System Sensor has posted a free whitepaper online, Guidelines: Meeting NFPA 72-2010 and DOD Intelligibility Requirements. This whitepaper helps designers and installers understand the concept of intelligibility, new terminology included in the code, how to determine which spaces must meet intelligibility requirements and factors that affect intelligibility.

NFPA 72-2010 includes a new section with intelligibility requirements for voice evacuation systems. The inclusion of these requirements will necessitate changes in how these systems are designed and installed. The whitepaper features an overview of the code and some best practices to ensure voice evacuation systems meet the latest intelligibility requirements.

If you are installing, designing or approving voice evacuation systems, the information in this paper can help you understand the new requirements. Download a free copy of this whitepaper at systemsensor.com/av.

First, NFPA 72 requires smoke detector spacing in areas of high air movement to be reduced. This reduction is dependent on the rate at which air is circulated in the space.

If the aspiration detection system will be used to protect data processing equipment, NFPA 75 guidelines must be followed. NFPA 75 uses a prescriptive and performance-based approach that requires a server room to have a sprinkler system, fire detection and alarm, portable fire extinguishers and Emergency Power Off. Any other form of fire protection, such as a clean agent suppression system, is classified as an add-on.

NFPA 75 (8.2 Automatic Detection Systems) states that automatic detection equipment shall be installed to provide early warning of fire. The equipment used shall be a listed smoke detection-type system and shall be installed and maintained in accordance with NFPA 72.

The NFPA 76 “Standard for the Protection of Telecommunication Facilities” also uses a prescriptive and performance-based approach for protecting telecommunication facilities, where telephone, data, cellular, Internet and video services are rendered. The standard defines three levels of protection: (1) Very Early Warning Fire Detection; (2) Early Warning Fire Detection, which usually incorporates conventional spot-type detectors (ionization or photoelectric type); and (3) Standard Fire Detection.

This section also provides suggested design and installation requirements. Early and Very Early Warning detection systems, for example, can use sensors or ports with less spacing than normally required by NFPA 72.

This code specifies both the area coverage as well as the sensitivity of the detector. Presently, NFPA 76 requires that “every type of sensor and port installed in a space shall be limited to a maximum coverage area of 200 sq.ft. The exception is when two levels (high and low) of ports or sensors are provided; each level shall be limited to coverage of 400 sq.ft. or less per port or sensor.”

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.

Q. Tell us the first steps you take to design the fire- and life-safety system for a building that is going to be renovated for a completely different use.

A. I think the most important step is understanding what the impact of changing the use will be, especially when you are changing the building for healthcare use. There can be substantial code implications.

In other cases, if a building owner is making a lot of changes, the occupancy of a building could be altered. The owner might think of it as just tearing out a wall here or there, but you really have to consider the big picture and understand the overall scope and magnitude of the project.

The other thing that is really a key — and unfortunately, it is not done enough because it is very simple, especially related to fire-protection systems — is giving the local building department and fire department a call. Ask them not only what major codes they follow, but what ordinances they’ve adopted that might vary a little bit from major codes. That’s one of biggest stumbling blocks I see when engineers are not brought in for a job.

For example, the City of Chicago has things they like to have done in a certain way. City officials even wrote their own code about it. But outside of the city, every municipality has little variations of things that they require based on their ordinances.

Q. At what point in the project are your services required?

A. We’re normally brought in during the planning or pre-design stages when building owners are still brainstorming the big picture. I think that is the most important time in the project. During the planning stages when you’re trying to pull budgets together, before you get to a detailed design, you have to develop the right concepts and define the general scope. This way, everyone understands what the project is going to entail from the very beginning.

During the design phase, everything is just words and lines on a piece of paper. Changing the general scope can be very simple. You have the time to go to the authorities and review the plans with them. That’s when we can be influential by explaining to the code authorities what the plan is and how we will meet code.

As long as the plan and the code align, we have a project that should be successful. If there are gaps somewhere, or if there’s some point where the two aren’t on the same page, the design phase is the best time to make corrections. All it might cost is a few clicks on a computer to change things around.

If those errors continue and they are caught during construction, or worse, after the building has been built, a fix that could have been a few dollars in the beginning is now a very substantial change-order in the construction process.

Q. Does the emergence of more national players in the building industry present a problem in complying with local codes?

A. I think so. We’ll see property management companies come in and because they manage all these big buildings, they will have a good understanding of the national codes, but not the local code. Even if you did it that way in XYZ city, it doesn’t mean you can necessarily do those things the same way in the local area. This is true especially in large markets like Chicago or New York. While it may parallel the national code, there may be a lot of minor changes, mainly because that is what the local trades have seen and that is what they are comfortable with.

Q. How does the design-build process affect your work?

A. Design-build is advantageous, especially for building owners because what you are doing, then, is you are getting an engineer involved early. An engineer helps the building owner or property manager define the expectations of the project.

Obviously, you start with the code as a minimum. But a lot of times, there are elements that building owners want: small upgrades that could have big property impacts, but low dollar impacts if incorporated into the specifications.

From there, the design-builder takes the job and runs with it. They are able to create some efficiencies because they know the requirements of the project. They know what the code says, and they know what the owner is looking for beyond code. But how they get the end-result is really up to them and how they take advantage of the efficiencies. All the time, energy and money that a design-build contractor can save on a job while still meeting the requirements of the project is money in their pocket. That means they’re going to do the best they can to deliver the best product, but in the most efficient, cost-effective manner. Design-build is a good way to go. It gives the owner the most cost-effective solution.

Q. A functional, cost-effective building is always the goal, right?

A. It really is. It’s about maintaining that balance. The nice thing about being involved with the design is that sometimes there is a big wish list that owners want. There is sometimes a misconception about what fire protection systems can and cannot do. By working with the owner early, we can make sure there are no misunderstandings about what the final product will be. Again, when it’s words and lines on a piece of paper, changes are easy and cheap. But if the contractor installs the system, and then the owner says, “I thought this was going to happen, and that has to happen,” well, it’s a little late in the ball game to realize that.