When an emergency occurs, clear and succinct communication is vital to ensuring people know what to do and where to go. So, what is public address system? As part of a larger mass notification system, a public address system can be an effective way of communicating important instructions and create a sense of calm to building occupants. Without one, traditional alarm sirens and sounds have the potential to cause panic and chaos. While proven extremely effective, public address systems also have strict standards and requirements. Understanding the importance of a public address system can save you time, effort and money.
What are the public address system requirements?
The National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code (NFPA 72) includes strict standards for public addressing systems used in either an in-building mass notification system or wide area mass notification system. Some important requirements include:
- A risk analysis involving stakeholders, and an evaluation by the designer to determine applicability and compliance with the Chapter 24 requirements.
- A document provided by the system designer attesting that the public address system has been evaluated and meets the requirements determined by Chapter 24 and the risk analysis.
- Following the identification of potential risks for a facility, the stakeholders develop or update the emergency response plan to respond to the incidents raised in risk analysis.
Based on the risk analysis and emergency response plan, features needed in the emergency public address system can be identified.
What are design considerations for mass notification systems?
As the technology underpinning fire detection and alarm infrastructure has evolved, so have the standards. NFPA 72 Chapter 24 requires the monitoring of speaker integrity, specified warning tones, priority messaging hierarchy, intelligibility, default emergency sound levels and a means for deactivating the fire alarm system, among many others. In the event of an emergency, according to NFPA code, notification and direction must be clearly understood in order to direct people to safety. Each facility will have its own operational needs but these robust requirements ensure the public address system serves as an effective fire emergency notification system.
Understanding requirements for installation and documentation to inspection, testing and maintenance can be challenging for public address systems and larger mass notifications all together. As codes continue to change, it’s important that you’re up to date on the latest safety codes to ensure optimum performance and compliance of the systems installed.
Need more clarification on specific codes and requirements for mass notification systems? Shoot us a note at info@jensenhughes.com or contact us.