Commercial Fire Alarm System Inspection

CCPIA^® is joined by David Lowrey, Chief Fire Marshal at Boulder Fire-Rescue, for an overview of commercial fire alarm systems. While the ComSOP baseline scope requires inspectors to verify the presence of fire alarm systems, further assessment falls to qualified specialists and the AHJ. This video helps commercial property inspectors understand key system components and potential deficiencies.

Fire Alarm vs. Emergency Alarm System

A fire alarm system detects smoke, heat, or fire and uses initiating devices like smoke or heat detectors, waterflow switches, and pull stations. When activated, the system alerts occupants to evacuate and notifies emergency responders. Fire alarm systems are required across nearly all commercial and residential buildings.

An emergency alarm system, while similar, specifically detects emergency situations involving hazardous materials, toxic gases, or specialized processes. For example, the system may continuously monitor gases in industrial areas for levels that exceed established thresholds, or personnel may activate the system using a pull station in contaminated or hazardous material processing areas. Building codes require an emergency alarm system in high-hazard occupancies.

Commercial buildings can contain small amounts of hazardous materials without requiring an emergency alarm system. When hazardous materials exceed maximum allowable quantities, the building or a portion of it is be classified as a high-hazard occupancy. These occupancies are commonly associated with manufacturing, processing, generation, or storage of materials that specifically pose physical or health hazards.

To identify an emergency alarm system, refer to equipment labels and note the type of initiating and notification devices present. The control panel will be labeled “Emergency Alarm” or “Gas Detection Panel” rather than “Fire Alarm Control Panel (FACP).” Initiating devices may include specialized gas sensors, chemical vapor monitors, and process shutoff buttons. Some systems use amber/yellow, blue, or green strobes as notification devices to distinguish them from the red strobes used for fire evacuation.

Fire Alarm System Components

The video above features a fire alarm system for an office building. The location of an FACP in commercial buildings varies. It may be located near the main entrance or in an electrical, utility, or other designated room. When located in a separate room, the door must be clearly marked, and a remote annunciator is typically located near the main entrance or another location approved by the AHJ.

The key fire alarm panel components covered in this video include:

• Fire alarm control panel (FACP): The central hub that receives inputs from initiating devices, processes signals, and triggers alarm outputs.
  • Control modules: Fire alarm components that allow the fire alarm system to control an output or another connected function, such as activating notification devices.
  • Communicator Subpanel: A dedicated enclosure housing the radio or phone communicator that transmits alarm and trouble signals offsite to a supervising station or fire dispatch.
  • Auxiliary Power Supply Subpanel: A remote power enclosure that provides additional power to initiating device circuits or auxiliary devices when the main FACP lacks sufficient capacity.
  • Junction Box / Terminal Enclosure: An enclosure used to protect and route fire alarm wiring circuits.
• Remote annunciator: A secondary display panel typically located near the entrance of a building that indicates the system’s operational status without requiring access to the main fire alarm control panel. It shows power using a green light.
• Initiating devices: Components mounted throughout a building that detect a fire condition or allow occupants to manually trigger an alarm signal to the control panel. Examples include smoke detectors, heat detectors, and manual pull stations.
• Notification devices: Wall- or ceiling-mounted appliances that provide audible and visual alerts throughout the building when the fire alarm system activates. Examples include horns, strobes, and bells.

Building Inspection Considerations

Commercial fire alarm inspections are part of the greater fire and life safety inspection. Although the ComSOP provides a limited baseline scope of documenting their presence, there are additional visually observable conditions inspectors can assess to better serve their clients, as comfortable and without breaching AHJ inspections.

For instance, inspectors may choose to:

• verify that the main panel, remote annunciators, and any subpanels indicate normal power with no amber trouble lights or audible beeping;
• check that the FACP room door is properly labeled, if applicable; and
• confirm that initiating devices and notification appliances are visible and unobstructed by paint, storage, or building equipment.

To perform a thorough fire and life safety inspection, inspectors must hold the necessary training in commercial building systems, components, design, and construction. Take the Inspecting Commercial Fire and Life Safety Systems Online Course to gain an understanding of the technical, procedural, and reporting practices involved.