NFPA 72 states that audibility from a fire alarm system is required to be provided throughout a building. Most jurisdictions are less concerned with attaining audibility in small, non-normally-occupied rooms such as janitor closets, small electrical rooms, or small mechanical rooms. However, several military reviews have pointed to exactly these rooms and asked how audibility is going to be achieved.
I typically provide speakers just outside of these groups of rooms such that there should be an achieved audible level, but how could I prove that during the design phase? Is there any calculation for audible loss through a door or software that could model this loss? I feel like there's a good handful of variables that play into whether audibility is achieved in these small rooms that may be difficult to predict. Posted anonymously for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe
2 Comments
Darrell Wright
10/11/2019 12:09:26 pm
There is a table in HFPE that show the dB value lost through a door depending on the door type and how well the door is sealed.
Reply
JEANNE S TEBERA
10/13/2019 03:33:36 pm
As Darrell Wright indicated, please refer to Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE) Handbook of Fire Protection Engineering, 5th Edition methodology for designing fire alarm audibility:
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Free SignupSubscribe and learn something new each day:
CommunityThank You to Our Top
October '20 Contributors!
Your PostThe ToolkitSprinkler Designer or Engineer?
Get all of our tools, including the Sprinkler Database, Friction Loss Calculator, Fire Pump Analyzer and more: Filters
All
Archives
January 2021
Daily
Daily discussions are open-ended fire protection, fire alarm, and life safety questions submitted anonymously for the benefit of sharing expertise and learning from other perspectives. Anyone can submit a question here:
Exam Prep2020 PE Prep Guide
(Available Now!) PE Prep Series
(Available Now!) 2020 PE Prep Series
Current Leaderboard (Click to enlarge) PE Problems
Visit July-October for daily Fire Protection PE Exam sample questions.
Solutions are posted the day after posting. Comment with your solutions, questions or clarifications. Please note that questions posted are unofficial and in accordance with NCEES rules are intended to be similar to actual exam questions, not actual exam questions themselves. |