Reliable in-building public safety communications are crucial in the event of an emergency. To achieve reliable communications for first responders, building owners or operators often are required to install signal boosters. The work of the owner doesn’t stop there, however. The International Fire Code states, “The owner of the building or owner’s authorized agent shall have the ERCES (Emergency Responder Communication Enhancement System) inspected and tested annually.”
Do you currently have a public safety signal booster or an ERCES installed in your building? If yes, when was the last time your system received a health check? If it has been over a year, your equipment may not comply with the current standard safety codes.
An annual assessment of your system typically evaluates eight items or more to ensure that the system continues to operate and perform in compliance with applicable building codes and that the safeguards implemented to ensure that the system is always ready are still intact. Items evaluated include:
- System Coverage
- Pathway Survivability
- Donor Isolation
- Equipment Alarms
- Backup Power
- Lightning Protection
- Inspection Records
- As-Built Documentation
The assessment of most items is fairly simple and may only require a visual inspection. However, the assessment of a few items is more involved such as grid testing that is likely to be used to conduct the system coverage assessment. In addition, alarm verification may involve manually triggering each alarm scenario.
Contact a certified ERCES integrator, such as Pierson Wireless to conduct your annual compliance audit. In addition to conducting the audit, the certified ERCES integrator should work with you and the AHJ (Authority Having Jurisdiction) to successfully demonstrate compliance or to correct any issue identified during the assessment.
Pierson Wireless is a wireless solutions firm that specializes in the design, implementation, activation, monitoring, and maintenance of ERCES. The Pierson team has GROL (General Radiotelephone Operator License) licensed engineers and we are certified by all of the major OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers). Pierson Wireless has the expertise and specialized tools to conduct ERCES annual assessments and to diagnose and resolve any issues that may arise.
If you would like to learn more about our ERCES services, visit our Public Safety page, or please reach out to solutions@piersonwireless.com.
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