Alarm Notification - Classroom

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Rock86

Senior Member
Location
new york
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Electrical Engineer / Electrician
I have a school with an existing approved fire alarm system using horns and strobes. New building code in NY says you need a voice system, but we are not subjected to that. The way they use the system, the horn/strobes in the hallway alert the classrooms and offices. There are no notification devices in the classrooms.

Is there a code which permits the classrooms to not have notification or should they be equipped with at least a visible notification?

I've searched NFPA 72, 101, and Building Code. Even called a local inspector who was kind of stumped so he is researching it as well.
 
Are you asking if you need to add strobes to existing classrooms? As you've said, you have an existing approved fire alarm system and therefore you don't need to.

However if you are asking if you need to add strobes to NEW classrooms that may be different. If you are working in New York State schools, they are subject to SED (state education department) approval and standards. Search for NYSED 'manual of planning standards'. The 1999 version is the one that is officially adopted and enforceable, but there was a time that NYSED was trying to enforce the 2014 draft and there are still some of these floating around. The 1999 version requires a general alarm but isn't specific on how to achieve it. The 2014 draft requires visual devices basically throughout (it has a very wide swath of rooms it gives as examples of public/common areas).

For what it's worth, I rarely see classrooms without visual notification devices these days - pretty standard.
 
majorminotaur said:
Are you asking if you need to add strobes to existing classrooms? As you've said, you have an existing approved fire alarm system and therefore you don't need to.

However if you are asking if you need to add strobes to NEW classrooms that may be different. If you are working in New York State schools, they are subject to SED (state education department) approval and standards. Search for NYSED 'manual of planning standards'. The 1999 version is the one that is officially adopted and enforceable, but there was a time that NYSED was trying to enforce the 2014 draft and there are still some of these floating around. The 1999 version requires a general alarm but isn't specific on how to achieve it. The 2014 draft requires visual devices basically throughout (it has a very wide swath of rooms it gives as examples of public/common areas).

For what it's worth, I rarely see classrooms without visual notification devices these days - pretty standard.
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Hey, thanks.
I made a few more phone calls yesterday and spoke with SED directly. After posting this, I realized there was too much info to post in order to get the right answers. I'm sorry for that.

I have my solution now. This thread can be locked up if a Moderator wants to close it.
 
Rock86 said:
Hey, thanks.
I made a few more phone calls yesterday and spoke with SED directly. After posting this, I realized there was too much info to post in order to get the right answers. I'm sorry for that.

I have my solution now. This thread can be locked up if a Moderator wants to close it.
Click to expand...
Please let us know the outcome. It could prove useful to some of us in the future.
 
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