[Adopted 9-20-2022 by Ord. No. 2022-07]
The Town of Smithfield Fire Department requires two-way radio
in-building coverage sufficient to meet the performance of two-way
radio communication enhancement systems as required by the Rhode Island
adopted National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1 Fire Code.
A.
All new buildings constructed in the Town of Smithfield shall comply
with this article.
B.
Existing buildings undergoing substantial renovation, a change of
occupancy, or the installation of a new fire alarm system are required
to provide radio coverage for firefighters as outlined in this article.
C.
Buildings and structures that cannot support the required level of
radio coverage shall comply with the requirements of this article.
A.
Buildings that have sufficient levels of radio coverage to satisfy
the requirements may request a waiver from the Smithfield Fire Department.
The request for a waiver shall include an RF survey showing sufficient
levels of radio coverage. Coverage may be verified by an independent
radio technician.
B.
Waivers are valid for a period of five years and must be renewed.
C.
At any time it is determined by the Smithfield Fire Department that
radio coverage is not adequate, the waiver will be withdrawn and the
property owner is then required to provide radio coverage as per this
article.
A.
All new commercial construction in the Town of Smithfield shall be
charged one-time user fee to cover Fire Department expenses to provide
an alternative to an installed two-way radio communication enhancement
system. All fees shall be paid to the Smithfield Fire Department Radio
Communications Fund.
B.
All fees paid into the Smithfield Fire Department Communications
Fund shall be used to cover the purchase of updated radio equipment,
maintenance of the apparatus repeater system, maintenance of the VHF
simulcast radio system, maintenance of facilities housing the components
of the VHF simulcast radio system, construction of facilities to support
radio communications, construction of tower sites to support radio
communications, purchase of any equipment/supplies to support radio
communications, support enhancement of the Smithfield Police Department's
communications equipment and other expenses deemed necessary by the
Town of Smithfield to support radio communications to enhance public
safety within the Town of Smithfield.
C.
The Smithfield Fire Department Radio Communications Fund fee schedule
is as follows:
As an alternative to a one-time fee paid to the Smithfield Fire
Department Radio Communications Fund, this article may be satisfied
by installing a two-way radio communication enhancement system, also
referred to as a bidirectional amplifier or BDA. If a BDA is chosen,
the following requirements are applicable.
A.
Approval and permit.
(1)
Prior to the installation of a two-way radio communication enhancement
system, a meeting shall take place with the Smithfield Fire Prevention
Bureau.
(2)
Any permit application shall include:
(a)
Detailed drawings showing the location of the amplification
equipment and associated antenna systems which includes a view showing
building access to the equipment.
(b)
Schematic drawings of the electrical system, backup power, antenna
system and any other associated equipment relative to the amplification
equipment including panel locations and labeling.
(c)
Manufacturer's data sheets on all equipment to be installed.
Note: Additional permits and approval may be needed from the Smithfield
electrical inspector.
(3)
Upon approval, a permit for the installation of a signal booster
will be issued.
(a)
Any field changes that occur during construction shall be incorporated
into new as-built plans, including any manufacturer's data sheets
for any equipment changes not submitted in the original submittal.
As-built plans, if required due to system changes, shall be submitted
for approval.
(4)
The Smithfield Fire Department assumes the responsibility of
registering approved signal boosters with the FCC.
(5)
Property owners who maintain compliance with this document are
granted permission to operate a signal booster on frequencies licensed
to the Smithfield Fire Department by the Federal Communications Commission.
The failure to maintain compliance with this specification will result
in the automatic withdrawal of said permissions.
B.
Radio coverage.
(1)
General building areas shall be provided with 90% floor area
radio coverage.
(2)
Critical areas, including fire command centers, fire pump rooms,
exit stairs, exit passageways, elevator lobbies, standpipe cabinets,
sprinkler sectional valve locations, and other areas deemed critical,
shall be provided with 99% floor area radio coverage.
C.
System design.
(1)
The distributed antenna system may be a radiating cable, fixed
antennas or a combination of both.
(2)
The system must comply with all applicable sections of FCC rules.
(3)
Permanent external filters or attachments shall not be permitted.
(4)
Assembly/installation of all components shall comply with the
National Electrical Code.
(5)
Survivability from attack by fire shall comply with NFPA 72.
(6)
All system components shall be installed, tested, inspected,
and maintained in accordance with the manufacturers' published
instructions.
(7)
The system design, and installation, shall not exceed the FCC's
OET 65 standards.
(8)
The system shall be normally powered on and continuously provide
passing of required frequencies.
(9)
The system shall be compatible with both analog and digital
communications, simultaneously at the time of installation.
(10)
BDA systems shall have lightning protection that complies with
NFPA 780.
(11)
Maximum propagation delay is 15 microseconds.
D.
Signal strength.
(1)
A minimum inbound (downlink) signal strength of -95 dBm shall
be provided throughout the coverage area. The inbound signal level
shall be sufficient to provide a minimum of DAQ 3.0 for either analog
or digital signals.
(2)
A minimum outbound (uplink) strength of -95 dBm shall be provided
at the Smithfield Fire and Police Department receivers. The outbound
signal level shall be sufficient to provide a minimum of DAQ 3.0 for
either analog or digital signals.
E.
Isolation.
(1)
Antenna isolation shall be maintained between the donor antenna
and all inside antennas to a minimum of 20 decibels under all operating
conditions.
F.
Pathway survivability.
(1)
Levels shall be as described in Section 5.10. (International
Fire Code, 2009)
(2)
Shall have a pathway survivability of Level 1, Level 2, or Level
3.
(3)
Radiating cable shall not be required to be installed in metal
raceway.
(4)
Feeder and riser coaxial cables shall be rated as plenum cables.
(5)
The connection between the riser and feeder coaxial cables shall
be made within the two-hour-rated enclosure, and passage of the feeder
cable in and out of the two-hour-rated enclosure shall be fire-stopped
to two-hour ratings.
G.
Noninterference and nonpublic safety system degradation.
(1)
No amplification system capable of operating on frequencies
or causing interference on frequencies assigned to the Smithfield
Fire and Police Departments by the FCC shall be installed without
prior coordination and approval of the Smithfield Fire Department.
(2)
The property owner shall suspend and correct equipment installations
that degrade the performance of the Smithfield Fire and Police radio
system or the BDA.
(3)
BDA systems that share infrastructure with non-public safety
services shall ensure that the coverage and performance of the public
safety communications channels are not degraded below the required
level of performance, regardless of the amount of traffic carried
by the nonpublic safety services.
(4)
Secondary users must furnish a complete list of transmit and
receive frequencies along with an intermodulation (IM) study that
will accompany the permit application. The IM study will consist of
the following calculations: IM=Q*F, IM=F1+F2+F3, IM=F1+F2-F3, IM=Q1*F1+Q2*F2,
and IM=Q1*F1-Q2*F2 for all frequencies uplink and downlink. These
calculations will be done to the fifth order.
H.
System radio frequencies.
(1)
The BDA shall be capable of transmitting all radio frequencies,
assigned to the Smithfield Fire and Police Departments, and be capable
of using any modulation technology in current use by the Smithfield
Fire and Police Departments.
(3)
Class B Amplifier Pass Band: to be determined during system
design based upon frequency allocations.
I.
Frequency changes.
(1)
The BDA system shall be upgradeable to allow for changes or
additions to system frequencies to maintain radio system coverage
as it was originally designed.
J.
Radio survey.
(1)
The building owner shall have the in-building radio system tested
to insure that two-way radio coverage on each floor of the building
meets or exceeds the required signal strength.
(2)
Each floor of the building shall be divided into a grid of approximately
20 equal areas. A maximum of two areas will be allowed to fail the
test per floor. A spot located approximately in the center of a grid
area will be selected for the test. Once the spot has been selected,
prospecting for a better spot within the grid area will not be permitted.
Field strength testing instruments are to be calibrated annually and
of the frequency selective type incorporating a flexible antenna similar
to the ones used on Smithfield Fire Department hand held transceivers.
(3)
RF plots indicating the initial assessment of radio coverage
and the enhanced coverage shall be submitted at the time of acceptance
testing.
(4)
All compliance testing to be done with 50 ohm loads in place
of the donor antenna to avoid interference to the Smithfield Fire
Department radio system.
(5)
Unattended testing of the operation of the BDA is not permitted
until the completion of acceptance testing.
K.
Power supplies.
(1)
At least two independent and reliable power supplies shall be
provided for all RF emitting devices and any other components of the
system.
(2)
The primary power source shall be supplied from a dedicated
branch circuit and comply with NFPA 72.
(3)
The secondary power source shall consist of a storage battery
dedicated to the system with 12 hours of 100% system operation capacity.
L.
Component enclosures.
(1)
All BDA components, RF filters, and battery system components
shall be contained in a NEMA4- or NEMA4X-type enclosure(s).
(2)
The cabinet shall be large enough to dissipate internal heat
without venting the inside of the cabinet to the outside atmosphere.
External or exposed RF filters are unacceptable.
(3)
Dedicated battery cabinets may be vented.
(4)
The cabinet shall be painted red and equipped with a locking
mechanism.
(5)
The cabinet shall be labeled in bright yellow.
M.
System monitoring.
(1)
A sign will be located at the dedicated monitoring panel with
the name and telephone number of the radio service provider indicating
that they shall be notified of any alarm.
(2)
Trouble signals must be immediately reported to the radio service
provider.
(3)
The Smithfield Fire Department must be notified of any failures
that extend past a four-hour time limit.
(4)
The building's fire alarm system shall include automatic
supervisory signals for malfunctions of the BDA system that are annunciated
by the fire alarm system in accordance with NFPA 72, and shall comply
with the following:
(a)
Monitoring for integrity of the system shall comply with NFPA
72, Chapter 10.
(d)
The communications link between the fire alarm system and the
BDA must be monitored for integrity.
(e)
A dedicated monitoring panel shall be provided within the fire
command center to annunciate the status of all RF emitting devices
and system component locations. The monitoring panel shall provide
visual and labeled indications of the following for each system component
and RF emitting device:
(f)
The communications link between the dedicated monitoring panel
and the two-way radio communications enhancement system must be monitored
for integrity.
N.
Acceptance testing.
(1)
Delivered audio quality (DAQ) testing will be conducted by Smithfield
Fire Department radio personnel to ensure that two-way radio coverage,
on each floor of the building, meets the minimum coverage requirements.
At least five business days' notice is required prior to the
test being conducted.
(2)
At the time of this test, the following are also required:
(a)
The approved radio technician shall certify that the in-building
radio system was installed and tested in accordance with the requirements
of the current Smithfield Fire Department in-building radio specification.
(b)
An approved radio service company shall certify that a maintenance
contract is in effect that provides twenty-four-hour by seven-day
response within four hours of notification of a problem. This contract
must be for a period of at least one year.
(c)
RF survey results, gain values of all amplifiers, small scale
drawings (11 inches by 17 inches maximum) of the structure shall be
provided by the owner/contractor. The plans shall show each floor
divided into the grids. Each grid shall be labeled to indicate the
DAQ result from the RF survey.
(d)
As-built drawings (if needed).
(e)
BDA manufacturer, model number, serial number, and FCC certification.
O.
Testing procedures.
(1)
For testing system signal strength and quality, the testing
shall be based on the DAQ system. A DAQ level below 3.0 shall be considered
a failed test for a given grid cell.
(3)
A number of cells per floor shall be selected at random. Signal
strength measurements shall be taken at the center of each cell.
(4)
A maximum of two grid cells per floor will be allowed to fail
the test. In the event that three of the areas fail the test, in order
to be more statistically accurate, the testing grid resolution maybe
doubled. If the number of grid cells is adjusted, the number of failed
cells permitted shall be adjusted accordingly to meet the 90% coverage
requirement.
(5)
Failures shall not be allowed in critical areas, including but
not limited to the fire command center, fire pump room, emergency
generator room, stairwells with a standpipe, elevator lobbies serving
the emergency elevator, and other areas as identified by the Fire
Department.
(6)
Both inbound and outbound signals shall be measured on each
and every floor above and below ground, including stairwells, basements,
penthouse facilities and parking areas of the structure.
(7)
Measurements shall be made with the antenna held in a vertical
position at three to four feet above the floor (portable radio worn
on the belt or turnout coat pocket).
P.
Annual test.
(1)
All active components of the in-building radio system, including
but not limited to amplifier, power supplies, and back-up batteries,
shall be inspected a minimum of once every 12 months.
(2)
Annual tests will be conducted by an authorized company.
(3)
Amplifiers shall be tested to insure that the gain is the same
as it was upon initial installation and acceptance. The original gain
shall be noted and any change in gain shall be documented.
(4)
Back-up batteries and power supplies shall be tested under load
for a period of one hour to verify that they will operate during an
actual power outage.
(5)
Active components shall be tested to verify they are operating
as designed by the manufacturer.
(6)
If communications appear to have degraded or if the tests fail
to demonstrate adequate system performance, the owner of the building
or structure is required to remedy the problem and restore the system
in a manner consistent with the original approval criteria.
(7)
The retesting will be done at no expense to the Town as required
in the original testing procedures.
R.
Maintenance and servicing.
(1)
At final acceptance, the building owner shall supply a letter
to the Fire Department accepting the property owner's responsibilities.
These responsibilities are as follows:
(a)
Upgrades to system as directed by the Somerville Fire Department;
(b)
Maintenance contract in place with name of authorized company,
who will provide a twenty-four-hour by seven-day emergency response
within four hours after notification. The system shall be maintained
in accordance with FCC requirements.
(c)
Maintain a list of contact personnel with phone numbers at the
BDA cabinet. The contact personnel shall have knowledge of the building
and the BDA system and be available to respond to the building in
the case of an emergency.
(d)
Annual inspections.
(e)
Five-year RF surveys.
(f)
This letter is to be on company letterhead signed by the property
owner or a legal representative.
S.
Modifications.
(1)
Modification of an existing BDA System requires prior approval
from the Smithfield Fire Department.
(2)
A permit application shall be submitted which includes a description
of the work to be performed and drawings showing intended modification.
(3)
Modification work must not degrade radio coverage at any time.
(4)
An RF survey must be completed and submitted after any modification
to an existing antenna system.
T.
Radio service provider.
(1)
An approved radio service provider is a company that employs
individual(s) that are qualified by the equipment manufacturer (in
writing) to work on the bidirectional amplifier system and holds a
valid FCC license or equivalent.
(2)
Design, installation and testing shall be conducted, documented,
and signed by a technician qualified by the equipment manufacturer
to work on the bidirectional amplifier system and who is also in possession
of one of the following:
(3)
Reports of annual inspections and five-year RF surveys must
be submitted to the Smithfield Fire Department.
(4)
The Smithfield Fire Department shall be notified in writing
at least 30 days prior to cancellation of a maintenance contract.
Such notice shall contain the date and time such cancellation is to
take effect, BDA location, and BOA permit number.
(5)
The Smithfield Fire Prevention Bureau shall be notified in writing
upon the procurement of contractual agreements relating to in-building
radios covered by this specification.
