What To Know About The 2022 Edition of NFPA 72 Consulting - Specifying Engineer
What To Know About The 2022 Edition of NFPA 72 Consulting - Specifying Engineer
What To Know About The 2022 Edition of NFPA 72 Consulting - Specifying Engineer
Learning Objectives
• Learn the key changes between the 2019 and 2022
editions of NFPA 72.
• Gain an understanding of changes impacting fire alarm
system design.
• Become familiar with the organization of NFPA 72.
Chapter 7 — Documentation
Chapter 7 was added to NFPA 72 in the 2013
edition. The intent of Chapter 7 was to
consolidate the requirements for documentation
into a single chapter. The code only requires
documentation where required by the AHJ or
when required by applicable laws, governing
codes or project speci<cations. The section on
design documentation (7.3) has been revised to
add language noting that pathway class
designations and pathway survivability level
designations are required to be provided when
design documentation is required.
Chapter 10 — Fundamentals
Protection of control equipment — The
requirement for providing smoke detectors at
control units, power extender panels and
supervising station transmitting equipment has
been debated at the committee level since it was
originally introduced in the 2007 edition of NFPA
72. The original provision for early warning
detection at control equipment included an
exception for fully sprinklered buildings. That
exception was subsequently removed in later
editions. The 2022 edition allows a risk analysis
to be performed to determine whether early
warning detection is necessary at control
equipment, power extender panels and
supervising station transmitting equipment. If the
risk analysis supports not providing early
detection, the elimination of the detection is still
subject to the approval of the AHJ.
Chapter 11 — Cybersecurity
This edition of the code includes a general
statement noting that cybersecurity should be
provided for systems and communications
addressed by NFPA 72 when required by
governing laws, codes or standards. The
guidance for providing cybersecurity has been
incorporated in a new Annex J — Guidelines for
Cybersecurity. The annex addresses
cybersecurity standards, evidence and
documentation guidance on compliance and
certi<cation maintenance. It also addresses
aspects of <rewall software updates and remote
software changes.
Chapter 14 — Inspection,
Testing and Maintenance
Visual inspection of supervisory signal devices
and wateriow devices — Table 14.3.1 has been
revised to require semiannual inspection of
supervisory signal devices and wateriow
devices. This is a change from requiring quarterly
inspections. NFPA 25: Standard for the
Inspection, Testing and Maintenance of Water-
Based Fire Protection Systems still requires
quarterly inspection of these devices in the 2020
edition.
Chapter 18 — Noti=cation
Appliances
Noti<cation appliance markings — Since the
inception of mass noti<cation systems,
noti<cation appliances that are used for signaling
other than <re only events have not been allowed
to be marked with “<re” on the appliance. This
has been an issue with converting existing
systems to be used for <re and mass noti<cation.
Chapter 23 — Protected
Premises Alarm and Signaling
Systems
Operation of class A and class B radio pathways
— The provisions for low-power wireless radio
systems have been revised to include
performance characteristics for the radio
pathways. Class A and class B radio pathway
performance characteristics have been added.
Class A pathways have redundant paths while
class B pathways do not.
Chapter 24 — Emergency
Communications Systems
Pathway survivability — The criteria for pathway
survivability have been revised to include level 4
pathway survivability for a building with a <re
rating between one and two hours. The concepts
are similar to those in the 2019 edition with
additional clarifying language particularly
regarding the equipment and pathways needing
to be protected.
Raymond A. Grill
Author Bio: Raymond A. Grill
is principal of Ray Grill
Consulting. He is a longtime
member of the Noti<cation
Appliance and Emergency
Communications Technical
Committees of NFPA 72 and
serves on the NFPA 72
Correlating Committee. He is a
member of the Consulting-
Specifying Engineer editorial
advisory board.
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