Do you own a commercial building or business in Cleveland? Are you up to code when it comes to your fire alarm monitoring system? Or maybe you aren’t quite sure if you are or aren’t? Don’t worry! Here at Hard Fire Suppression Systems, we can help get you up to code, but in the meantime – let’s talk about when you need fire alarm monitoring in Cleveland.
A mission-critical piece of any comprehensive fire protection system, fire alarm monitoring takes the guesswork out of fires. Fire alarm monitoring ensures that a fire alarm isn’t a false alarm and then notifies the necessary personnel (local police, local fire department, etc.). Even when your building is vacant, fire alarm monitoring will contact first responders to protect your property.
However, what fire alarm monitoring is doesn’t really answer the question at hand: when do you need fire alarm monitoring?
The most important thing to consider when determining if your building requires fire alarm monitoring is the Occupancy Classification. There are a few national codes, laws and governing bodies that can help you determine your occupancy classification and in turn if you need fire alarm monitoring, such as the International Building Code, your states’ Fire Code, the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA), and your Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ).
The NFPA-72 and -101 are the main governing documents that you’ll need to familiarize yourself with to ensure that you are up to code with your fire alarm monitoring! Section 9.6.4.2 of the NFPA-101 defines the appropriate monitoring systems:
“Where emergency forces notification is required by another section of this Code, the fire alarm system shall be arranged to transmit the alarm automatically via any of the following means acceptable to the authority having jurisdiction and shall be in accordance with NFPA 72:
(1) Auxiliary fire alarm system
(2) Central station fire alarm system
(3) Proprietary supervising station fire alarm system
(4) Remote supervising station fire alarm system”
One thing to note, however, is that existing buildings have slightly different requirements than new buildings in some cases. The table below covers different types of occupancies, whether fire alarm monitoring is required and any notes applicable! Take a look and see if your type of building is listed to see if you need fire alarm monitoring.
| Type of Occupancy | Required? | Note |
| Ambulatory Health Care Facility | Yes | – |
| Assembly Occupancy | Yes | AHJ Restrictions |
| Apartment Buildings | Yes | – |
| Business and Mercantile Occupancy | Yes | Only required after new installation |
| Daycare Facility | Yes | – |
| Detention and Correctional Facility | Yes | Depends on in-house security |
| Educational Facility | Yes | Only required after new installation |
| Health Care Facility | Yes | – |
| Hotels and Dormitories | Yes | Existing building only require emergency phones |
| Industrial and Storage Occupancy | Yes | Only if building is occupied |
| Lodging and Rooming Houses | – | Not addressed |
| One/Two Family Dwellings | – | Not addressed |
| Residential Board and Care Facility | Yes | – |
If your building falls into any of the above categories that need fire alarm monitoring in Cleveland, contact Hard Fire Suppression Systems today so we can get you set up! Call us at 800-848-1301 or 614-882-2990 or contact us!
