Industry Prepares for Changes to Mass Notification Codes
SOURCE: NSCA · RELEASED: 3/4/2010
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — The recent addition of two simple words — and signaling — to NFPA 72, now the National Fire Alarm & Signaling Code, as well as a new chapter on Emergency Communications Systems, will likely have a major effect on the commercial electronic systems industry.
To educate industry professionals on the growing Mass Notification and Emergency Communications (MNEC) market, as well as to help them determine how the Code changes will affect their businesses, customers and products, NSCA has created a new website, www.mnec.org. The site provides news, books, events, code changes, resources on UL 2572, and much more related to the 2010 update of the National Fire Alarm & Signaling Code, commonly referred to as NFPA 72.
“Systems contractors have the opportunity to take the lead on intelligibility as the security and audio worlds converge,” said Chuck Wilson, NSCA executive director. “The recent revisions to NFPA 72 will open up a profitable new market and NSCA wants to help integrators get involved.”
Several subject matter experts who have been involved with the drafting of the new codes and standards have contributed to the resources on mnec.org. Merton Bunker, President of Merton Bunker & Associates, served as the staff liaison for NFPA 72 while working at the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).
“It’s great to see an organization like NSCA providing this information to the industry,” Bunker said. “First it was IT and security, and now the convergence of security and AV will play a critical role to the successful transition into voice audio intelligibility.”
NSCA will also offer NFPA 72 educational sessions during InfoComm 2010 to help attendees understand the alignment between security and AV systems in order to meet public safety standards. Content and information will be added as more news and information becomes available and resources are developed. Bookmark www.mnec.org and check back often to learn more.
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