Commercial Fire

Under the National Building Code and National Fire code, standards are set to ensure personal life and safety protection within commercial structures. To ensure that technology used in the monitoring of these structures meets these standards, ULC (Underwriters Laboratories Canada) have developed rigorous testing and certification standards. Typically the Fire Marshall in a given municipality insists that these standards are met before occupancy permits will be issued.

There are only two acceptable communications methods that meet the new standard. These are the definitions used to define these methods:

1. Active Communication - a method of communications in which the integrity of the communication channel(s) is continuously monitored so as to identify to the fire signal receiving centre any fault or failure that could affect signal transmission and reception.

2. Passive Communication - a method of communication that is not continuously monitored to detect failures or faults, but rather incorporates dual or multiple communications systems.

The standard further states that the following:

A Signal Receiving Centre, formally referred to as a Monitoring Station or Central Station) must now use either an “Active” form of communication (for example, some form of continuously supervised line) or two “Passive” non-redundant forms of communication; for example, Internet and Cellular, Digital and Cellular, etc. These non-redundant options, however, cannot be offered by the same telecom provider. However, if the SRC chooses to use an Active form of communication, that will satisfy the requirement of the Standard, and no other forms will be required.