Significant Changes from the 2007 Edition of NFPA 72
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) technical committees responsible for NFPA 72 have been very busy over the past two years. There were many historic changes to NFPA 72 in the 2010 edition. First and foremost is the change to the title and scope of the Code, now called National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code. This change was necessary because the technical committees added a new chapter on ECS, which include:
- In-Building Fire Emergency Voice/Alarm Communications Systems
- In-Building Mass Notification Systems
- Outdoor Mass Notification Systems
- Distributed Recipient Mass Notification Systems
- In-Building Two-Way Communications Systems (formerly firefighter's telephones)
- Radio Enhancement Systems
Chapter 24 of the 2010 edition of NFPA 72 contains requirements for these systems. At this time, building codes do not require use of ECS, but many government agencies and universities do. This change was driven largely by the need to communicate with large numbers of people following the tragic events of September 11, 2001, and Virginia Tech in 2007.
It should be noted, however, that requirements for In-Building Fire Emergency Voice/Alarm Communications Systems (EVACS) that use pre-recorded messages or tones are found in Chapter 23 of the new Code; requirements for EVACS using live voice instructions are found in Chapter 24. Because these systems are found in two separate chapters, the technical committees added chapter 12 for circuits and pathways, which is referenced for both ECS and EVACS.
As a result of the new ECS requirements, the technical committees needed to expand NFPA 72 to 29 chapters, about half of which are reserved. This change was necessary to allow for future expansion and to ensure the Code was not restructured in the next few cycles.
Other changes have been made to technical requirements, such as smoke detector spacing and circuit classes. Several new circuit classes were added to address new technology, such as Local Area Network (LAN) and Internet communications. These circuit classes are:
- Class A — redundant path, operational under a single fault
- Class B — no redundant path, not operational under a single fault
- Class C — not monitored for integrity, but communications are verified (LAN & Internet)
- Class D — fail safe
- Class E — not monitored for integrity, communications not verified
- Class X — redundant path, operational under multiple faults (old Style 7)
Also see: “Key Changes to NFPA 72 in the Upcoming 2010 Edition”
