Chapter 1 Administration

NFPA 72 covers the application, installation, location, performance, inspection, testing, and maintenance of fire alarm systems, supervising station alarm systems, public emergency alarm reporting systems, fire and carbon monoxide detection and warning equipment, and emergency communications systems (ECS), and their components.

The provisions of this chapter apply throughout the Code unless otherwise noted.

For the purposes of carbon monoxide detection, this standard is primarily concerned with life safety, not property protection.

The purpose of this Code shall be to define the means of signal initiation, transmission, notification, and annunciation; the levels of performance; and the reliability of the various types of fire alarm systems, supervising station alarm systems, public emergency alarm reporting systems, fire and carbon monoxide detection and warning equipment, emergency communications systems, and their components.

This Code defines the features associated with these systems and also provides information necessary to modify or upgrade an existing system to meet the requirements of a particular system classification.

This Code establishes minimum required levels of performance, extent of redundancy, and quality of installation but does not establish the only methods by which these requirements are to be achieved.

This Code shall not be interpreted to require a level of protection that is greater than that which would otherwise be required by the applicable building or fire code.

Alarm systems shall be classified as follows:

1. Fire alarm systems
   1. Household fire alarm systems
   2. Protected premises (local) fire alarm systems
2. Carbon monoxide detection equipment and systems
   1. Single and multiple station carbon monoxide alarms
   2. Carbon monoxide detectors and their related systems and components
3. Supervising station alarm systems
   1. Central station (service) alarm systems
   2. Remote supervising station alarm systems
   3. Proprietary supervising station alarm systems
4. Public emergency alarm reporting systems
   1. Auxiliary alarm systems — local energy-type
   2. Auxiliary alarm systems — shunt-type

Emergency communications systems shall be classified as follows:

1. One-way emergency communications systems
   1. Distributed recipient mass notification systems
   2. In-building fire emergency voice/alarm communications systems
   3. In-building mass notification systems
   4. Wide-area mass notification systems
2. Two-way emergency communications systems
   1. In-building emergency communications systems

Any reference or implied reference to a particular type of hardware shall be for the purpose of clarity and shall not be interpreted as an endorsement.

The intent and meaning of the terms used in this Code shall be, unless otherwise defined herein, the same as those of NFPA 70.

The requirements of Chapters 7, 10, 12, 14, 17, 18, 21, 23, 24, 26, and 27 shall apply unless otherwise noted in the specific chapter. Chapter 29 is designed to stand alone unless it specifically references an earlier chapter.

Unless otherwise noted, it is not intended that the provisions of this document be applied to facilities, equipment, structures, or installations that were existing or approved for construction or installation prior to the effective date of the document.

In those cases where it is determined by the authority having jurisdiction that the existing situation involves a distinct hazard to life or property, retroactive application of the provisions of this document shall be permitted.

Nothing in this Code shall prevent the use of systems, methods, devices, or appliances of equivalent or superior quality, strength, fire resistance, effectiveness, durability, and safety over those prescribed by this Code.

Technical documentation shall be submitted to the authority having jurisdiction to demonstrate equivalency.

The systems, methods, devices, or appliances that are found equivalent shall be approved.

The units of measure in this Code are presented in U.S. Customary Units (inch-pound units).

Where presented, the International System (SI) of Units follow the inch-pound units in parentheses.

Where both systems of units are presented, either system shall be acceptable for satisfying the requirements in this Code.

Where both systems of units are presented, users of this Code shall apply one set of units consistently and shall not alternate between units.

The values presented for measurements in this Code are expressed with a degree of precision appropriate for practical application and enforcement. It is not intended that the application or enforcement of these values be more precise than the precision expressed.

Where extracted text contains values expressed in only one system of units, the values in the extracted text have been retained without conversion to preserve the values established by the responsible technical committee in the source document.