Fire Alarm Auto Test

[Eaglesionu]

Hi Everyone,

I've been in the fire alarm industry for 20 years. I'm always working to better undersatnd code requirements and i hope to get some opinions for my questions.

My question revolves around the required NFPA 72 fire alarm panel auto testing. According to NFPA 72 2022 Chapter 26, a system using a DACT should send an "auto test" signal to the monitoring station every 6 hours to verify integrity of the communication path. While a cellular communicator used for sole path communication should be monitored for integrity every 60 minutes.

The confusion for me comes from real world experience. If i am installing a sole path cellular communicator on a fire alarm system with an integrated dialer/DACT, the cellular communicator provider will notify the monitoring station if the cellular communicator has been offline/unreachable for more that 60 minutes, complying with the sole path code.

• In this situation, how often should the panel's built in DACT be sending a test signal since the cellular communicator already complies with the 60 minuite supervison requirement?

Thank you in advance for your responses

-Phil

 

[gadfly56]

Hi Everyone,

I've been in the fire alarm industry for 20 years. I'm always working to better undersatnd code requirements and i hope to get some opinions for my questions.

My question revolves around the required NFPA 72 fire alarm panel auto testing. According to NFPA 72 2022 Chapter 26, a system using a DACT should send an "auto test" signal to the monitoring station every 6 hours to verify integrity of the communication path. While a cellular communicator used for sole path communication should be monitored for integrity every 60 minutes.

The confusion for me comes from real world experience. If i am installing a sole path cellular communicator on a fire alarm system with an integrated dialer/DACT, the cellular communicator provider will notify the monitoring station if the cellular communicator has been offline/unreachable for more that 60 minutes, complying with the sole path code.

• In this situation, how often should the panel's built in DACT be sending a test signal since the cellular communicator already complies with the 60 minuite supervison requirement?

Thank you in advance for your responses

-Phil

Still every 4 hours. What took me hours of digging and asking to understand is that the supervisory or "heartbeat" signal for cellular supervision will trip exactly ONCE if the cellular path goes away. One little signal, running to the central station and NO ONE has a notification on that signal. You won't get another notification until the path comes back; no 24-hour resound. So, if the cell goes away and doesn't reset for months, you'll never know without the test timer.

 

[Eaglesionu]

Still every 4 hours. What took me hours of digging and asking to understand is that the supervisory or "heartbeat" signal for cellular supervision will trip exactly ONCE if the cellular path goes away. One little signal, running to the central station and NO ONE has a notification on that signal. You won't get another notification until the path comes back; no 24-hour resound. So, if the cell goes away and doesn't reset for months, you'll never know without the test timer.

Thank you for your reply, do you have any code reference to the 4 hour panel auto test time insead of the 6 hour auto test time?

 

[gadfly56]

Thank you for your reply, do you have any code reference to the 4 hour panel auto test time insead of the 6 hour auto test time?

My bad on that interval. I think my brain confused 4x per day with every 6 hours.

 

[Eaglesionu]

My bad on that interval. I think my brain confused 4x per day with every 6 hours.

Thank you for the clarification.

Now, what is your opinion on only doing a 24 hour test on the FACP DACT instead of a 6 hour? I've never seen an existing panel setup for 6 hour, even when we've taken over existing accounts. My monitoring station says they only have a handfull of dealers that setup 6 hour auto tests. I know its in the code book, but who is policing it? We have always set accounts to 24 hour test and i only recently found out that 6 hour test was a requirement. Are people here actually doing 6 hour tests because from my research its been required since 2013 but nobody knows about it....

Not arguing that it is required, just dont understand why its not more widely known/policed.

 

[gadfly56]

Thank you for the clarification.

Now, what is your opinion on only doing a 24 hour test on the FACP DACT instead of a 6 hour? I've never seen an existing panel setup for 6 hour, even when we've taken over existing accounts. My monitoring station says they only have a handfull of dealers that setup 6 hour auto tests. I know its in the code book, but who is policing it? We have always set accounts to 24 hour test and i only recently found out that 6 hour test was a requirement. Are people here actually doing 6 hour tests because from my research its been required since 2013 but nobody knows about it....

Not arguing that it is required, just dont understand why its not more widely known/policed.

Internally, we are moving over to a 6-hour test timer. The central station doesn't charge extra for more test timers per day, so there is no economic incentive to try and let it slide. It is mostly just re-training the techs to set it up correctly.

You're right, it's been in there a long time, and if I had to guess, it's just not on the AHJ's radar which is why it hasn't been a thing for enforcement. Someday they'll go to a seminar and come out all hot and bothered to see this enforced.

 

[jpatrum]

Internally, we are moving over to a 6-hour test timer. The central station doesn't charge extra for more test timers per day, so there is no economic incentive to try and let it slide. It is mostly just re-training the techs to set it up correctly.

You're right, it's been in there a long time, and if I had to guess, it's just not on the AHJ's radar which is why it hasn't been a thing for enforcement. Someday they'll go to a seminar and come out all hot and bothered to see this enforced.

Curious who your central station is. Ours charges extra for the 6 hour vs 24.

We've also been setting up new installs with 6 hour test. The existing 24 hour, due to the price increase, we're leaving at daily. A lot of them were pre 2013 anyway.

 

[gadfly56]

Curious who your central station is. Ours charges extra for the 6 hour vs 24.

We've also been setting up new installs with 6 hour test. The existing 24 hour, due to the price increase, we're leaving at daily. A lot of them were pre 2013 anyway.

Our Central Station is Rapid Response.