NFPA SUPPORTS TRANSMISSION OF FIRE SIGNALS ACROSS NETWORKS

Dec 1, 2001 12:00 PM

Data networks — including both the Internet and private intranets — could soon be used to transmit fire alarm and other life safety-related signals to central monitoring facilities.

A tentative decision by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) to support network reporting, under specific conditions, opens the door for manufacturers of alarm systems to use current technology for critical fire alarm signaling applications.

“This is the most significant event concerning fire and life safety alarm communications since the NFPA approved digital dialers a couple decades ago,” says Richard Ader, director of communications and products for Radionics, a division of Detection Systems Inc., Salinas, Calif.

“Using data networks to report fire alarm and trouble conditions will significantly improve both the reliability and speed of such communications.”

Under current NFPA requirements, a telephone line is necessary, as most fire alarm signaling is transmitted over conventional voice-grade telephone linesl.

The new measures will not only improve the reliability of fire alarm signaling, but they also should allow property owners and alarm monitoring companies to save significant amounts of money, according to Radionics.

“In almost all cases, the monthly cost of using data networks for fire alarm communications is much less than the cost of using telephone lines,” Ader says.

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