Code Change Summary: New requirements added for surge protection of fire alarm control panels.

The last few code cycles have seen a rise in requirements for surge protection of electrical equipment throughout the NEC^®.

In the 2017 NEC^®, Section 695.15 was added to require a surge protection device (SPD) in or on fire pump controllers.

In the 2023 NEC^®, new Section 760.33 was added to require a listed surge-protective device on the supply side of a fire alarm control panel in accordance with Part II of Article 242.

A surge is a transient wave of voltage or current. The duration is not consistent but is usually less than a few milliseconds. Transients and Surges can have peak values in excess of 10kA or 10kV. During a surge, the waveform has a very rapid rise to the peak and then falls off at a much slower rate. Transients and Surges can be caused by external sources such as lightning or short circuits, or from internal sources such as variable speed drives, contactor or capacitor switching.

The study, “Data Assessment for Electrical Surge Protective Devices” commissioned by the Fire Protection Research Foundation, provides results of a 2014 survey of facility managers concerning surge damage.  It shows that 12% had damage to fire pumps due to voltage surges.

A fire alarm control panel is equally important and consideration should also be given to the potential damage that can occur to the fire alarm system in the event of a surge which can be prevented with a properly sized SPD. 

The new code section provides necessary requirements for fire alarm control panels which are extremely critical for life-safety. The purpose of the NEC^® is the practical safeguarding of persons and property from hazards arising from the use of electricity. Surges are a hazard that occurs from the use of electricity, and it makes sense to justify the code change since a fire alarm control panel damaged by a surge may not perform as intended when it matters most. 

Below is a preview of the NEC^®. See the actual NEC^® text at NFPA.ORG for the complete code section. Once there, click on their link to free access to the 2023 NEC^® edition of NFPA 70.