Developers and building owners are often faced with determining whether their property is required to install an Emergency Responder Radio Communication System (ERRCS).

This requirement is a by-product of two organizations’ recommendations, which have been interpretated and codified by individual states and locales in this country.

  1. National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), code 72.
  2. International Fire Code (IFC), section 510.

There are a number of sites that have started to list the URLs of the individual states, counties and towns where the codes are listed. This list will be periodically updated when IBWS becomes aware of relevant sites.

HetNet Wireless

Rf Signalman

Although some of the entries do not appear to be linked properly, these places a great place to start to try and determine the necessity for an ERRCS and if required, the actual requirements. If an online search does not find a code for your particular town, the local Fire Marshal (who is probably the Authority Having Jurisdiction ), would be the person to contact.

There are other sites of value listed below that also provide specific information for owners and stakeholders.

District of Columbia’s Office of Unified Communications

Some typically common ERRCS requirements:

  1. New constructed buildings of a certain size will have requirements (3 or more stores, 50K square feet or more, anything with subterranean parking, e.g.)
  2. FCC General Radiotelephone Operator License (GROl) required for design and testing of ERRCS
  3. System must amplify required x and y frequencies (typically 700/800 MHz and less frequently VHF and/or UHF frequencies)
  4. Minimum signal strength of -95 dBm in 95% of the building
  5. Signal testing done on 20×20 grid of each floor
  6. NEMA 4  enclosures for active components
    1. “Type 4 Enclosures constructed for either indoor or outdoor use to provide a degree
      of protection to personnel against access to hazardous parts; to provide a degree of
      protection of the equipment inside the enclosure against ingress of solid foreign objects
      (falling dirt and windblown dust); to provide a degree of protection with respect to
      harmful effects on the equipment due to the ingress of water (rain, sleet, snow, splashing water, and hose directed water); and that will be undamaged by the external formation of ice on the enclosure.”
      Source.
  7. ERRCS alarm interconnects to fire panel or paging sytem.
  8. UPS or battery backup requirement.
  9. Certified equipment and type of BDA (channelized, non-channelized e.g.)
  10. Yearly testing and re certification