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Overcoming Hurdles to Ensure In-Building Communications March 27, 2014

Overcoming Hurdles to Ensure In-Building Communications March 27, 2014. John Facella , P.E., C.Eng. Senior VP, RCC Consultants. Agenda. Background Regulatory Summary. In-building Communications are Vital to Emergency Responders. Allows first responders to go ‘where the action is’

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Overcoming Hurdles to Ensure In-Building Communications March 27, 2014

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  1. Overcoming Hurdles to Ensure In-Building CommunicationsMarch 27, 2014 John Facella, P.E., C.Eng. Senior VP, RCC Consultants

  2. Agenda • Background • Regulatory • Summary

  3. In-building Communications are Vital to Emergency Responders • Allows first responders to go ‘where the action is’ • Direct communication to the 911 dispatcher, incident commander (IC), or hospital ER • Other responders can hear what is going on for ‘situational awareness’

  4. Issues with In-building Communications for Emergency Responders • Buildings attenuate radio signals significantly 12-60 dB or more depending on type of construction & materials • “Green Buildings” represent additional issues: • Tinted glass • Solar photovoltaic panels • Specialized HVAC Photo: ecorevolution.com

  5. In-building Communications are Vital to Emergency Responders • Usually the fire department drives the issue of in-building communications • But sometimes it can be the city/county building inspector • Go to the Fire Inspection or Fire Marshal’s Office of the town/city/county Photo: franklintwpnj.org

  6. In-building Communications are Vital to Emergency Responders • One of the most difficult initial jobs will be determining the current level of public safety coverage in the building • You must obtain some portable radios and a ‘safe’ channel or talkgroup to use for testing • Thorough walk test of all areas of the building Photo: franklintwpnj.org

  7. Agenda • Background • Regulatory • Summary

  8. Regulatory • Many have touched the issue, but few were ANSI certified standards bodies • NPSTC: white paper issued in 2007: www.npstc.org/inBuilding.jsp • NTIA (TR-11-480) and NIST issued several white papers in 2011 • NFPA is a logical place for codes and standards because the driver in most jurisdictions is the fire department

  9. Multiple Standards & Codes • NFPA 1 (Fire Code) • NFPA 72 (Fire Alarm Signaling Systems Code) • NFPA 1221 (Emergency Services Communications Systems Standard) • NFPA 5000 (Building Construction & Safety Code) • International Fire Codes

  10. Issues with Current Standards & Codes • Conflicts among the standards/codes • Do not cover digital LMR radios (e.g., P25, OpenSky, TETRA, DMR. etc.) • Do not anticipate future broadband technologies (e.g., FirstNet public safety LTE system) • Are signal booster and leaky coax centric; do not cover newer technologies (DAS, Radio over Fiber, etc.)

  11. Conflicting Requirements In Revision Note: Partial List Only www.rfsolutions.com, Jack Daniel site

  12. Jurisdictions Implement Standards & Codes Wholly, Partially, or Not at All Note: Partial List Only For Model Ordinance: www.rfsolutions.com/model.pdf

  13. What is Being Done • NFPA 72 now in revision • Will remove specifics on in-building, and will refer to NFPA 1221 for all specifics • Many jurisdictions already mandate compliance to 72 because it is a code, so local references to 72 will still end up being reflected back to the 1221 standard

  14. What is Being Done • NFPA 1221 now in revision • Better suited to define details because committee is composed of wireless experts • Several DAS industry vendors were polled for input • Remember NFPA codes and standards are minimums

  15. What is Being Done • NFPA 1221 now in revision-new section 9.6 replaces previous in-building work • Adds reference to DAS as a solution, in addition to leaky coax • Testing is no longer to -107 dBm RF signal level, but rather to Delivered Audio Quality (DAQ) for either analog or digital systems, minimum of 3.0 • Battery life is 4 hours minimum. Appendix suggests AHJ might want to specify more. • Isolation to donor antenna increased to 20 dB

  16. What is Being Done • NFPA 1221 now in revision • First Draft (previously known as ROP) work completed and voted upon in February • Second Draft (prev. Report on Comments-ROC) work will be later this year • 1221 will be voted upon by NFPA in 2015, issued in 2016 • View current work at: www.nfpa.org/codes-and-standards/document-information-pages?mode=code&code=1221&tab=nextedition

  17. What is Being Done • In future NFPA 1, 5000 will all refer to NFPA 1221 for details, to prevent overlap and ‘code shopping’ • It is expected that the IFC will follow suit with 1221 over time

  18. Agenda • Background • Regulatory • Summary

  19. Summary • Usually FD drives the in-building communications coverage issue • Understand the code - every jurisdiction is different • Determine current level of coverage - not easy • Conflicting codes/standards: NFPA 1, 72, 1221, 5000; IFC • NFPA 1221 is evolving as the detailed standard for in-building, the 72 Code will refer back to 1221 • Both 72 and 1221 will be in a new revision by 2016 Photo: gottabemobile.com

  20. Questions? John Facella jfacella@rcc.com

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