g/fire_alarm • Posted by u/smoke_detector_steve • 1 days ago

NFPA 72 2022 — what changed for mass notification that's actually affecting your installs?

Going through the 2022 NEC cycle changes for the first time on a hospital job. The mass notification section in Chapter 24 has been updated significantly. AHJ is asking us to document compliance with specific 2022 changes.

What changes in NFPA 72-2022 are actually showing up in your field work? Any surprises or edge cases that caught you off guard?

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u/suppression_sue • 1 days ago

Visible notification for sleeping areas in healthcare changed — the cd (candela) requirements went up in some occupancy types. If you're in an existing hospital with legacy strobe installations, document carefully. The AHJ may or may not require upgrades on the existing portions depending on scope of work.

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u/panel_programming_paul • 1 days ago

The in-building two-way radio enhancement system (ERRCS/BDA) coordination requirements got clarified. NFPA 72-2022 has more explicit language about how fire alarm systems and ERRCS systems must interface. If your hospital has an existing ERRCS, verify coordination meets the new language before final.

u/fire_code_fred • 1 days ago

The intelligibility requirements (Chapter 18) got tightened in 2022. STI (Speech Transmission Index) measurements are now more explicitly required in complex acoustic environments — hospitals, airports, convention centers. If you're doing a hospital job, budget for acoustical STI testing. Some AHJs are holding up C of O pending STI certification.