Fire alarm design that reads the building the way the code does
Detection where the hazard is, notification everyone can hear and see, and a submittal package the fire marshal will approve. We design commercial fire alarm systems to NFPA 72 and coordinate them with the rest of the building.
What a good alarm design has to get right
A fire alarm system has one job: detect a fire early and make sure everyone in the building knows to leave. Doing that well is a design problem before it is an installation problem. The detection has to match how each space is used, the notification has to reach every occupied area at the required levels, and the whole thing has to tie into the building's other life-safety systems.
We design to NFPA 72 and Massachusetts fire code, and because we also work in sprinkler, we understand how the alarm has to talk to waterflow, tamper, and the systems that shut down or release on an alarm.
- Detection matched to each occupancy: smoke, heat, and duct detection where they belong
- Notification designed for required audibility and visibility throughout occupied areas
- Riser diagrams, device layouts, and sequence of operation for the AHJ
- Coordination with sprinkler waterflow, tamper, and monitoring
- Interface to elevators, HVAC shutdown, door holders, and access control
From building use to an approved submittal
How we take a commercial building from an idea to a permit-ready fire alarm design.
Establish the code basis
We confirm the occupancy, the building and fire codes that apply, and what NFPA 72 requires for detection, notification, and monitoring in a building like yours.
Lay out detection and notification
We place initiating devices where the hazard and the code call for them, then lay out horns, strobes, and speakers to meet audibility and visibility throughout the occupied space.
Write the sequence of operation
We document exactly what the system does on each event: what alarms, what shuts down, what releases, and what signals off site, so there is no ambiguity about how it behaves.
Coordinate with the other systems
We tie the design into sprinkler monitoring and the building systems that respond to an alarm, and coordinate device locations with the architectural and ceiling plans.
Submit for permit
We assemble the drawings, battery calculations, and cut sheets, submit to the authority having jurisdiction, and work through plan review until it is approved.
What building and design teams ask
Common questions when planning a commercial fire alarm system.
What code governs commercial fire alarm design in Massachusetts?
NFPA 72, the National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code, adopted through Massachusetts fire code, along with the building code requirements for your occupancy. The design has to satisfy both and the local authority having jurisdiction.
Can you coordinate the alarm design with our sprinkler system?
Yes, and it is one of our strengths. Because we work in both, we design the alarm to properly monitor sprinkler waterflow and valve tamper and to sequence with the systems that respond on an alarm.
Do you handle the submittal to the fire marshal?
We do. We prepare the full package, drawings, sequence of operation, and battery calculations, submit it to the AHJ, and carry it through plan review to approval.
Planning a fire alarm system?
Send us the building and its use, and we will scope a fire alarm design that meets code and coordinates with everything else in the building. We respond within one business day.