Kirk Thordobson

Mass Notification Systems (MNS):What’s the “BUZZ”?

Industrial Settings have had it for years!

Today’s Agenda

•What is Mass Notification?

•Historical Events

•Codes

•Examples of System Configurations

Definition – Unified Facilities Criteria UFC 4-021-01

The capability to provide real-time information to all building occupants or personnel in the immediate vicinity of a building during emergency situations

Definition – NFPA 72 -2007

A system used to provide information and instructions to people, in a building, area site, or other space.

Definition – NFPA 72 -2010Emergency Communications System (ECS)

A system for the protection of life by indicating the existence of an emergency situation and communicating information necessary to facilitate an appropriate response and action.

Historical Events

14 Deaths, 27 women shot

Montreal Massacre, École Polytechnique

Dec 6, 1989

Not just abroad,In Canada also.

“War on Terror”

2,752 Deaths, including

343 firefighters and 60 police

World Trade CentreSept 11, 2001

Shocked the world!

The US military influence

20 Deaths / 372 Injured

Khobar Towers, Saudi Arabia

June 25, 1996

Any Terrorist attack is Prominent!

• Nuclear• Biological• Chemical• Shootings• Sabotage

Background to Mass Notification

• July 2002 - Unified Facilities Criteria (UFC) 4-010-01 Design: DoD Minimum Antiterrorism Standards for Buildings

• Goal: All inhabited buildings to have terror resistant construction

• Includes requirement for Mass Notification

Mass Notification in NFPA 72

• December 2002 - UFC 4-021-01 Design and Operation & Maintenance of Mass Notification Systems

• Mass Notification System

Guidelines, UFC 4-021-01, Design

and O&M: Mass Notification

Systems

Natural Dangers

Pine Lake, AlbertaJuly 14, 2000

12 deaths

Edmonton, AlbertaJuly 31, 1987

27 deaths

•Weather•Fire•Vapour Clouds

Tornadoes

EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED!

• Prior Planning

• Prevents

• Poor

• Performance

Changes to NFPA 72

• June 2003 Air Force Civil Engineering Support Agency petitioned NFPA to develop a standard for Mass Notification.

• National Fire Alarm Code Technical Correlating Committee (NFAC TCC) was charged with the task of reviewing this request.

Changes to NFPA 72

• NFAC TCC Task Group was formed February 2004.• Subsequent meetings 2004 and 2005 led to the

development of Annex “E” in the 2007 edition (originally identified as Annex “G”).

Scope of Changes to NFPA 72 - 2007

• 7.12 Mass Notification Systems. See Annex E.• New Annex E to provide guidance for the application,

installation, location, performance, and maintenance of Mass Notification Systems

NFPA 72 Annex E

Preface:

Annex E is not part of the requirements of this NFPA

document, but is included for informational purposes

only.

Review of Annex E

The use of a single integrated combination system might offer both economic and technical advantages. In any case, coordination between system functions is essential.

Virginia Tech massacre

32 Deaths, 61 injured

Blacksburg Virginia, USApril 16th, 2007

•Highlighted need for communicating to large groups.•MNS forefront.•NFPA address of Emergency Communication Systems in the NFPA 2010.

NFPA 72 -2010 Chapter 24 Emergency Communication Systems (ECS)

Purpose – • Protection of life, Indicate an emergency situation and

Communicate information to facilitate an appropriate response and action.

• Includes:• Multi-threats

NFPA 72 -2010 Chapter 24 Emergency Communication Systems (ECS)

Performance based design, seen in the ABC 2006.

Requires “intelligible” voice messages

Emphasizes - Integrity and Survivability – Something the CAN/ULC fire alarm Standards have required for a long time.

NFPA 72 -2010 Chapter 24 Emergency Communication Systems (ECS)Allows Ancillary functions including fire alarm (FA) for general paging, background music, or other non-emergency functions.

However, must not interfere with the FA or MNS.

Must be constantly attended by trained personnel in the fire command centre, or equipment is installed to resist tampering and the system is

Monitored for integrity.

CAN/ULC-S524-01 4.5Voice Communication Systems

4.5.1 C Fault detection and indication shall be maintained during the time a circuit is used

for purposes not related to fire safety

(i.e. general paging)

Underwriters Laboratory

UL2572 Control and Communication Units for Mass Notification

Systems

Underwriters Laboratory

•Standard first issued as interim listing. (August 2008).

•Started as a set of requirements for connecting an external audio input to a Fire Alarm System.

•Addresses testing, construction, product markings,and installation requirements as well as Confirmation of operation.

•Target for End of 2011.

Underwriters Laboratories Canada•ULC invited to appoint a “guest” (non-voting) member

with a goal of following up with a Canadian version.

•Formed new ULC Working Group under ULC Subcommittee on Control Units

Underwriters Laboratories Canada

•Working Group Chair of the ULC –S576 Committee, appointed as representative to UL 2572 (Mass Notification System Communication & Control Units)

•Scheduled to start aftercompletion of the UL 2572

System Equipment and configurations

EST3 Audio and Detection Capability

Signals

Event Mgmt Software

Direct connect or LAN/WAN/Internet

Telephones

Remote VOIP

PDA w/Event Mgmt Data

Dynamic Signs

Wide Area Paging

Fire and MNEC speaker strobe

EST3 Audio and Detection Capability

Fire and MNEC speaker strobe

Fire and MNEC speaker strobe

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Overview –Mass Notification

Requirements:• Fast response times• May be local or global• Notify occupants that an emergency exists• Trigger large scale alert to reduce risk of injury or casualties• Pre-recorded and live emergency messages should be available• Operate from one or more locations• Capable of interfacing to wide area systems

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System Configurations Voice Only

Mass Notification System Types

Interior Speakers

High Power Speaker Array

Indoor Voice System

Wired Communication Path

Exterior Building Mounted Speakers

Amber Strobes

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System ConfigurationsWide Area Notification

Mass Notification System Types

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Example: Mass Notification

1. Mass Notification System• Fire Central Command Station (CCS) with Building Voice

Evacuation & Emergency Communication System• Graphical User Interface workstation• Workstation’s local Uninterruptible Power Supply; • Emergency Power Sub-panel• Security Intruder Detection System Interface• Duress Activators• Indoor/Outdoor camera systems• Weather System Interface• Nuclear, biological, chemical, radiological, explotion

sensors• Interior wall and ceiling mount amber visual signal Strobes• Audio Player Recorder (APR)

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Example: Mass Notification

• Automated dialing systems• Internet Protocol Server Interface (IPSI)• Private Branch Exchange Telephone Interface (ITP)• Wireless Cell phone interface• Hand held Radio Network Interface, VHF,UHF• Fax• Email• Instant Message (IM) Alerts, text• Personal Alert System –PAS

• Pager type• Vibration• Bed shaker

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Example: Mass Notification

• Regional alerting System Interface• Elevator Cab Paging Interface (ECPI-TP)• Lighting Controller Interface (LCI-TP)• Elevator Cab Paging Interface (ECPI-TP)• Lighting Controller Interface (LCI-TP)• Display signs• Flat panel Video Displays• Bollards, gates, contact closures• Exterior weather proof combination amber visual and

audible (Speaker Strobe units)• Exterior weather proof High Power “Giant Voice” speaker

arrays

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FireWorks™ Global Event Workstation

• Event monitoring workstation.FireSecurity/IntrusionOther emergency inputs

• Mass Notification• Graphical Interface• Single or Multiple Workstations• Video Control Interface• Multi-Screen Displays

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Event Management System

EST3 Audio and Detection Capability

Signals

Event Mgmt Software

Direct connect or LAN/WAN/Internet

Telephones

Remote VOIP

PDA w/Event Mgmt Data

Dynamic Signs

Wide Area Paging

Tying It All Together!

Fire and MNEC speaker strobe

EST3 Audio and Detection Capability

Fire and MNEC speaker strobe

Fire and MNEC speaker strobe

Thank You

Kirk Thordobsonkthordobson@morrisonhershfield.com