The 2025 NTC Brown Book (Fire Alarm Systems Handbook) is NTC’s largest publication. At 682 pages, the 2025 NTC Brown Book is a hefty book loaded with a wealth of information about fire alarm systems. The 2025 NTC Brown Book is a necessary reference for every fire alarm professional. If you don’t already have the 2025 NTC Brown Book, here are some reasons why you should.
The Brown Book was written for YOU.
NTC instructors created the NTC Brown Book to provide an easy-to-read, easy-to-understand reference for fire alarm systems. The other fire alarm reference books we encountered were geared toward engineers and tended to focus on high-level concepts and code minutiae that were not common in daily fire alarm work. We created the Brown Book for industry professionals to help them understand the base concepts of fire alarm systems. The Brown Book is written in plain language and intended to elevate the knowledge of both an entry-level fire alarm technician and a highly experienced fire alarm professional.
The Brown Book provides extensive information.
Code requirements can be difficult to understand. The code’s language is intended to be technically precise to make it enforceable, but at the expense of simplicity. We take complex code and system concepts and illustrate them, providing a visual representation of the code’s requirements.
The Brown Book also enhances the reader’s overall understanding of fire alarm codes and their applications by providing sample design scenarios for various building classifications. The sample designs include a narrative discussion of how the codes are applied in the design and how design decisions are made to determine device location and placement.
The Brown Book covers the latest codes.
The Brown Book is based on the latest editions of NFPA 72, NFPA 70, IBC, and NFPA 101. Where there has been a significant change from the previous edition, we note it. Covering current code and noting changes from the previous edition allows the reader to understand code requirements and how they are evolving to meet new challenges.
NFPA 72 provided clarity on the methods for calculating voltage drop on notification circuits. The NTC Brown Book includes a detailed discussion of the methods for performing these calculations and examples of the calculations.
The Brown Book is an excellent tool for preparing for the NICET exam.
Higher levels of NICET Fire Alarm Certification require more knowledge of topics not specifically covered in the codes allowed in the exam. NICET expects that individuals seeking more senior-level NICET certifications understand the intent of the code and the principles of operation of devices and systems. The Brown Book provides this deeper knowledge of fire alarm systems, so the technician is prepared to answer questions that involve equipment application rather than code application.
Since the Brown Book covers fire alarm systems from the most basic concepts to the most advanced, it is a useful tool for anyone preparing for any level of NICET Fire Alarm Certification. The Brown Book will help improve understanding of fundamental fire alarm concepts, which can also increase success on junior-level certification exams.
The Brown Book covers topics beyond fire alarms.
While the Brown Book is the “Fire Alarm System Handbook,” it also covers topics of interest to fire alarm professionals. Fire alarm systems are part of a building’s overall life safety, and other life safety systems may be interfaced with the fire alarm system. The fire alarm professional’s involvement may end at the interface between these systems, but understanding what functions these systems perform increases their overall understanding of building life safety.
The Brown Book includes chapters on suppression systems, smoke control systems, and performance-based design. The Brown Book also covers topics critical to the daily work of fire alarm professionals, including troubleshooting, basic electronics, and networking.
