Emergency Responder Radio Systems in 2022: What You Need to Know
On March 23, 2022, Integrated Building Systems and the Columbus Division of Fire hosted a Zoom presentation to discuss how changes in ERRS life-safety codes and enforcement will affect new construction and renovation projects this year.
In bold below are key points followed by comments from Chip Chapman, President of Integrated Building Systems, and Bill Ehrgood, Inspector, Columbus Division of Fire, whose office oversees ERRS enforcement for the city.
ERRS test reports must be filed with the AHJ, pass or fail
Chapman: State building code mandates that all new buildings will be tested, period. State fire code 510 gives more guidance, as well as International Fire Code and National Fire Prevention Association code 72.
Ehrgood: If you do your testing, and it comes back [as a pass], then it's okay. You are still required to send me the test results, which we are not getting. I would say probably out of 10 tests that have probably gotten through with flying colors, I might receive 1, maybe 2 test results, which is not good.
[Your ERRS partner, like IBS] is working for you guys. However, when they give you that report and you don't send it to me to get approved, now you're in violation. The “pass” test still has to be approved by the AHJ.
ERRS must be inspected annually
Chapman: This is one of those systems, like a lot of other life safety, that needs to be annually inspected. And so that handoff, particularly when it goes from the GC to the owner, there needs to be communication with the owner that they're going to have the system inspected and signed off on that is still working properly every year.
And if we get a situation where there is a change, potentially, in an additional building built between you and a tower, other construction went on around you, there may have to be some additional testing done to and or modifications to the system to keep you in compliance.
“I’m not here to try to sell ERRS systems. I’m just here to make sure that the fire and police and what the system was designed for is going to be put in place properly throughout the building.”
Location does not guarantee a pass or fail – but count on a basement to fail
Chapman: What we have really found over the past 6 or 7 years, is that proximity to tower is the number one issue. I can take the same building and move it around the city and I'm going to get different results—absolutely, 100%.
The other thing that we're seeing is that very tight density causes a lot of issues and challenges, such as High Street, with all the construction that went on between Lane Avenue and the convention center over the past five or six years,
And if you have any kind of underground, there’s a 99% chance you're going to need to put a system in. Pretty much anywhere in Central Ohio, if you have a basement or lower level, plan on needing a system.
Be careful to identify the correct AHJ and ERRS frequency
Ehrgood: We have decided that we will have not only Columbus frequencies put into the building, but we will also require MARCS radio because of the police, the sheriff, our bomb squad works off of that, and so does our TEMS, which is our Tactical EMS group with the police.
And then, depending on the buildings, we have numerous presidential and dignitary visits in this area, so the MARCS radio is pretty much going to be a standard thing from here on out, unless something is determined where it's not needed or necessary at that particular facility.
Chip: To be clear, ERRS systems must support both the 800 megahertz public safety and the 700 megahertz, both handling the city of Columbus as well as the county.
Circuit breaker lockout now required for ERRS
Ehrgood: Fire alarm systems are supposed to have lockouts on the circuit breakers. The ERRS also is required to have that. We are no longer accepting any plugin ERRS systems. They are all required to be hardwired.
Also, I've had installers that decide to not go outside of the box but decide to read or determine that ERRS is a standalone system that does not need to be integrated into the fire alarm system.
Unfortunately, they find out, when we come out to do the acceptance, that it will not be accepted. And the reasoning is, it’s an emergency system. And we have to have notification, at least in a supervisory situation, when the system is not working.
Love it or hate it, ERRS signage is required
Ehrgood: So normally, with the way we have been doing signage, one has to be at the main area where the ERRS system is. If that's in with the fire alarm main panel, fine. It would have to be on the outside of the door or beside the door. It doesn't have to be on the door.
I know a lot of people have aesthetic issues with these signs. I understand that. The signs are still going to have to be there.
ERRS testing may be required in existing buildings, too
Ehrgood: When you are doing a project or an addition, and it's a sizable addition, you'll still have to comply with doing the ERRS testing. And if the preexisting building doesn't have the system in and/or you're putting in a new fire alarm system, the building will have to come up to the entire code with that in mind.
And we're not going to do a system halfway; it doesn't work, you don't do halfway with anything. You're not going to have water in one part of the building and not in the other. And this is an emergency system. So there is no skipping on ERRS.
No ERRS grandfathering for buildings
Ehrgood: Grandfathering is not accepted in this code. All buildings are actually under the code.
Chapman: I know there are a couple of office towers that are being changed to retail office and residential. Is “change of use” going to trigger the need to have those buildings tested,?
Ehrgood: Yes. I actually have a couple buildings up on the northeast side that went in and they did a complete, what I call gut, where they put in all new walls, everything, new fire alarm system, sprinkler system. You're going to be under the eye of putting in an ERRS system, or at least testing.
State fire code to be updated this year
Chapman: Later this summer, and maybe into the fall, depending on how long it may take, the Ohio Fire Code is going to be updated. I'm assuming, based on what we're seeing across the country and what we've seen in the pattern of changes with NFPA and IFC, that things are going to get stricter.
Ehrgood: As far as state buildings in the city of Columbus, it falls on me, particularly. The State Fire Marshal's Office pretty much has had hands off of it and have referred it to us to handle. So there's another point that you can also think about. The state buildings are slowly but gradually putting these systems in and they are complying with what the requirements are. They take it seriously. But your person of contact is not going to be the State Fire Marshal. It's going to be our office at Columbus.
Supply chain: price increase, delayed availability for ERRS cabling
Chapman: To build systems from the major players, we've had coax orders in since January that were supposed to arrive in March. They're now telling us this May. We have orders we just placed. They're telling us 16, 18 weeks for the coax.
So anybody who has projects open right now, if you think you're going to wait till the very last minute to make decisions about some of this, I'm advising you now to try to expedite and do whatever you need to do to try to move forward and get the buildings tested. Make decisions on projects, if you've got proposals in front of you, so the vendors can buy the cable or at least get it on order.
ERRS system install requires 4’x8’ sheet of plywood and up to 30” depth
Chapman: I get asked questions about space planning a lot. For ERRS equipment, we really need a four-by-eight sheet of plywood. And here's why. It takes a lot of space. You’ve got the battery backup, the BDA. This cable is very stiff. By the time you get all the taps and the splitters and everything else that it has to fit, you need about a four-by-eight sheet of plywood. And you need about a 25-inch to 30-inch depth, with nothing around and no other major electronics, big transformers, what have you.
Conclusion
“I'm not here to try to sell ERRS systems. I'm just here to make sure that the fire and police and what the system was designed for is going to be put in place properly throughout the building.” – Bill Ehrgood
Chapman: My biggest takeaway for today is that we must do testing, and we should do master planning for sufficient space for potential ERRS installation. That's the best thing. If you at least planned for the worst, hope for the best outcome with regard to ERRS testing.
Questions? Reach out with contact information below.
Inspector Ehrgood: wwehrgood@columbus.gov or 614-645-7641
Chip Chapman: info@ibswebsite.com or 614-240-5999.