Fire Alarm Equipment - Definition

[beanland]

I am reviewing a proposal dealing with installing smoke dampers in a building HVAC system. 2011 NEC 760.41(B) requires "fire alarm equipment" to be on a dedicated branch circuit. But, "fire alarm equipment" is not defined. In common usage, fire alarm equipment would be pull stations, smoke and heat detectors, strobes and horns, fire alarm control panels, etc. A smoke damper is not really part of the fire alarm system, it is a control activated by the fire alarm system. So, is a smoke damper "fire alarm equipment" and does a smoke damper need to be on a dedicated branch circuit? Can anyone offer a code citation?

 

[gadfly56]

I am reviewing a proposal dealing with installing smoke dampers in a building HVAC system. 2011 NEC 760.41(B) requires "fire alarm equipment" to be on a dedicated branch circuit. But, "fire alarm equipment" is not defined. In common usage, fire alarm equipment would be pull stations, smoke and heat detectors, strobes and horns, fire alarm control panels, etc. A smoke damper is not really part of the fire alarm system, it is a control activated by the fire alarm system. So, is a smoke damper "fire alarm equipment" and does a smoke damper need to be on a dedicated branch circuit? Can anyone offer a code citation?

An excellent question. In practice it is usually taken to mean the fire alarm control panel and any direct auxilliary components such as local or remote notification appliance booster panels, voice evacuation equipment (if it's not integrated into the fire alarm control panel), and any local or remote fire alarm control panel expansion cabinets (sometimes called transponder panels or boxes). AFAIK, smoke dampers are usually considered auxilliary equipment and don't fall under 760.41(B). Their status, for example, is usually not monitored by the fire alarm control panel.

 

[nakulak]

I was under the impression that fire and smoke dampers were fire protection equipment, not fire alarm equipment. It seems to me that the equipment should have been part of a listed fire protection system, and the wiring details should be shown on the approved prints ?