NFPA Journal - January/February 2018 - 37

In Compliance
Private mode signaling is used
throughout health care occupancies
such as nursing homes and hospitals,
occupancies with fire alarm systems
installed in accordance with NFPA
101®, Life Safety Code®, and other building codes. The notification confusion
revolves around the requirements
enforced in the field when private
mode signaling is used. Health care
occupancies have persons directly
concerned with the implementation
of emergency action or procedures in
the building or area protected by the
fire alarm system, which is why the
Technical Committee on Notification
Appliances developed the private mode
signaling requirements. It was never
the intent to notify everyone in the area
or building of the alarm in a health
care occupancy-the goal is to only
notify staff who are trained to respond
to the alarm. It makes no sense to
make the notification system so loud,
or visual notification so pervasive, that
patients will hear and see the alarm.
Occupant notification via the private
operating mode is specifically permitted on fire alarm systems required by
the Life Safety Code where occupants
are incapable of evacuating themselves
because of age, physical or mental disabilities, or physical restraint.
More education is needed regarding
the application and notification intent
of private mode signaling. In a private
mode design, there should only be notification appliances placed in staff areas,
which would include the normal staff
positions and areas where staff circulate.
The staff have methods of communicating with each other; again, the intent
is to only notify "persons (hospital or
nursing home staff) directly concerned
with the implementation of emergency
action or procedures in the building or
area protected by the fire alarm system,"
according to the code. There should
never be notification appliances-audible,
visual, or combination appliances-
throughout a health care facility, and
never in patient rooms, treatment areas,
or operating/procedure rooms.
It is the fire alarm industry's responsibility to ensure that those involved
in both design and enforcement of

fire alarm system installations better
understand the intent and goals of private mode signaling.
Wayne D. Moore is vice president at Jensen
Hughes. NFPA members and AHJs can use the
Technical Questions tab to post queries on NFPA 72
at nfpa.org/72.

NFPA 70 + 70E

Electrical Safety

How the NEC addresses
fire hazards associated
with Power Over
Ethernet equipment
By Derek Vigstol

f you'd told me 15 years
ago that we would soon
have lighting that could
learn a building owner's
habits to reach optimal
efficiency, I'm not sure I would've
believed it. If you'd described an
emerging technology that enabled
lighting to sense varying conditions
within a building and seamlessly integrate with the building automation

I

PoE isn't exactly new-
it's been used for years
for equipment like
telephones and
security cameras.
However, electrical
equipment has become
much more energy
efficient, and there is
growing pressure to
build systems networks
within buildings
that owners or facility
managers can use
to keep the buildings
running more efficiently.

system to return everything to the
optimal use of energy and the optimal
conditions for occupants, I probably
would've reminded you of the flying
cars we predicted in the 1950s.
But I would have been dead wrong.
This technology isn't merely emerging-it's here in a big way, and it's
evolving daily in the form of Power
over Ethernet, or PoE.
Power over Ethernet equipment utilizes communications cables to both
supply power and transmit data, allowing the built environment to become
"smart" through what has come to
be known as the Internet of Things.
PoE isn't exactly new technology-it's
been used for years for equipment like
telephones and security cameras. However, electrical equipment has become
much more energy efficient, and there
is growing pressure to build systems
networks within buildings that owners
or facility managers can use to keep
the buildings running more efficiently.
As a result, PoE technology is leaving
the confines of the communication
world and expanding into areas that
until recently seemed as far off as
flying cars.
Integrating these systems into
buildings, particularly existing buildings, and identifying the related
hazards can present key challenges
for PoE stakeholders. But NFPA 70®,
National Electrical Code® (NEC®), can
help. Essentially, the NEC is a big
book of rules that protects us from
shock, arc flash, and fires. Since PoE is
able to operate at low voltages, sometimes within the 12- to 24-volt range,
shock and arc flash tend to be less of
a concern when approaching requirements within the NEC. This isn't to
say that there's no possibility of shock,
but it is less likely to be an issue at
such low voltage.
There are two important points to
consider when assessing the fire risks
associated with the installation of PoE
equipment: the threat of the equipment starting a fire, and the threat
it poses during a fire. With this in
mind, it's easier to understand why the
related NEC requirements have developed the way they have. PoE cables
N F PA . O R G / J O U R N A L * NFPA JOURNAL

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - January/February 2018
