What Kinds of Public Safety Coverage Your Local Jurisdiction Requires?

Telecom Business Review | Friday, May 13, 2022

This article will support you in understanding exactly what you need and the differences in code needed and direct you in picking the right integrator for testing and (potentially) installing a public safety DAS or BDA system.

Fremont, CA: Being a general contractor, construction project manager, or building owner, you may know that numerous jurisdictions now need NFP or IFC-compliant public safety and emergency responder coverage (ERRC) to get an occupancy permit.

You may even be positive that your building needs a public safety coverage solution (ERRCS). But learning the details of how coverage is examined and how it can be enhanced is complicated and varies greatly by jurisdiction.

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What Sorts of Public Safety Coverage does Your Local Jurisdiction Require?

First responders must be capable of handling communications throughout a property in an emergency. Whether they are answering a fire, medical emergency or domestic threat, they cannot be in a situation where their radios stop running.

Their communication devices must remain to transmit in hard-to-reach areas, like stairwells, elevators, basements, and thick-walled or shielded areas. Newly-built LEED-certified buildings with low-E glass frequently suffer from poor public-safety signal coverage due to signal attenuation caused by low-E glass.

This in-building coverage for initial responders is not an amenity but a requirement. Nearly every city and county in the US have enacted local ordinances and codes, making in-building coverage for first responders mandatory.

These regulations mandate that every building meet a minimum level of first responder communication reliability as a condition for occupancy. In addition, the building owner or operator must test their building and, if needed, install a system and ensure it is up to code.

Local jurisdictions don't merely write their own rules; they draw on suggested ordinances written by a few different organizations, including:

• National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA)

• International Code Council (ICC)

• International Fire Code (IFC)

• International Building Code (IBC)

• First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet)

Understanding local codes is key: since there's no unified set of rules set at the federal level, every jurisdiction has slightly different ordinances. Some larger cities have drafted their codes to govern public safety communications. But most smaller municipalities are adopting the language in the IFC and NFPA codes rather than developing their ordinances. That indicates that the location of your building and the relevant local authority dictates which codes you must meet.

One final note on local codes: don't imagine that only new construction must comply with these codes or that former properties are grandfathered in. There are already instances of these codes being enforced retroactively in existing buildings; Summit County, CO, and Schaumburg, IL are merely a couple of cities that are doing this, and we expect more in the future.

In-building public safety systems are complex and influenced by ever-evolving codes, but this doesn't relieve building owners from the responsibility of complying. If the task of fixing an in-building public safety system seems surprising, partner with a certified and independent systems integrator like Waveform.

Our staff can customize the best solution for your needs with over ten years of experience and access to the latest products. In addition, we offer a free estimate for buildings of any size, and our team has the expertise and experience you require to get the job done right the first time.

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