FIRE ALARMS REGULATIONS FOR INSTALLATION OF FIRE ALARM SYSTEMS The intent of these requirements is to insure that the fire alarm systems installed in Lewiston, Maine are designed, installed and maintained to achieve the following: • • • • • • •

High reliability Ease of operation and understanding Conformity to Fire Department operations and equipment Protection of consumers with regard to system quality Better understanding and working relations between contractors and Fire Department Reduction of needless alarms Expand or clarify gray areas of the codes

These requirements will apply to any fire alarm system seeking approval, endorsement of, or connection to the Fire Department. The procedures necessary to comply with these requirements will be: (1) (2) (3) (4)

Initial contact - to state intentions and make appointment for meeting. Submit complete plans to the Fire Department for approval. Complete "Fire Alarm Informational Record" and "Fire Alarm Agreement." Submit a fire alarm system which must complete a test in presence of the chief of the department or his designate.

All fire alarm systems shall conform to applicable National Fire Protection Association: NFPA 101, Life Safety Code; NFPA 72, National Fire Alarm Code; NFPA 70, National Electrical Code. All equipment shall be listed by Underwriters Laboratories, Factory Mutual, or other nationally recognized testing laboratories for fire alarm use and shall be installed in accordance with those standards. In addition to the above codes, all systems shall comply with the following requirements: Annunciation - Annunciation shall be in accordance to NFPA 72, Sec. 1-5.7.1.1 and it's necessity and location shall be determined by the chief of the department or his designate. The number of zones and the allocation of their titles shall also be determined by the chief of the department or his designate. Area of Refuge - Every area of refuge must have a two way communication between it and a central control point. Such communication must have emergency power. The area of refuge communication device shall be installed within reach range of each designated wheelchair location. High Rise - High rise fire alarm code considerations shall be determined as defined in NFPA 101 Chapter 3-2, "Definition of High Rise." Master Fire Alarm Box User Fees - There will be an annual fee of three hundred fifty dollars ($350) for each building connected to the municipal fire alarm system through a master fire alarm box. 1. 2.

The fee will cover all calls made by the Fire Alarm Division for inspection, cleaning, testing, and replacing batteries in the system. The fee shall be due on or before July 1st of each year and shall be made to the city treasurer.

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FIRE ALARMS Municipal Fire Alarm Connection - All fire alarm boxes connected to the municipal fire alarm system shall be compatible with King/Fisher receivers. The owner or contractor shall contact the Fire Alarm Division as to the location and number of the box before any installation begins. 1.

A master box with no less than four (4) masters shall be purchased by the property owner and shall be installed on an outdoor pedestal, or on the outside of the building or in the interior at a location chosen by the Fire Department. After the master box is in service, the Fire Department shall assume the responsibility for normal maintenance of the radio box. Normal maintenance shall constitute, charging, repairing and or replacing the box battery. Replacing fuses, light bulbs and door gasket repair for replacement and the testing of fire alarm functions. Major parts repair or replacements shall be performed when necessary at the owners expense. Major repairs or replacement include but not limited to; all components inside the box with the exception of the battery and fuse. All components of the box antenna, pole, base or pedestal, conduits wiring and light assembly.

2. The interface panel with no less than four (4) masters shall be purchased by the property owner. The installation of this panel should be in a location where it can be seen from the outside; a remote annunciator shall be acceptable. This installation shall comply in all instances with the National Electrical Code and NFPA 72. Maintaining the equipment shall remain the responsibility of the owner and shall include repairs and or replacement. 3. All circuits to the box shall be in underground metal conduits buried no less than eighteen (18) inches and installed at the expense of the property owner. (Four (4) alarm circuits, #16 stranded wire, and 1-AC #12 stranded wire circuit as described in next paragraph shall be pulled to each pedestal) No less than thirteen (13) feet of wire shall be provided above the pedestal. At existing locations where one master box serves more than one property, the total cost for all outdoor connections to the box shall be equally divided among the owners involved. 4. A 110 volt AC electrical circuit shall be provided by the property owner to supply current to a 60 watt light bulb mounted on the box pedestal. This circuit shall be fused separately, and this may be an in-line 2A fuse installed in the interface panel. At locations where one master box serves more than one property, this circuit will be provided by the property nearest to the box. Needless Alarms - Pursuant to the False Fire Alarm Policy, when any fire alarm system continually transmits needless alarms, the chief of the department or his designate shall issue written notice that gives a reasonable period of time in which to make corrections. If the system is not corrected within this time period, it shall be disconnected from the municipal system. Operation - All fire alarm systems shall have complete operating instructions permanently mounted in close proximity to the control panel or any remote control areas and in accordance with NFPA 72, Sec. 1-7.2.2 Plans - Plans for proposed fire alarm systems will be submitted to the Fire Department prior to any work being done. These plans will include the following: Updated 4/5/2016

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FIRE ALARMS 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Floor plan with device locations. Wiring riser diagram. Location of end of line devices. Complete equipment lists and specifications. Type of occupancy, unusual hazards, or unusual building features.

Any changes from originally proposed or approved plans that should occur during construction shall be documented by revision and initialed by the chief of the department or his designate. Plans showing actual "as built" shall be submitted after completion of system. These plans shall become a permanent record of the Fire Department. Rapid Entry System - In order to provide immediate access to a building in an emergency situation without the use of forcible entry, the Chief of the Department may require the rapid entry system. All rapid entry boxes used must be approved by the Lewiston Fire Department. The chief of the department has approved all models in the "KNOX BOX" series 3200 and series 4400 and models 2HS and 2HSR in the "SUPRASAFE" systems and all hazardous materials vaults in both systems for use where the owners wish to provide the city with access to their buildings. 1. The owner, occupant or their agent shall be responsible for ordering of the rapid entry box through the Fire Alarm Division and for its proper installation. 2. The rapid entry box authorization and check will be mailed by the Fire Alarm Division to the Knox Company. 3. The rapid entry box is not required to be monitored, however, the Fire Alarm Division recommends monitoring. If the owner, occupant or agent chooses to monitor the rapid entry box, they shall comply with the following requirements: a. If the building is protected by a burglar system, the rapid entry box shall be connected to that system. b. If the building is not protected by a burglar system, the rapid entry box may be connected to the Fire Alarm System. Connection to the Fire Alarm requires the rapid entry box to be zoned separately from any fire detection and noted on the fire alarm annunciator panel as "Rapid Entry Box". 4. The owner, occupant or agent is responsible for insuring that keys are tagged accordingly, and are locked in the rapid entry box by Fire Department Personnel. 5. The required installations shall be no less than 60 inches and not more than 72 inches above grade level at the entrance closest to the annunciator panel. 6. A rapid entry box identification sticker shall be affixed to all entry doors. 7. The owner, occupant or agent shall be responsible for contacting the Fire Alarm Division at 513-3002 ext. 3608 when changing keys or occupancy. Remote Detectors - Detection devices located in concealed areas shall have remote indicators, or their location shall be permanently marked in accordance to NFPA 72, Sec. 3-8.4 and/or in a manner approved by the chief of the department or his designate. Sprinklers - All sprinkler risers shall have an approved waterflow alarm device in accordance to NFPA 72 Sec. 5-7; when necessary these devices shall be equipped with retard adjustments. All sprinkler risers shall have low pressure alarm devices on the system side, and there shall be no shutoff devices between the alarm valve and the alarm devices. Each sprinkler riser shall have a separate zone. Where location or number of sprinkler risers deems necessary, each riser shall have an outside strobe or beacon-type alarm-indicating light. Updated 4/5/2016

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FIRE ALARMS Test and Maintenance of Fire Alarm Systems - Building owners shall be responsible for a regular and documented testing procedure. Frequency of this testing shall be determined by the chief of the department or his designate. There shall be an individual assigned to act as liaison with the Fire Department. That individual shall carry out tests and oversee maintenance of the system. Wiring - Wiring shall be in conformance with NFPA 72, Sec. 1-5.5.4 and be neat, secure, and easily recognizable as fire alarm wiring. All wiring and devices shall be installed as a permanent fixture to the building structure. When open type wiring is deemed acceptable to a particular installation, the means of supporting the wiring shall be determined by the chief of the department or his designate, according to his assessment of the building structure. These means of support shall be of usual and ordinary type. They shall not be extraordinary in expense with regard to the size of the building. Indicating Appliances - Indicating appliances shall be in conformance with NFPA 72, Sec. 63 and 6-4. All waring devices shall be a combination of a light and a horn, or a sounding device approved by the Fire Alarm Division. This sounding device shall be set on marchtime to cover a wide range of decibels. The sound will be loud enough to be heard from every part of the building, including unoccupied and storage areas. The devices shall be wired to strobe lights and continue to operate after the horns have been silenced. The lights will continue to operate until the system has been reset. All strobe lights shall meet ADA requirements. Duct Detectors - All duct detectors shall be in conformance with NFPA 72, Sec. 3-8.4 and have remote indicators. Detectors shall activate trouble condition only on fire alarm control panel and not horn/light indicating devices. Detectors should activate operation of HVAC shutdown and similar related functions. Effect on new and existing conditions - The provisions of this policy shall apply equally to new and existing conditions, except that existing conditions not in strict compliance with the terms of this policy may be permitted to continue where the exceptions do not constitute a distinct hazard to life or property, in the opinion of the Fire Chief. The Fire Chief may prescribe a time limitation on correcting conditions required to be made to existing conditions or to bring conditions or corrections up to code requirements.

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FIRE ALARMS FALSE FIRE ALARM POLICY 1.

The purpose of this policy is to encourage a reduction in the frequency of false alarms and to establish a service fee to compensate for the inappropriate use of municipal resources in response to false alarms.

2.

For the purpose of this policy, the following words and terms shall have the following meanings: Alarm System: A system consisting of "initiating" devices including, but not limited to smoke detectors, heat detectors, pull stations, sprinkler switches which activate audible or visual devices on premises for evacuation. These systems may include any mechanism, equipment or device designed to automatically transmit a signal, message, or warning from private or public premises, including telephonic alarm systems designed to operate automatically through the use of public telephone facilities to the Lewiston Fire Department or monitored by other private or public entity, which in turn calls the Lewiston Fire Department. False Alarm The notification of the Fire Department that an alarm system is activated and indicates an emergency situation, and upon arrival of the Fire Department, no such emergency exists. Causes could be, but are not limited to, malfunctioning of alarm system, maintenance negligence, inappropriate use of alarm system.

3.

Alarm owners must sign a written agreement with the Fire Department when any type of Fire Department notification is used. Failure to do so will also result in automatic fines.

4.

Alarm owners must certify that they and/or their employees and/or other residences operating the alarm have received complete instructions in the operation and use of the alarm system, and in addition, any and all persons which maintain/test or perform functions on said system be qualified by established standards.

5.

For the first thirty (30) days following installation, no charge to the owner will be made for false alarms.

6.

Any owner of an alarm system whose system causes the transmittal of false alarms in any calendar year shall pay the following fees: (Effective: July 1, 2014) First

No Charge

Second

$ 55.00

Third

$ 90.00

Fourth

$115.00

Fifth

$145.00

Sixth & Thereafter

$380.00 each occurrence

Alarms generated as a result of circumstances beyond the alarm owner's control (e.g. power outage, weather conditions, motor vehicle accidents, telephone transmission problems, etc.) shall not result in a service fee, nor shall they be counted towards the first response allowed per calendar year.

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FIRE ALARMS 7.

The responding fire unit shall make a determination of the cause of the alarm. The Chief and/or his designee will review such determinations and incorporate other pertinent data to establish whether it shall be considered a chargeable false alarm.

8.

All charges will be billed quarterly, and if not paid, appropriate action will be taken.

9.

Businesses/establishments having more than one building covered by the same monitoring device will need to have a separate agreement for each covered building location.

10. Those establishments having alarm systems with private companies will be treated the same as those installed with the department. 11. The unauthorized entry by any individual into a "Fire Department Call Box", that is any device containing a transmitter used by the Fire Department to monitor an establishment/ location, will result in an automatic fine of $200.00. If this entry is done by any individual hired by said establishment, the fine will be levied against the establishment. 12. Apartment Building and Punch Pass Program Related False Alarm Fees: Three (3) false or nuisance fire alarm calls for free in a one (1) year period (January 1-December 31). Section 6 of this Policy shall apply after the initial three (3) false or nuisance alarms have occurred beginning with the fourth false fire alarm fee. 13. Alarm Reset Policy: The Fire Department will conduct a thorough check of the building to determine the cause of the alarm. If the alarm is determined to be a malfunction the Fire Department will silence the fire alarm system and the responsible party will be contacted to reset the alarm or make the necessary repair. If the responsible party cannot be contacted, will not respond or chooses to have the Fire Department reset the alarm the fee for such service shall be $150.00. 14. Fire Inspection 2nd Re-Inspection: Once the initial Fire Department Inspection is complete, the property owner/responsible party shall be provided with a compliance order noting the deficiency(s) and a 1st re-inspection date will be scheduled. If a 2nd Re-inspection is required the Fire Department is proposing a 2nd re-inspection fee of $50.00. 15. Fire Inspection Cancellation without 24 hour notice: Once a Fire Inspection appointment has been scheduled with through a responsible party, the Fire Department is proposing a minimum 24 hour cancellation notice. If the property owner/responsible party fail to provide a minimum 24 hour notice of cancellation, a fee of $100.00 shall be charged.

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