In this section we will review and discuss NFPA 1225 2022 Edition Chapter 18: In-Building Emergency Responder Communications Enhancement Systems and material from the annex. Following this course you should understand the material and pass the quiz at the end.
18.2 Approval.
18.2.1 Where an in-building emergency responder communications enhancement system is used, the design of the system shall be approved by the AHJ and the frequency license holder(s).
18.2.2 The design of the system shall be performed by a RF system designer.
18.3.1 Enclosures.
18.3.1.1 Battery systems used for the emergency power source shall be contained in a NEMA 3R or higher-rated cabinet.
18.3.1.2 All repeater, transmitter, receiver, signal booster components, optical-to-RF and RF-to optical converters, and external filters shall be contained in a NEMA 4– or NEMA 4X–type enclosure(s).
18.3.1.3 Batteries that require venting shall be stored in NEMA 3R–type enclosures
18.3.2 Oscillation Detection and Control.
Signal boosters used in emergency responder communications enhancement systems shall have built-in oscillation detection and control circuitry to reduce gain and maintain operation.
18.3.2.1 When a signal booster detects oscillation, a supervisory signal shall be transmitted.
18.3.2.2 In the event of uncorrectable oscillation, the system shall be permitted to shut down.
18.3.3 Mounting of the Donor Antenna(s).
18.3.3.1 To maintain proper alignment with the system designed donor site, donor antennas shall meet one of the following:
- Antennas shall be permanently affixed on the building.
- Where approved, antennas shall be mounted on a movable sled with a visible sign stating “Movement or repositioning of this antenna is prohibited without approval from the AHJ.”
18.3.3.2 If a donor antenna exists, isolation shall be maintained between the donor antenna and all inside antennas to a minimum of 20 dB above system gain.
18.3.3.3 The antenna installation shall also be in accordance with the applicable requirements of the building code for weather protection of the building envelope
18.3.4 Communication Antenna Density.
18.3.4.1* In-building emergency responder communication enhancement systems shall be designed to minimize the near-far effect.
18.3.4.2 In-building emergency responder communication enhancement system designs shall include a sufficient number of distribution antennas(density) to address reduced gain conditions.
18.3.4.3 Where an in-building emergency responder communication enhancement system is required and such system, components, or equipment has a negative impact on the normal operations of the facility at which it is installed, the AHJ shall have the authority to accept an automatically activated responder system.
A.18.3.4.1Near-far problems arise when a distributed antenna system (DAS) is not designed correctly. These problems are caused by a transmission from a portable that is near a DAS antenna, overpowering the uplink amplifier. When this occurs, the strong signal forces the amplifier into a reduced gain situation. Other portables transmitting simultaneously on a different channel(s), far away from the antenna system, will not be provided the gain necessary to achieve adequate uplink communications.
SeeHawk Touch BDA Commissioning
SeeHawk Touch BDA Commissioning has a Near-Far test designed to test the antenna density.
18.4 Lightning Protection.
Systems shall have lightning protection that complies with 18.4.1 through 18.4.4.
18.4.1 The donor antenna coaxial cable(s) shall be protected by antenna discharge units in accordance with Article 820 of NFPA 70.
18.4.2 The antenna discharge units shall be listed to UL 497C, Standard for Protectors for Coaxial Communications Circuits.
18.4.3 Each donor antenna coaxial cable(s) shall be provided with a listed antenna discharge unit in accordance with Article 820 of NFPA 70.
18.4.4 The antenna, antenna mast, and antenna discharge unit(s) shall be grounded in accordance with Article 820 of NFPA 70.
NFPA 70 section summary
Grounding and Bonding (820.100)
- All ERCES coaxial cables must be properly grounded and bonded to the building’s grounding electrode system.
- This measure minimizes the risk of lightning-induced surges traveling through the coax and damaging ERCES equipment.
- Bonding should occur as close as possible to the building’s service entrance to maximize effectiveness.
Surge Protection (820.93)
- A listed grounding device or surge protection unit must be installed at the point where the coaxial cable enters the building.
- This helps safeguard ERCES components, building electrical systems, and occupants from dangerous voltage spikes caused by lightning strikes.
- 18.6 Non-Interference and Non-Public Safety System Degradation.
- 18.6.1 No in-building emergency responder communications enhancement system capable of operating on frequencies or causing interference to frequencies assigned to the jurisdiction by the licensing authority of the country of jurisdiction shall be installed without prior coordination and approval of the AHJ and the frequency license holder(s).
- 18.6.2 The building owner or authorized agent shall suspend and correct equipment installations that degrade the performance of the public safety communications system or emergency responder communications enhancement system.
- 18.6.3 Systems that share infrastructure with non-public safety services shall ensure that the coverage and performance of the public safety communications channels are not degraded below the level of performance identified in Sections 18.8 and 18.9, regardless of the amount of traffic carried by the non-public safety services.
- A.18.6.3 Use of shared commercial and public safety systems on the same in-building communications enhancement system infrastructure should be evaluated to ensure that systems and technology provide optimized operational capabilities. Multiple DAS systems, whether combined or not, need to be designed and configured to avoid interference with each other and with other building RF systems.
- 18.7 Approval and Permit.
- 18.7.1 Plans, including, but not limited to, specifications, link budget, and other information required by the AHJ and frequency license holder(s), shall be submitted for approval prior to installation.
- 18.7.2 Written authorization by the frequency license holder shall be required upon initial installation and prior to activation of the emergency responder communications enhancement system.
- 18.7.3 Where required by the AHJ, a renewable permit shall be issued for the operation of an emergency responder communications enhancement system.
- SeeHawk Central
- Where the radio system is utilizing SeeHawk Central, the BDA Details can be used to associate the building to a tower site and show the free space path loss on the map. In the BDA Commissioning Downlink Isolation Test, entering the ERP of the transmitter, we will provide the system loss measurement as well. These are useful tools in verifying the link budget.
18.8 Radio Coverage.
18.8.1 Radio coverage shall be provided throughout the building as a percentage of floor area as specified in 18.8.3 and 18.8.4.
18.8.2 The system shall adhere to the maximum acceptable propagation delay standard provided by the AHJ.
18.8.3 Critical areas, including fire command centers, fire pump rooms, exit stairs, exit passageways, elevators, elevator lobbies, standpipe cabinets, sprinkler sectional valve locations, and other areas deemed critical by the AHJ, shall be provided with 99 percent floor area radio coverage.
18.8.4 General building areas shall be provided with 95 percent floor area radio coverage.
18.8.5 Buildings and structures that cannot support the required level of radio coverage shall be equipped with a system that includes RF-emitting devices that are certified by the radio licensing authority to achieve the required adequate radio coverage.
18.8.6 Radio enhancement systems shall be designed to support two portable radios simultaneously transmitting on different talk paths or channels, where the AHJ has required the radio enhancement system to support more than one channel or talk path.
SeeHawk Touch and BDA Commissioning Tests
Central makes it easy to manage floor plans, add grids and add critical areas. The reporting grades these on the required 95% and 99% per the code. The Near-Far test is also a graded and automated test in the BDA Commissioning suite. It is used to satisfy testing of 2 portable radios transmitting simultaneously.
18.9.1 Downlink.
A minimum downlink signal shall be sufficient to provide a minimum of DAQ 3.0 for voice communications using either narrowband, analog, or digital P25 signals or wideband LTE digital signals throughout the coverage area. (See A.20.3.10.)
A.18.9.1 Downlink refers to the signal from the base station to the portable. Although DAQ 3.0 is required as a minimum, it is recommended that systems be designed for DAQ 3.4 to provide a safety factor.
18.9.2 Uplink.
The uplink signal shall be sufficient to provide a minimum of DAQ 3.0 for voice communications using either narrowband, analog, or digital P25 signals or widespread LTE digital signals. (See A.20.3.10.)
A.18.9.2 Uplink refers to the signal from the portable to the base station.
18.9.3 Noise Floor.
If the design of the in-building emergency responder communications enhancement system (ERCES) requires the use of a signal booster, then the maximum uplink RF noise (noise crown) created by any signal booster or signal booster booster-based ERCES shall not raise the noise floor at the public safety communications site closest to the ERCES or any receiving site within the public safety communications network that the ERCES is intended to operate with.
SeeHawk Touch BDA Commissioning Suite
The Verify Uplink Noise Test in our BDA Commissioning tools is tailored to test the Noise Floor requirement.
SeeHawk Touch Indoor Grid Test is designed to record the downlink measurements and automates reporting.
SeeHawk Monitor can be installed at the radio tower site and be used to measure the uplink power, SINR and BER. These results can be merged with the grid test to show both uplink and downlink quality metrics.
18.10 Donor Antenna.
If a donor antenna exists, isolation shall be maintained between the donor antenna and all inside antennas to a minimum of 20 dB above system gain.
SeeHawk Touch BDA Commissioning Suite
The Downlink and Uplink Isolation tests in our BDA Commissioning tools automate and grade this requirement.
18.11 Frequencies.
The in-building emergency responder communications enhancement system shall be capable of transmitting on all radio frequencies, as required by the AHJ, and be capable of using any modulation technology in current use by the public safety agencies in the jurisdiction.
18.11.1 List of Assigned Frequencies.
The AHJ and the frequency license holder(s) shall each maintain a list of all downlink/uplink frequency pairs for distribution to system designers.
18.11.2 Frequency Changes.
18.11.2.1 Systems shall be upgradeable to allow for instances where the jurisdiction changes or adds system frequencies to maintain communication system coverage as it was originally designed.
18.11.2.2 Where frequency changes occur and systems are upgraded, they shall comply with 18.6.1.
SeeHawk Central
SeeHawk Central Workspaces can manage the frequency lists. Frequency License Holders and AHJs can create workspaces that service providers can use as well.
18.12.1 Component Approval, Certification, and Listing.
18.12.1.1 RF-emitting devices and cabling used in the installation of in-building emergency responder communications enhancement systems shall be approved by the AHJ and the frequency license holder.
18.12.1.2 All RF-emitting devices shall have the certification of the radio licensing authority of that country and be suitable for public safety use prior to installation.
18.12.1.3 All repeaters, transmitters, receivers, signal-booster components, remote annunciators and operational consoles, power supplies, and battery charging system components shall be listed and labeled in accordance with UL 2524, Standard for In-Building 2-Way Emergency Radio Communication Enhancement Systems.
18.12.2 Active RF-Emitting Devices.
Active RF-emitting devices shall meet the following requirements in addition to any other requirements determined by the AHJ or the frequency license holder(s):
- Active RF-emitting devices that have a transmitted power output sufficient to require certification of the frequency licensing authority shall have the certification of the frequency licensing authority prior to installation.
- All active RF-emitting devices shall be compatible for their intended use, as required by the frequency licensing authority, the frequency license holder(s), and the AHJ, simultaneously at the time of installation.
- Written authorization shall be obtained from the frequency license holder(s) prior to the initial activation of any RF-emitting devices required to be certified by the frequency licensing authority.
18.12.3 Component Requirements.
18.12.3.1 All cables shall be installed in accordance with Chapters 7 and 8 of NFPA 70.
18.12.3.2 Mechanical protection of work and raceways for coaxial cables shall comply with Article 820 of NFPA 70.
18.12.3.3 Backbone cables and backbone cable components installed in buildings that are fully protected by an automatic sprinkler system in accordance with NFPA 13 shall not be required to have a fire resistance rating.
18.12.3.4* Backbone cables and backbone cable components installed in nonsprinklered buildings, in buildings that are partially protected by a sprinkler system, or in high-rise buildings shall be protected from attack by fire in accordance with one of the following:
- Use a cable with a listed fire-resistance rating in accordance with the following:
- Where the primary structural frame of a building is required to have a fire resistance rating of 2 hours or more or is classified as heavy timber construction, the minimum fire-resistance rating shall be 2 hours.
- Where the primary structural frame of a building is required to have a fire resistance rating of less than 2 hours, the minimum fire resistance rating shall be 1 hour.
- Where the primary structural frame of a building does not require a fire resistance rating, a fire resistance rating shall not be required.
- A protected enclosure or area shall have a fire-resistance rating in accordance with the following:
- Where the primary structural frame of a building is required to have a fire[1]resistance rating of 2 hours or more or is classified as heavy timber construction, the minimum fire-resistance rating shall be 2 hours.
- Where the primary structural frame of a building is required to have a fire[1]resistance rating of less than 2 hours, the minimum fire resistance rating shall be 1 hour.
- Where the primary structural frame of a building does not require a fire resistance rating, a fire resistance rating shall not be required.
18.12.3.5 Where backbone cables and distribution antenna cables are run in a fire-resistant enclosure or protected area, both of the following shall apply, except as permitted in 18.12.3.6:
- The connection between the backbone cable and the distribution antenna cables shall be made within an enclosure or protected area identified in 18.12.3.4.
- Passage of the distribution antenna cable in and out of the enclosure or protected area shall be fire-stopped to an equivalent rating of the enclosure or protected area.
18.12.3.6 If both the backbone cables and the backbone cable components are fire rated in accordance with 18.12.3.4, the connection of the distribution antenna cable shall not be required to be made within an enclosure or protected area
18.13 Power Sources.
At least two independent and reliable power sources shall be provided for all RF-emitting devices and any other active electronic components of the system: one primary and one secondary.
18.13.1 Primary Power Source.
The primary power source shall be all of the following.
- Supplied from a dedicated branch circuit
- Permanently connected
- Compliant with NFPA 72
- Protected from overvoltage
18.13.2 Secondary Power Source.
The secondary power source shall consist of one of the following:
- A storage battery dedicated to the system with 12 hours of 100 percent system operation capacity
- An alternative power source of 12 hours at 100 percent system operation capacity as approved by the AHJ
- A 2-hour standby battery and connection to the facility generator power system, providing the facility generator power system can support the complete system load for 12 hours
18.13.3 Monitoring Integrity of Power Sources.
Monitoring the integrity of power sources shall be in accordance with 17.1.2.2.
18.14.1 Fire Alarm System.
18.14.1.1 The system shall include automatic supervisory signals for malfunctions of the in-building emergency responder communications enhancement system that are annunciated by the fire alarm system in accordance with NFPA 72.
18.14.1.2 The system shall comply with all of the following:
1. Monitoring for integrity of the system shall comply with Chapter 10 of NFPA 72.
2. System supervisory signals shall include the following:
- (a)Signal source malfunction
- (b) Active RF-emitting device failure
- (c) Low-battery capacity indication when 70 percent of the 12-hour operating capacity has been depleted
- (d) Active system component failure
3. Power supply supervisory signals shall include the following for each RF-emitting device and active system components:
- (a)Loss of normal ac power
- (b)Failure of battery charger
4. The communications link between the fire alarm system and the in-building emergency responder communications enhancement system shall be monitored for integrity.
5. Where approved by the AHJ, a single supervisory input to the fire alarm system to monitor all system supervisory signals shall be permitted.
18.14.2 Dedicated Annunciation.
18.14.2.1 A dedicated annunciator shall be provided within the fire command center to annunciate the status of all RF-emitting devices and active system component locations.
18.14.2.2 The annunciator shall provide visual and labeled indications of the following for each system component and RF-emitting device:
- Normal ac power
- Loss of normal ac power
- Battery charger failure
- Low-battery capacity (i.e., to 70 percent depletion)
- Signal source malfunction [See A.18.14.1.2(2)(a).]
- Active RF-emitting device malfunction
- Active system component malfunction
18.14.2.3 The communications link between this device and the in-building emergency responder communications enhancement system shall be monitored for integrity.
18.15 Technical Criteria
18.15.1 The AHJ and the frequency license holder(s) shall maintain a document containing technical information specific to its requirements for the installation of emergency responder communications enhancement systems.
18.15.2 The document shall include relevant information from the frequency license holder(s).
18.15.3 The AHJ technical information documents shall be accessible to emergency responder communications enhancement system design personnel.
18.15.4 The AHJ technical information documents shall contain, but not be limited to, the following:
- Frequencies and other modulation technologies required for the in-building emergency responder communications enhancement system and the point of contact for the frequency license holder(s)
- Location and effective radiated power (ERP) of public safety radio sites used by the emergency responder communications enhancement system
- Maximum propagation delay — in microseconds
- Other supporting technical information necessary to direct system design
18.15.5 Where required, system design and installation documents, specifications, test results, and other records necessary to document the operation of the emergency responder communications enhancement system shall be provided.
18.15.6 The documents shall be in a format and location approved by the AHJ.