· Specification starter / Fire alarm and life-safety
Fire alarm and life-safety
scope outline.
Addressable detection, sounder phasing, evacuation cause-and-effect, voice-evacuation PA where the occupancy demands. Coordinated with sprinkler, hydrant, BMS and lifts for cross-zone interlock.
In scope
Addressable loop design, panel sizing, cause-and-effect matrix • Sounder and beacon phasing per evacuation strategy • Voice-evacuation PA integration where occupancy class demands • Battery standby sizing per IS 2189 and panel manufacturer guidance • NBC 2016 and state-rule compliance documentation • Fire NOC submission pack at design and occupancy stages
Out of scope
Sprinkler / hydrant hydraulic design (separate fire-suppression specialist) • Civil works for fire water tanks and pump rooms • Wiring of cause-and-effect actions on third-party systems (interface only) • Fire-rated cable supply where the architectural spec exceeds IS 2189 minimum
· Documents required
Materials the consultant needs before specification starts.
Architect's floor plans (latest issue, all floors)
Occupancy schedule (use classification per NBC 2016 Part 4)
Lift schedule and recall logic if multi-storey
Cause-and-effect must integrate lift homing.
AHU and dampers schedule for cross-zone interlock
Sprinkler / hydrant scope envelope to coordinate matrix actions
BGM / PA scope (if separate) to coordinate priority paging
State fire-prevention rule reference for the project location
· Site survey
Pre-design walk-through verifications.
Verify ceiling type per floor (false / exposed slab / lift-shaft)
Drives detector model selection.
Confirm cable pathway constraints — fire-rated containment, riser shaft, conduit type
Identify panel location, accessibility, ambient and power feed
Mark manual call-point positions against egress routes
Audit existing PA / BGM bus for priority-override integration capability
Identify isolatable zones aligning with building's compartmentation
· Deployment checklist
Engineering items every install of this discipline carries.
One detector per habitable room minimum; coverage table for open-plan spaces
One manual call-point per emergency exit; pathway < 30 m from any habitable point
Loop-isolator devices at every floor or compartment boundary
Standby battery sized for 24 h supervision + 30 min alarm load (IS 2189)
Cause-and-effect matrix as a signed table — never inferred from panel programming
Cross-zone interlocks for lifts, AHU shut-down, magnetic door release, BGM override
· Coordination with other trades
Works owed to / from other disciplines.
Sprinkler / hydrant: pump status interface, fault output to panel
AHU: damper-close command, supply-fan shutdown by zone
Lifts: lift-homing to ground level on fire; lift-lobby detector linkage
BMS: alarm-routing escalation, alarm log archival
Access control: magnetic-lock release on fire, mantrap clearance
UPS: dedicated standby for fire panel and PA head-end
· Commissioning
Measurable artefacts produced at handover.
Manual call-point activation test every CP (witnessed)
Detector functional test per loop (sample basis, all addresses)
Cause-and-effect rehearsal against the signed matrix
Sounder audibility test (65 dB above ambient, 75 dB at bedhead)
Battery standby capacity test under controlled discharge
Fire NOC inspection coordination with the local Fire Authority
· Handover
What the building team takes ownership of.
As-built drawings showing every device address against the architect's plan
Asset register with serial, firmware, install-date, location per address
Signed cause-and-effect matrix as a paper artefact and an offline digital archive
Commissioning report with measured sound levels and battery discharge curve
Operating-and-maintenance manual including evacuation policy alignment
Training certificate for nominated building operators
· Risk register starter
Risks worth tracking from day zero.
Cause-and-effect drift after occupancy changes — annual review required
C&E goes stale silently after a department move.
Battery-bank ambient creeping above 30 °C — accelerated capacity loss
Loop fault from unisolated cabling damage — collateral evacuation
False-alarm cluster from a degraded detector — desensitises occupants
· Exclusions and assumptions
What is not in scope; what we assume to be true.
Assumes building's compartmentation matches the architect's fire-design drawings
Assumes Fire NOC issuing authority has been pre-engaged at design stage
Excludes scope of third-party building-system interfaces beyond defined dry-contact / Modbus boundary
· Where to go next