Fire-code proposals call for in-building coverage for public safety
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Fire-code proposals call for in-building coverage for public safety
This measure is designed to make it easier for in-building systems to meet the fire code, as does another proposal that battery-charging systems be housed in enclosures meeting the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) 3R standards instead of being in NEMA 4 enclosures, Perdue said.
“NEMA 4 is a totally enclosed unit—[not allowing penetration by] air, water or dirt,” he said. “The problem with putting batteries in a NEMA 4 [enclosure] is that, when you charge batteries, they generate heat. That heat needs to dissipate, so it’s hard to comply with a NEMA 4 enclosure and to comply with best practices for battery charging.
“What NEMA 3R does is that it protects from water and other issues, but it allows for ventilation.”
Other components of a code-compliant in-building public-safety communications system would continue to be housed in the NEMA 4 enclosure, Perdue said.
SBC also offered several other proposals that are designed make the International Fire Code more closely aligned with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) codes in areas such as coverage, testing and the method used to determine signal quality, Perdue said.
In October, SBC conducted meetings to prepare its in-building proposals, Perdue said. These meetings included participation by a representative of FirstNet, which is tasked with building and operating a nationwide public-safety broadband network, he said.
FirstNet’s participation helped reinforce the need for language addressing public-safety LTE to be included in the SBC proposals, Perdue said. Similar participation from others in the public-safety industry could impact SBC fire-code proposals in the future, he said.
“It’s imperative that the industry be involved in the development process,” Perdue said. “We think the best way to do that is through the SBC and supporting the work of the SBC.”
Interested parties can contact SBC at www.saferbuildings.org.