(A) Permit required. A permit will be required to be obtained from the Fire Marshal’s office for the installation of a new fire alarm system or renovations to an existing fire alarm system.
(B) Permit issuance and fee. The permit fee will be based on the service and permit fee schedule found in the service and permit fee schedule, § 151.060. Once the plans are approved a permit will be issued to the contractor. The permit fee must be paid when the permit is issued. A copy of the plans and the permit will be returned to the contractor once the permit fee is paid.
(C) Applications and plans required. Prior to the issuance of an alarm system permit, plans showing the alarm system installation or renovations, along with a permit application, shall be submitted to the Fire Marshal’s office for approval. The plans shall be included as a part of the submittals of the design of the overall building in the event of new construction, and shall be provided as part of the renovation plans, in the event renovation plans are required for the structure. The plans are design plans and specifications and not shop drawings by the manufacturer or installer. These plans shall show the location and types of all devices, alarm panels and equipment, various alarm zones, wiring methods, monitoring and other specifications as necessary to ascertain the specific type of system being required by the project. These plans and specifications should be submitted for approval prior to the installation of any equipment or wiring. Two sets of these plans shall be submitted. One set will be kept on file at the Fire Marshal’s office and one set will be returned to the designer of record for inclusion of any modifications into the shop drawing process. The Fire Marshal’s office may also request two copies of the shop drawings of the specific alarm system, as developed by the manufacturer and installer of the system, if it is deemed necessary by the complexity of the proposed fire alarm. In the event that two sets of shop drawings are required, one set will be maintained at the Fire Marshal’s office while the second set will be initialed and indicated as approved and returned to the designer of record for transmittal of the information to the manufacturer and to the installation contractor. All systems shall meet NFPA standards and any other applicable NFPA requirements. Fire resistive and structural integrity must also be show in detail how it will be maintained.
(D) Inspections required. It will be the responsibility of the alarm contractor to contact the Fire Marshal’s office at least 48 hours in advance to schedule an inspection. An inspection will be required on all rough-in wiring prior to any concealment by building finishes. A final inspection will be conducted once the entire system is completed and ready for operation. A complete check of all devices will be required such as pull-stations, smoke detectors and the like. All zones in a structure or premises shall be tested. It will be the responsibility of the contractor to have the necessary personnel present to conduct the test.
(E) Materials test and certification. Once the system has been deemed approved by the fire official, the contractor will be responsible for issuing to the Fire Marshal’s office a materials test and certification letter. This letter shall state that the system has been installed, in accordance to the appropriate NFPA Standards and North Carolina Building Code General Construction and NCBCFP along with the amendments of the North Carolina State Building Code, has been tested, all materials used are approved for their use and the system is in full operation. This letter shall also include a certificate of compliance as required by NFPA standards.
(F) Inspection report and finalization. An inspection report will be completed after each inspection conducted on the alarm system. A copy will be left with the alarm contractor with the remaining copies of the inspection report filed in the Fire Marshal’s office. Once all the necessary requirements have been met for the alarm system, the Inspector may then consider the permit complete and final and may note as such on the permit. No permit may be considered final until all requirements including receipt of the permit fee are completed.
(Ord. O-02-08, passed 6-5-2008) Penalty, see § 151.999