It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
SECTION 1. Section 23-28.25-5 of the General Laws in Chapter 23-28.25 entitled "Fire Alarm Systems" is hereby amended to read as follows:
{ADD 23-28.25-5. Equipment. -- ADD} (a) All components of the fire alarm system including, but not limited to, the control equipment, the battery and charger, the annunciator, the manual stations, the automatic thermodetectors, the smoke detectors, the sprinkler flow switches, the door holder, and the alarm horns shall be listed by the underwriter's laboratories, inc. and/or approved by the Factory mutual research corporation or any recognized testing laboratory satisfactory to the state fire marshal.
(b) Manual fire alarm stations shall be approved for the particular applications and shall be used only for fire alarm signaling purposes, shall be double action, color red, key locked and shall be keyed the same as the fire alarm control panel door lock. The height of the manual station boxes shall be 48" measured vertically, from the finished floor level to the activating handle or lever of the station.
(c) Alarm horns shall be the combination horn/strobe type or shall have a flashing strobe located nearby. This strobe shall be distinctively marked "fire". Alarm horns shall be used for no other purpose and shall be of such character and so located as to be effectively heard above all other sounds by all occupants in every occupied space in the building. Where specified in occupancy sections of this code, bells or chimes may, with the approval of the authority having jurisdiction, be used in lieu of horns providing that they are distinct from any other signal in the building. Approved speaker systems used for evacuation shall be at the same level for both speech information and alarm evacuation. Both speech information and alarm evacuation levels must be high enough to be heard above ambient room noises throughout the building. In bedroom areas alarm sounding levels must be at least 15 db above average ambient room noise levels of approximately 55 dba. Mini horns shall be installed in all sleeping areas if proper sound levels cannot be obtained.
(d) Thermodetector and smoke detector spacing shall not exceed the linear maximum indicated for that particular device by an underwriter's laboratories, inc. or F.M. approved testing laboratory. In locations where thermodetectors and/or smoke detectors are required, the type and/or temperature rating of the thermodetector as required in the Rhode Island Fire Safety Code, chapters 28.1 through 28.37 of this title, may be modified by the authority having jurisdiction if, in the authority's judgment, the type or temperature setting of the unit is unsuitable due to environmental or structural conditions unique to that location. Areas in buildings having an approved system of automatic sprinklers shall be exempt from the requirements of thermodetectors. This exemption shall not apply to smoke detectors.
(e) Flow switches shall be provided on all sprinkler systems and standpipes installed in all buildings required by this code to have a fire alarm system. The flow switch shall activate the fire alarm system if any one (1) sprinkler head is open or a fire hose on a standpipe is used. All flow switches shall have a retard feature to prevent false alarms due to a surge. A flow switch shall be installed in the main riser so that any flow of water in the system will activate this device. This flow switch shall be on a separate zone and will be designated water flow or sprinkler/standpipe. Flow alarm switches on sprinkler systems and wet standpipe systems shall be installed so that they cannot be disconnected from the fire alarm system by the operation of a shut off valve. In addition to the flow switch on the sprinkler/standpipe main, flow switch(es) shall be installed of each zone. Sprinklers shall be zoned as per fire alarm zones. An inspectors test valve shall be installed at the end of each sprinkler zone. Any alarm originating from a sprinkler head or a fire hose cabinet shall provide two (2) indications on the system annunciator: one to indicate "sprinkler/standpipe" and one to indicate the zone. All hose cabinets on each floor shall be wired with flow switches. The flow switches shall alarm the zone where the cabinet is located.
(f) Switches shall be provided on all shutoffs for required sprinkler or wet standpipe systems such as O S & Y gate valves or post indicator valves in buildings required by this code to have a fire alarm system. This switch shall activate the fire alarm system or sprinkler zone trouble signal any time the water supply is shut off.
(g) A switch shall be provided on all required automatic extinguishing systems, in addition to sprinkler systems, in buildings required by this code to have a fire alarm system. This switch shall activate the building's fire alarm system any time the extinguishing system is actuated and shall be on a separate zone.
(h) (1) A building having a required fire alarm system, which is more than twenty thousand square feet (20,000 sq. ft.) in total area or which extends to more than one floor shall have an annunciator to visually indicate the location of an alarm within the building located inside the main entrance of the building or in a location as approved by the authority having jurisdiction. Each floor shall be separately zoned. If a floor area exceeds twenty thousand square feet (20,000 sq. ft.), additional zoning shall be provided. In no case shall the length of any zone exceed two hundred (200) feet in any direction. Annunciators shall lock in until the system is reset. Selective coded systems utilizing a punch tape register shall be acceptable in lieu of an annunciated system. Other identifying devices such as a computer print-out are acceptable in lieu of an annunciator, subject to approval of the authority having jurisdiction. A directory or zone map as required by the authority having jurisdiction shall be provided for every zoned fire alarm system. Annunciator panel location shall meet the requirements of the authority having jurisdiction. If the annunciator is a remote panel, it shall contain all functions including a trouble light and audible trouble signal with silence switch, key-operated system reset, and system silence with resound and cover all required zones. Annunciation of alarm and trouble indications will be accomplished with the use of separate zone wiring and not with the use of multiple contact initiating devices. The annunciation shall be by floors or locations and not by a zone number only. In the event that a building has a fire pump or generator, provisions shall be made at the annunciator for visible/audible indication of generator or fire pump operation.
(2) In complexes consisting of multiple building clusters, a common fire department connection may, at the discretion of the authority having jurisdiction, be used providing a system powered one million (1,000,000.00) candle power strobe light shall be installed on each building so as to be visible at the master box or a central location.(i) Standby power requirements. (1) All required fire alarm systems shall be connected to an approved power source in the building and in addition shall have automatically charged storage type battery standby (dry cell shall not be used) of sufficient capacity to operate the entire system as required by section 23-28.25-4 for the type of system after the principal source of power has failed. The fire alarm system must be able to function and sound the evacuation signals for at least five (5) minutes following the required stand-by period.
(2) Systems utilizing an emergency generator as a source of standby power shall not be exempt from the above requirements for battery standby power.
(j) Ventilation systems. In all buildings having a fire alarm system, the fire alarm system shall be interconnected to the building's heating, air conditioning, and ventilating controls so that the fan(s) {ADD two thousand (2,000) cfm or greater capacity ADD} of any ventilating system not used for pressurization of a fire safe area and {ADD four (4) or more ADD} ceiling mounted {ADD industrial ADD} air circulation fans {ADD installed in one (1) room ADD} shall automatically shut down any time, other than drills and when testing, that the fire alarm system is actuated. A manual override shall be provided in the fire alarm control panel for fire department use.
(k) All required smoke and fire doors in all buildings required by this code to have a fire alarm system may be held open only if equipped with magnetic door holders installed so as to close the doors anytime the alarm system within the building is activated. Smoke detector(s) connected to the alarm system within the building shall be installed proximate to every smoke and fire door.
{ADD (l) All buildings that have a fire alarm system per this fire alarm code that require fire drills to be held shall have a key-operated drill switch installed at a remote location outside of the control panel subject to the approval of the authority having jurisdiction. The key shall not be the same as the control panel key. ADD}
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.