NEMA Introduces New Fire Service Standard

December 19, 2005

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association's (NEMA) Signaling Protection and Communications Product Section, representing elements of the fire alarm industry, released SB 30-2005 - Fire Service Annunciator and Interface.

SB 30 was developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Building and Fire Research Laboratory (BFRL), NEMA and the U.S. fire alarm industry. The standard covers the design, operation and arrangement of equipment that displays essential data and status of building systems for firefighters in the role of first responders, as well as for incident commanders, during fires and other emergencies, NEMA said.

It also covers requirements for firefighter interface equipment to provide real-time information to enable tactical decisions and to monitor the safety of firefighters. It contains a set of recommended fire service display icons for use in graphical and spatial formats. It increases life safety conditions by providing firefighters with key parameters associated with the conditions of the building where a fire emergency is occurring prior to their arrival on-scene, according to NEMA.

Source: National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA).