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...
NFPA 72 specifies visible notification requirements in Chapter 18, which determine strobe intensity based on the room size and the location of the strobe(s). The Code provides separate tables for wall-mount and ceiling-mount strobes. However, the tables are all based...
The IBC (International Building Code) and NFPA 101 (Life Safety Code) require smoke alarms in sleeping areas for specific occupancy classifications. Smoke alarms receive primary power from the building’s electrical wiring, typically at 120 VAC. Since most states...
The NTC Orange Book, Fire Alarm Code Handbook, is a quick reference guide to codes concerned with fire alarm requirements. The Orange Book, originally called “Chuck Notes” after the original author, Charles Aulner, has evolved over the years. The Orange...
The call came in, and I was not surprised. The complaint was one I had heard several times before. “The system is not working right”. The communicator was incorrectly installed. As an Installation Manager, I had one technician who continuously failed to...
Visible notification design uses prescriptive design. The location and placement of visible notification appliances are entirely dictated by NFPA 72, Chapter 18. While the code permits performance-based design options to be used with visible notification, most...
