Security devices tied into fire alarm system

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cppoly

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Does anyone where in the building code requires which security devices (door locks, mag locks, card readers, electric strikes, etc.) are required to be tied into the fire alarm system and which ones are not required to be?
 
cppoly said:
Does anyone where in the building code requires which security devices (door locks, mag locks, card readers, electric strikes, etc.) are required to be tied into the fire alarm system and which ones are not required to be?
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Around 1008.1.9.8 (IFC 1008.1.9.8 is one area
 
So fire I can only find that turnstiles and electromagnetically controlled exterior entrance doors & tenant entrance doors are required to be connected to the fire alarm system. Doesn't mention any other doors that have security control (card readers, mag locks, electric strikes, etc.). Does this sound right?
 
cppoly said:
So fire I can only find that turnstiles and electromagnetically controlled exterior entrance doors & tenant entrance doors are required to be connected to the fire alarm system. Doesn't mention any other doors that have security control (card readers, mag locks, electric strikes, etc.). Does this sound right?
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In particular, if the door is part of the exit pathway from any room and does not have a manual means (e.g. alarmed panic bar) to allow exit from the inside, then I would expect it to either 1. Simply not be allowed in the first place or 2. Be connected to the fire alarm system.
The requirement, if any, for manually opening a door in an exit path are likely to be elsewhere in the BC.

Are you concerned with unlocking the door to allow FD access or to allow exit?
 
GoldDigger said:
In particular, if the door is part of the exit pathway from any room and does not have a manual means (e.g. alarmed panic bar) to allow exit from the inside, then I would expect it to either 1. Simply not be allowed in the first place or 2. Be connected to the fire alarm system.
The requirement, if any, for manually opening a door in an exit path are likely to be elsewhere in the BC.

Are you concerned with unlocking the door to allow FD access or to allow exit?
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Just for my own information, but I am be concerned with both. But it does appear it only applies to egress doors. But I would like to confirm if the door is equipped with a manual method to get out like with panic hardware then is the door exempt from being connected into the FA system?
 
Thanks for the PDF. According the summaries, the only doors required to be tied into the FA system are the entrance doors in the means of egress.

Electromagnetically locked egress doors have no requirement for FA tie in. (almost sounds contradictory to the above).
 
cppoly said:
Thanks for the PDF. According the summaries, the only doors required to be tied into the FA system are the entrance doors in the means of egress.

Electromagnetically locked egress doors have no requirement for FA tie in. (almost sounds contradictory to the above).
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That type of door needs to have the interrupting means incorporated into the door. For example, if you push on the panic bar it opens a contact that drops the mag lock.
 
Read carefully. Usually the codes will say that if a device requires power to lock the door, then power to the device must be removed when the fire alarm is activated. That's different from unlocking. In other words, you can't just tell the access control system to unlock the doors.

Rule of Thumb: If you can exit a access controlled opening by strictly by mechanical means, then it doesn't have to be fire dropped. However, even with a strictly "mechanical exit", if there is a electrical switch in the locking device (even if it has nothing to do with granting or denying access), many inspectors will require the opening to be fire dropped. Same is true if there is a motion detector.

I'd also be careful with any stairwell doors that must unlock. They usually must remain latched; that's why fail safe electric strikes can't be used on stairwells.
 
GrayHair said:
[SIZEt=3]Read carefully. Usually the codes will say that if a device requires power to lock the door, then power to the device must be removed when the fire alarm is activated. That's different from unlocking. In other words, you can't just tell the access control system to unlock the
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I don't see it being interpreted that way here.
 
It says what a particular AHJ thinks it says. At least until someone wearing a black robe and swinging a wooden hammer says what they think it says.

Years ago I had a long discussion on this with a recalcitrant inspector at a multi-tenant building. With plenty of talking and some demonstrations, I got him to change his opinion (and breathed a sigh of relief).
 
GrayHair said:
It says what a particular AHJ thinks it says. At least until someone wearing a black robe and swinging a wooden hammer says what they think it says.

Years ago I had a long discussion on this with a recalcitrant inspector at a multi-tenant building. With plenty of talking and some demonstrations, I got him to change his opinion (and breathed a sigh of relief).
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Please explain what your position is.

It is my position that the access control system unlocking the door is removing power from the device.

Do you believe there is power to the locking device when it is unlocked?
 
There are two basic types of electrified locks:
Type
State
Power
Fail SecureUnlockedApplied
LockedRemoved
Fail SafeUnlockedRemoved
LockedApplied
Electric strikes casn be either Fail Secure or Fail Safe. Mag locks are inherently Fail Safe.

I'm pulling stuff of a crashed computer and don't have access to my codes at the moment. I think you'll find that NFPA 101 or 72 states that power to the locking device must be removed irrespective of the access control system (my paraphrase).
 
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