CSAA Signals
Vol. 8, No. 10 —April 17, 2002
440 Maple Avenue East, Suite 201, Vienna, VA 22180
703-242-4670; Fax 703-242-4675

NFPA to Vote on NFPA 72, Proposal 381

During the NFPA meeting in Minneapolis, a vote will be taken on Wednesday, May 22, 2002 to accept NFPA 72. Contained within NFPA 72 is “Proposal 381”, the essence of which is explained below.

What is “Proposal 381”?

Proposal 381 is simply a part of NFPA 72. The Supervising Station Fire Alarm Systems Technical Committee made two important changes to "REMOTE STATION" fire alarm systems this cycle: Methods of Monitoring and Third-Party Oversight. No significant changes were made to either "Central Station Service" or "Proprietary Station" fire alarm systems.

  • Methods of Monitoring. In the 1999 edition, there was one method (monitoring at the fire department) with an exception. Now, there are two equally acceptable methods: monitoring at a fire department or other public entity, OR monitoring at an alternate location acceptable to the AHJ.

  • Third Party Oversight. Where remote station fire alarm systems are monitored by private entities (fire alarm companies, answering services, etc.), on-going quality assurance will now be required by one of three methods: certification, placarding, or a government equivalent. Any method must provide a systematic program to assure code compliant installation and on-going testing, inspection, and maintenance of the fire alarm installation.

It is important to understand that this is not Central Station Service! There is no requirement for runner service, nor does the monitoring station itself need to be listed. There needs to be a listed company (or governmentally-approved company) involved in the fire alarm system, but this company can be the service company which would provide a testing and inspection contract.

Endorsements. 

These changes are being supported by us, the Central Station Alarm Association, the Automatic Fire Alarm Association, the Security Industry Association and the National Fire and Burglar Alarm Association among others. 

We would like to ask you to vote to accept NFPA 72 (with Proposal 381 included). In addition, if there is a motion to return “Proposal 381” to Committee, we need your support to defeat such a motion.

It is anticipated that the vote will be taken on the afternoon of the 22nd, however, we would like to suggest that you be present in the morning in case it comes up earlier. 

  • If you are going to the NFPA World Safety Conference in Minneapolis to vote on May 22, 2002, please check out the NFPA website at www.nfpa.org. Click on "World Safety Conference" for registration information. We understand that if you are a member of NFPA and only showing up for the floor vote, there is no charge. A one day registration is $180.00. 

  • To register on-line you will need your NFPA Membership Number, which you may get by calling 800-344-3555. Or you can download the registration form and fax it to NFPA.

  • If you are looking for a hotel, the one with the most available rooms and best relative location at the present time is the Hilton Hotel, which is about three blocks from the meeting.

The State Legislation List has Just Been Updated

Every Tuesday, the CSAA Website, www.csaaintl.org, updates the list of all pending legislation in the 50 states. You can access the information through a link on the "Hot News" section ("Access the latest State Legislation Report (changes in red)----FOR MEMBERS ONLY (04/09/02)") or by clicking below.

http://www.csaaintl.org/StateBills/CSAAStateLegislationReport040902.htm 

Remember, this is an exclusive, member-only benefit. In order to access the information, you must enter a user name and password that was sent to you in a previous Signals and e-Gram. If you do not remember them, send an e-mail to communications@csaaintl.org or call 703-242-4670, Ext. 16.

Annual Meeting "Call for Papers" Deadline

Friday, April 19 is the deadline to submit proposals to be a speaker at the CSAA 2002 Annual Meeting in Cancun, Mexico. You can submit your proposal on-line at http://www.csaaintl.org/namtse/PresSub.html.

Send your proposal as soon as possible to improve your chances of being selected as a speaker.