Sensor products are all competitive in pricing.

What suggestions do you have for installers?

Read your instructions and take advantage of the ease of installation, especially of System Sensor products. Wiring and testing of your circuits is much easier with System Sensor products like SpectrAlert^® Advance. You no longer have to wait until the walls are completed to test.

How do you approach “green”?

We are a leader in green or LEED^® certified projects and installations. Some of our more notable LEED installations in Arkansas are Heifer International Headquarters and Winrock International which are both nonprofit organizations; Pulaski Heights Methodist Church; Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality; Caldwell Toyota; and Hewlett-Packard’s new call center in Conway, Ark. (a large System Sensor project).

Do you have System Sensor in your offices?

Yes, although code did not require our office to have a fire alarm system, we chose to install a full system showcasing the System Sensor product line and others we install.

Do you know of any time a System Sensor product was actually used in an emergency?

Recently the new First Security Center, a multi-use facility in Little Rock, put its NetSOLO 7100 fire panel system with System Sensor products to the test. A condo resident attempted to light a gas fireplace. Failing to properly ventilate the area before bleeding the volatile gas line, the tenant lit the fireplace, causing an explosion. Fortunately, it wasn’t too serious — there wasn’t a huge wall-blowing explosion — but it “popped” pretty well.

The fire system responded instantly, detecting the heat (as there was not a great deal of fire or smoke) and sending the whole system into full alarm mode. The system detected that this was more than just a smoke detector sensing a little dust or smoke particle. It made the occupants aware by setting off the full alarm and emptying the building. It really worked exactly like it was supposed to, preventing further damage and injury.

Due to the addressable features of the fire panel system, building management was able to determine which device activated first, as well as the succession in which the other devices activated. A System Sensor heat detector was the initial activator, followed by the fire pump running the sprinkler water flow, a System Sensor smoke detector and finally a carbon monoxide detector. The fire department responded within eight minutes of the alarm.

Any concluding comments?

In all aspects of our business, especially life safety, we must take the life of our customers and their families as being the most important thing we think about. You never know whose life you may save and, on the other hand, whose life may not be saved if you do it the wrong way. This is especially true when designing a fire alarm system. Notification is at the top of importance. If everyone is not aware of an emergency, a life could be lost or someone hurt.

The College Opportunity and Affordability Act, which includes amendments to the federal Jeanne Clery Act, states that schools also must provide “timely warnings” when an emergency or threat is present on campus.

Because minutes can mean the difference between life and death, the new  law now requires campus officials to notify the campus community immediately upon confirmation of a significant emergency, unless issuing the notification would compromise containment efforts. In the case of the Virginia Tech tragedy, for example, two hours passed between the discovery of the shooter’s first two victims in a dormitory and when the university issued its alert.

In addition, the amendment calls for colleges to create policies explaining evacuation procedures and emergency response. Federally funded college and universities would be required to publish fire safety reports yearly, including the cause of campus fires and the number of fires and fire-related deaths.

These efforts would:

• Boost campus safety and disaster readiness plans

• Help all colleges develop and implement state-of-the-art emergency systems and campus safety plans, and require the Department of Education to develop and maintain a disaster plan in preparation for emergencies

• Create a National Center for Campus Safety at the Department of Justice

• Establish a disaster relief loan program to help schools recover and rebuild following a disaster

The new law compels universities and colleges to use state-of-the-art methods and technologies to improve campus security. The most integrated solutions are emergency communications systems (ECSs), which are becoming an integral part of both emergency and non-emergency communications for schools and organizations of all sizes. This is because an ECS is not simply a loudspeaker system; communication is only part of the solution. True ECSs involve a lot more than text messaging and intercoms. They involve integrated response to emergencies at every level of the school — a communications and emergency management tool.

ECSs can broadcast live, up-to-the minute emergency information to everyone in a building, campus, or multiple facilities spread across a large area to prevent injuries and save lives.

In addition to crime alerts, an ECS can warn people of severe weather, such as tornados or hurricanes; class cancellations because of a power failure, a gas line or water main break, or other utility problems; and biological and radiological accidents, or hazardous spills.

“A lot of what is in the room itself affects intelligibility, such as what’s on the floor and walls, how big the space is, ceiling height and ambient noise conditions,” says Christa Poss, Marketing Manager for the Audible/Visible Business Unit at System Sensor.

“Speakers are a small part of the overall picture,” adds Poss. Yet, system designers can make the most of speaker choices to maximize sound impact. System Sensor offers a variety of indoor and outdoor speakers that are appropriate for different applications. The SpectrAlert^® Advance SP Series speakers, for instance, are best for high fidelity sound output, whereas the SPV speakers are intended to deliver high volume sound output for use in high ambient noise applications.

Fire and life safety system designers can save time and money by installing only as many devices as necessary. To ensure proper coverage without under- or over-designing spaces, system designers can use EASE (Enhanced Acoustical Simulator for Engineers) software to plan their systems (visit www.systemsensor.com/ease). EASE 4.3 software models sound properties for specific environments and speaker configurations. Using the System Sensor speaker data, intelligibility scores and variables, such as room materials, ceiling height and speaker positioning, EASE analyzes the information so system designers can make appropriate decisions.

By plugging System Sensor speaker data into the commercially available EASE software, designers can add or delete speakers and suggest best placement and power tap settings of the speakers.

“System Sensor speakers have four different wattage settings, so the solution may be to add more speakers and tap them lower,” says Poss. Enabling users to run different scenarios with the EASE software to see how system changes impact the intelligibility score is invaluable in determining what is best for each application.

Once the speakers are installed, system designers can use intelligibility meters to read sound conditions and measure the effectiveness of the voice system at multiple locations within each commercial environment.

These handheld meters, says Poss, “take the unknowns away and demystify intelligibility” for building commissioning. During onsite demonstrations, “pink noise,” a type of sound with properties that make it a suitable reference signal for audio engineering, plays throughout the voice system, and the meter predicts the intelligibility score for each location.

For those of us in the fire and life safety business, of course, it’s disturbing to know that people may purposely ignore alarms that could save their lives. There are many other human-related barriers that could inhibit response to emergency signals, including confusion, preoccupation with activities and language or cultural differences. Therefore, we should all strive to improve response in the ways we can control by recommending and installing the right combination of notification systems.

Codes are catching up with the need to provide more precise information for all types of emergencies. Today, facilities must also plan for the possibility of shootings, chemical spills, natural disasters and other events that jeopardize personal and building security.

An alarm that captures people’s attention, followed by voice messaging offering specific instructions, can be highly effective in certain applications. If building occupants hear a voice message telling them to evacuate, they will be more likely to believe that there is a true emergency. Visual cues also confirm threatening situations. SpectrAlert^® Advance strobes, for example, which are marked ALERT and have a clear lens, are ideal for mass notification.

System Sensor knows that giving people clear information goes hand in hand with being understood. That is why we are placing greater emphasis on ensuring intelligibility. On page 4, this issue’s cover story provides an overview of NFPA 72-2010, which now covers intelligible voice system design. The story also includes information on how professionals can plan for and measure systems for optimal sound delivery.

It is impossible to control every aspect of intelligibility. But System Sensor is working hard to help you deliver life-saving solutions that are within your control.

Christa Poss
Marketing Manager, AV Business Unit, System Sensor

Mass notification is a relatively new concept for the life safety community, which arose from the inability of emergency management personnel to communicate with and direct building occupants during emergencies. Since the publication of the Unified Facilities Criteria, a 2002 U.S. Department of Defense program outlining the design, operation and interfaces required for mass notification in military facilities (the final version for mass notification was approved in 2008), many U.S. military facilities throughout the world have installed mass notification systems (MNS). In the private sector, the demand for MNS has been rising steadily since Sept. 11, 2001. In response, the 2010 edition of NFPA 72 greatly improves design direction for the layout of intelligible voice systems.

The National Fire Protection Association introduced MNS criteria in the annex of the 2007 edition of NFPA 72, where it was presented for explanatory purposes only. After the 2007 edition of NFPA 72 was published, the NFPA Standards Council created a technical committee to develop a new chapter for the 2010 edition. Released in October 2009, the 2010 edition of the National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code provides emergency communication system (ECS) requirements (which include MNS) in chapter 24.

Because the overall purpose of an ECS is to save lives and minimize injuries during emergencies, it is imperative for individuals to clearly understand voice messages delivered over facility-wide communications systems. As a result, the new ECS chapter includes intelligibility requirements for voice systems.

Intelligibility and Acoustically Distinguishable Spaces

What is intelligibility? Speech intelligibility is the measure of the effectiveness of speech. The measurement is usually expressed as a percentage of a message that is understood correctly. The 2010 edition of NFPA 72 defines intelligible (Section 3.3.126) as being capable of being understood, comprehensible and clear; intelligibility (Section 3.3.125) is the quality or condition of being intelligible.

The first step in designing an intelligible voice system is to determine what type of ECS the building owner desires. The voice communication system will often include in-building fire EVACS, in-building mass notification and a paging system to meet the day-to-day operational objectives. Chapter 24 of the 2010 code permits all three systems to be combined, resulting in an ECS.

Voice intelligibility requirements refer to “acoustically distinguishable spaces” (ADSs). This term, which is new to the 2010 edition of NFPA 72, originated from research conducted by the Fire Protection Research Foundation on how to design and measure intelligibility.

Section 3.3.2 defines an ADS as “distinguished from other spaces due to acoustical, environmental or use characteristics, such as reverberation time and ambient sound pressure level.” An ADS allows the building to be divided into definable spaces so the system designer can identify which spaces in a building may require voice intelligibility.

Not all areas of a building are required to have voice intelligibility. In fact, some building spaces may only require tone signaling, whereas other spaces may require no occupant notification at all. Per Section 24.3.1, an ECS must be capable of reproducing prerecorded or live messages with voice intelligibility in accordance with Chapter 18. Section 18.4.10.1 requires the system designer to identify ADSs during the planning and design of the ECS, and according to Section 18.4.10, each ADS may or may not require voice intelligibility.

Designing an intelligible voice system does not lend itself to prescriptive design as visible notification appliances do. Speech intelligibility is not a physical quantity measured in feet, amperes, volts or even decibels. It is highly recommended that designers refer to annex D to plan, design, install and test voice communication systems.

The majority of the annex contains recommendations for testing voice system intelligibility. Designers who are new to voice systems may want to consult other sources, such as the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET) program for Audio Systems or the National Electrical Manufacturers (NEMA) Emergency Communications Audio Intelligibility Applications Guide. Due to the complexity of designing a voice system, it may also be useful to use a software design program to predict voice system intelligibility before installation. These software programs model acoustic properties for specific environments and speaker configurations.

Design Factors to Consider

Several factors to consider when designing a voice system are: signal-to-noise ratio, frequency response, harmonic distortion and reverberation. Therefore, properly designing an intelligible voice system requires knowledge of the acoustical factors that influence intelligibility, such as the anticipated background noise level, occupancy type and architectural design of the space. The acoustical properties of the materials on the walls, floors and ceilings significantly impact the intelligibility of the space. Achieving voice intelligibility may be difficult, or even impossible, depending on the architectural design.

An important step in designing a voice system is determining the effect of the environmental and acoustical properties on speaker placement. In the past, fire alarm voice systems typically had too few speakers. It is important for designers to require the right speaker quantity and placement to ensure proper intelligibility and audibility (decibel (dB) rating).

Section 24.4.1.2.2.1 requires the following be met for layout and design:

1) The speaker layout of the system shall be designed to ensure intelligibility and audibility.

2) Intelligibility shall first be determined by ensuring that all areas in the building have the required level of audibility.

3) The design shall incorporate speaker placement to provide intelligibility.

A rule of thumb is to install speakers in rooms with 10- to 12-foot ceiling heights at intervals measuring twice the ceiling height and 1 watt per 750 to 1,000 square feet. The ambient noise level of the space served by the speakers must be considered to ensure speakers produce the correct levels of intelligibility and audibility. Ideally, 10-15 dBA above average ambient sound levels provide adequate intelligibility.

For the effects of speaker distance and wattage on audibility, see Figure 1.

Avoid installing wall-mounted speakers in large rooms with ceilings up to 15 feet in height as this contributes to more reverberation due to longer distances to opposing walls. Also avoid installing speakers on ceilings that are greater than 20 feet in height, especially in rooms with highly reflective walls.

Testing Methodologies

Following installation, the system must be tested for intelligibility. It is important to note that speech intelligibility testing is usually described as predictions, not measurements. Most instrument users, however, refer to the results as measurements. Because portable intelligibility meters are most commonly used for the accurate test results, the results are usually referred to as measurements to avoid confusion.

In accordance with D.2.1.1.1 in the annex, the recommended method for measuring intelligibly is the Speech Transmission Index (STI) test protocol. STI is a quantitative methodology for measuring intelligibility. Another method, the Common Intelligibility Scale (CIS), was created to map all methods to the same scale so that all different results could be compared. In accordance with section D.2.4.1, the intelligibility of an ECS is considered acceptable if at least 90 percent of the measurement locations within each ADS have a measured STI of not less than 0.45 (0.65 CIS) and an average STI of not less than 0.50 STI (0.70 CIS).

Because clearly understanding a live or recorded voice message during an emergency is essential for the safety of a facility’s occupants, planning and testing is crucial. The best methodology to ensure a message is clear and intelligible in all situations is to measure intelligibility.