New Florida Fire Code Upgrade Requirements
The International Code Council (ICC) has designated the month of May ‘Building Safety Month’. In efforts to build awareness during #BuildingSafetyMonth2024 our team at Qypsys would like to draw attention to some of the key elements of Florida HB 1575 (2023) revising the rules governing the State’s Emergency Radio Communication Enhancement System (ERCES). Once enacted, these laws were then adopted by the State Fire Marshal and added to the Florida Fire Prevention Code (FFPC). This code is updated at three year intervals, with the most recent, 8th Edition in effect as of December 31, 2023.
Florida Fire Prevention Code ERCES Requirements
Florida Fire Prevention Code (FFPC) requires codes and standards-compliant public safety communication coverage inside buildings. The local Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) shall determine the minimum radio signal strength, quality, and percentage of general and critical areas covered. If requirements are not met, the Florida Fire Prevention Code authorizes the AHJ to require an enhancement in coverage, requiring installation of Emergency Communication Enhancement Systems (ERCES).
Key Elements of the New Florida Law HB 1575 (2023)
One of the most significant additions of Florida Law HB 1575 (2023) is the addition of new subsection 23* which reads:
“If an assessment of a new building’s interior radio coverage and signal strength under the Florida Fire Prevention Code determines that installation of a two-way radio communication enhancement system is required, a contractor having the appropriate license issued by the department must submit a design to the local Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) for a two-way radio enhancement system to correct noncompliant radio coverage. The Local Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) may not withhold issuance of a temporary certificate for the building based solely on the need for a two-way radio communication enhancement system. Upon approval of the design by the local authority having jurisdiction (AJC), the jurisdiction must require the installation of the two-way radio communication enhancement system within 12 months after the issuance of a temporary certificate of occupancy. An extension for a temporary certificate of occupancy may not be unnecessarily withheld.”
*Subsections (23), (24), and (25) of section 553.79, Florida Statutes, are renumbered as subsections (24), (25), and (26), respectively, and a new subsection (23) has been added.
Florida Fire Prevention Code ERCES Coverage Exemptions
However, Florida HB 1575 (2023) does allow for some buildings with noncompliant radio coverage to remain exempt, if they meet one of the very specific requirements laid out in the new law. These include:
- Buildings having less than 12,000 total gross square feet with no underground areas.
- Apartments and transient public lodging establishments that are less than 3 stories high and have direct access from the apartment’s or guest area to an outside exit.
- Apartment buildings 75 feet or less in height that are constructed using wood framing, provided that the building has less than 150 dwelling units and that all dwelling units discharge to the exterior or to a corridor that leads directly to an exit. Building owners must provide building permit documentation which identifies the construction type as wood frame.
- One and two-family dwellings and townhouses.
- Existing commercial and residential buildings that have qualified for an extension by having applied for system permits by January 1, 2024 and have been granted an extension until January 1, 2025.
- Also, if the ERCES signal strength is determined by the AHJ as inadequate at the exterior of the building, an enhancement system is not required.
Assessment and Authority Having Jurisdiction (AJC) Limitations Set Under Florida HB 1575 (2023)
Another significant impact from the law is the limitations placed on local AJC requirements. It states that the local AHJ may not enforce requirements that are more stringent than those specified in the Florida Fire Prevention Code with respect to the requirement for, design of, or installation of an Emergency Radio Communication Enhancement System (ERCES).
In addition to placing limitations on the local AJC’s authority, it also places limitations on the frequency that an assessment of radio coverage is required for buildings, which include:
- Limiting the frequency of an assessment to not more than once every 3 years for existing high-rise buildings and existing buildings over 12,000 total gross square feet, and once every 5 years for all other existing buildings, unless:
- A building undergoes Level III building alteration or rehabilitation as defined in the Florida Building Code OR a building undergoes reconstruction as determined by the Florida Fire Prevention Code.
- A public safety agency reports to the local AHJ that communication devices failed to function inside a building due to poor signal coverage.
- A building is determined to be an imminent life safety threat to first responders.
- Also, if a local AHJ modifies its public safety emergency communication system such that modifications to existing two-way radio communication enhancement system installations are required, the local AHJ must give owners of the existing two-way radio communication enhancement systems at least 180 days’ notice before requiring any modification and the building owner has 1 year to complete the retrofit starting from the date of a notice.
Time is Running Out on the Florida High-Rise ERCES Exemption
Under the new law existing commercial and residential high-rise (greater than 75 feet) buildings that lacked compliant coverage, but had their permits in place by January 1, 2024 were granted an enforcement extension until January 1, 2025. With the halfway point of the year quickly approaching, companies like Qypsys that have the appropriate Florida license to design and install ERCES systems are facing some tight deadlines.
Some people assume that solving the problem is as simple as adding an antenna to the top of a building but that’s wholly inaccurate. Properly designing and installing a DAS Solution takes time and a team of experts. Each design plan is as unique as the building it’s being designed for. The best system design for a building will be based on a number of factors and calculations, evaluating every aspect from floor plans to construction materials, to donor signals, frequencies, and signal strength throughout different parts of the building.
Consent of the FCC license holder (often but not always the jurisdiction’s radio system operator) must be obtained for the installation or modification of any system. And only after a design plan has been submitted and approved, and consent has been obtained, then system installation can begin. Similar to installing an alarm system, a DAS solution requires work throughout the building running cable, installing antennas, amplifiers, splitters and more. Testing will ensure that the donor antenna (located on the roof) is transmitting the signal inside and that it is properly being re-transmitted throughout the building to the emergency responders.
Qypsys Public Safety DAS Systems
Is your building currently in compliance with the new Florida Fire Code requirements? If you aren’t sure, or have questions regarding compliance, contact Qypsys today. It’s essential that building owners take the proper steps today to ensure compliance before the ERCES exemption expires at the end of the year.
New Florida Fire Code Upgrade Requirements
The International Code Council (ICC) has designated the month of May ‘Building Safety Month’. In efforts to build awareness during #BuildingSafetyMonth2024 our team at Qypsys would like to draw attention to some of the key elements of Florida HB 1575 (2023) revising the rules governing the State’s Emergency Radio Communication Enhancement System (ERCES). Once enacted, these laws were then adopted by the State Fire Marshal and added to the Florida Fire Prevention Code (FFPC). This code is updated at three year intervals, with the most recent, 8th Edition in effect as of December 31, 2023.
Florida Fire Prevention Code ERCES Requirements
Florida Fire Prevention Code (FFPC) requires codes and standards-compliant public safety communication coverage inside buildings. The local Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) shall determine the minimum radio signal strength, quality, and percentage of general and critical areas covered. If requirements are not met, the Florida Fire Prevention Code authorizes the AHJ to require an enhancement in coverage, requiring installation of Emergency Communication Enhancement Systems (ERCES).
Key Elements of the New Florida Law HB 1575 (2023)
One of the most significant additions of Florida Law HB 1575 (2023) is the addition of new subsection 23* which reads:
“If an assessment of a new building’s interior radio coverage and signal strength under the Florida Fire Prevention Code determines that installation of a two-way radio communication enhancement system is required, a contractor having the appropriate license issued by the department must submit a design to the local Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) for a two-way radio enhancement system to correct noncompliant radio coverage. The Local Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) may not withhold issuance of a temporary certificate for the building based solely on the need for a two-way radio communication enhancement system. Upon approval of the design by the local authority having jurisdiction (AJC), the jurisdiction must require the installation of the two-way radio communication enhancement system within 12 months after the issuance of a temporary certificate of occupancy. An extension for a temporary certificate of occupancy may not be unnecessarily withheld.”
*Subsections (23), (24), and (25) of section 553.79, Florida Statutes, are renumbered as subsections (24), (25), and (26), respectively, and a new subsection (23) has been added.
Florida Fire Prevention Code ERCES Coverage Exemptions
However, Florida HB 1575 (2023) does allow for some buildings with noncompliant radio coverage to remain exempt, if they meet one of the very specific requirements laid out in the new law. These include:
- Buildings having less than 12,000 total gross square feet with no underground areas.
- Apartments and transient public lodging establishments that are less than 3 stories high and have direct access from the apartment’s or guest area to an outside exit.
- Apartment buildings 75 feet or less in height that are constructed using wood framing, provided that the building has less than 150 dwelling units and that all dwelling units discharge to the exterior or to a corridor that leads directly to an exit. Building owners must provide building permit documentation which identifies the construction type as wood frame.
- One and two-family dwellings and townhouses.
- Existing commercial and residential buildings that have qualified for an extension by having applied for system permits by January 1, 2024 and have been granted an extension until January 1, 2025.
- Also, if the ERCES signal strength is determined by the AHJ as inadequate at the exterior of the building, an enhancement system is not required.
Assessment and Authority Having Jurisdiction (AJC) Limitations Set Under Florida HB 1575 (2023)
Another significant impact from the law is the limitations placed on local AJC requirements. It states that the local AHJ may not enforce requirements that are more stringent than those specified in the Florida Fire Prevention Code with respect to the requirement for, design of, or installation of an Emergency Radio Communication Enhancement System (ERCES).
In addition to placing limitations on the local AJC’s authority, it also places limitations on the frequency that an assessment of radio coverage is required for buildings, which include:
- Limiting the frequency of an assessment to not more than once every 3 years for existing high-rise buildings and existing buildings over 12,000 total gross square feet, and once every 5 years for all other existing buildings, unless:
- A building undergoes Level III building alteration or rehabilitation as defined in the Florida Building Code OR a building undergoes reconstruction as determined by the Florida Fire Prevention Code.
- A public safety agency reports to the local AHJ that communication devices failed to function inside a building due to poor signal coverage.
- A building is determined to be an imminent life safety threat to first responders.
- Also, if a local AHJ modifies its public safety emergency communication system such that modifications to existing two-way radio communication enhancement system installations are required, the local AHJ must give owners of the existing two-way radio communication enhancement systems at least 180 days’ notice before requiring any modification and the building owner has 1 year to complete the retrofit starting from the date of a notice.
Time is Running Out on the Florida High-Rise ERCES Exemption
Under the new law existing commercial and residential high-rise (greater than 75 feet) buildings that lacked compliant coverage, but had their permits in place by January 1, 2024 were granted an enforcement extension until January 1, 2025. With the halfway point of the year quickly approaching, companies like Qypsys that have the appropriate Florida license to design and install ERCES systems are facing some tight deadlines.
Some people assume that solving the problem is as simple as adding an antenna to the top of a building but that’s wholly inaccurate. Properly designing and installing a DAS Solution takes time and a team of experts. Each design plan is as unique as the building it’s being designed for. The best system design for a building will be based on a number of factors and calculations, evaluating every aspect from floor plans to construction materials, to donor signals, frequencies, and signal strength throughout different parts of the building.
Consent of the FCC license holder (often but not always the jurisdiction’s radio system operator) must be obtained for the installation or modification of any system. And only after a design plan has been submitted and approved, and consent has been obtained, then system installation can begin. Similar to installing an alarm system, a DAS solution requires work throughout the building running cable, installing antennas, amplifiers, splitters and more. Testing will ensure that the donor antenna (located on the roof) is transmitting the signal inside and that it is properly being re-transmitted throughout the building to the emergency responders.
Qypsys Public Safety DAS Systems
Is your building currently in compliance with the new Florida Fire Code requirements? If you aren’t sure, or have questions regarding compliance, contact Qypsys today. It’s essential that building owners take the proper steps today to ensure compliance before the ERCES exemption expires at the end of the year.