NEMA Standards Publication SB 30-2005

Fire Service Annunciator and Interface

Published by:
National Electrical Manufacturers Association
1300 North 17th Street, Suite 1847
Rosslyn, Virginia 22209
www.nema.org

Copyright 2005 by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association. All rights including translation into
other languages, reserved under the Universal Copyright Convention, the Berne Convention for the
Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, and the International and Pan American Copyright Conventions.

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SB 30-2005
Page i

CONTENTS
Page

Section 1 GENERAL
1.1

Scope......................................................................................................................................... 1

1.2

Intent.......................................................................................................................................... 1

1.3

Purpose ..................................................................................................................................... 1

Section 2 STANDARDS AND CODES

2.1

Building Codes .......................................................................................................................... 2

2.2

Underwriters Laboratories (UL) Standards................................................................................ 2

2.3

National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standards........................................................... 2

2.4

American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Standards............................................... 2

2.5

Standards Related to People with Disabilities........................................................................... 2

2.6

American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers

(ASHRAE) Standards ................................................................................................................ 2

2.7

ARCNET Trade Association (ATA) Standards .......................................................................... 2

2.8

Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) Standards.......................................................................... 2

Section 3 EQUIPMENT
3.1

Power and Communications Redundancy ................................................................................ 3

3.2

Fixed Location(s) ....................................................................................................................... 3

3.3

Wireless Applications ................................................................................................................ 3

3.4

Remote Access ......................................................................................................................... 3

3.5

Security Considerations............................................................................................................. 3

Section 4 USER INTERACTION

4.1

Firefighter Capabilities and Limitations ..................................................................................... 5

4.2

Presentation Guidelines ............................................................................................................ 6

4.2.1

Icons ............................................................................................................................. 6

4.2.2

Text............................................................................................................................... 6

4.2.3

Abbreviations................................................................................................................ 6

4.2.4

Colors ........................................................................................................................... 6

4.2.5

Modes ........................................................................................................................... 7

4.2.6

Display Units................................................................................................................. 7

4.2.7

Query for Information.................................................................................................... 7

Copyright 2005 by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association.

SB 30-2005
Page ii

Section 5 FIRE SERVICE INTERFACE FOR SMALL SYSTEMS

5.1

Required Information Elements and Functions ......................................................................... 8

5.2

Layout ........................................................................................................................................ 8

5.3

Interaction .................................................................................................................................. 9
5.3.1

Logical Grouping of Features ....................................................................................... 9

5.3.2

Button Size and Layout ................................................................................................ 9

5.3.3

Event Display Interaction.............................................................................................. 9

5.3.4

Interaction with the System Control and Status Indicator Area.................................. 10

5.3.5

Interactions with the Additional Function Keys........................................................... 10

Section 6 INCIDENT COMMANDER DISPLAY

6.1

Required Functions ................................................................................................................. 11

6.2

Optional Functions................................................................................................................... 12

6.3

Control Functions .................................................................................................................... 13

6.4

Layout ...................................................................................................................................... 13

6.5

Interaction ................................................................................................................................ 14
6.5.1

Point and Touch Interaction ....................................................................................... 14

6.5.2

Minimal User Interaction............................................................................................. 14

6.5.3

Navigation................................................................................................................... 14

FIGURES
5-1

Alarm Event Display .................................................................................................................. 9

5-2

Sequential Display................................................................................................................... 10

6-1

Incident Commander Display Layout ...................................................................................... 14

TABLES
4-1

Recommended Fire Service Display Icons ............................................................................. 16

Copyright 2005 by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association.

SB 30-2005
Page 1

Section 1
GENERAL
This standard was developed jointly by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Building and
Fire Research Laboratory, NEMA, and the U.S. Fire Alarm industry to guide the development of uniform
equipment for use by the fire service to display information of use during fires or other emergencies.
1.1

SCOPE

This standard covers the design, operation, and arrangement of equipment intended to display data and
status of building systems, and to provide certain control functions. This standard addresses displays
installed in buildings or other locations specified by the fire service for their use in responding to fires and
other emergencies.
The document scope presents information for fire fighters in the roles of First Responder (the first fire
command at the scene) and Incident Commander (the ongoing fire command at the scene.)
1.2

INTENT

The intent of this standard is to provide a uniform set of requirements that result in equipment sufficiently
similar across different manufacturers systems that fire service personnel trained in the general
arrangement and use of these systems be able to operate and extract information from the equipment in
various buildings with a fair degree of familiarity and confidence without the need for specialized training
on each individual system.
It is anticipated that firefighter interface training will become a part of all new firefighter training programs.
It is also the intent that the training required be minimal and the interactions of the fire service with the
systems be as intuitive as possible. Finally, it is the intent that the equipment, displays and interactions be
based, as much as is sensible for quick understanding, on common fire fighter knowledge.
1.3

PURPOSE

The purpose of this equipment is to provide real-time information of value in making tactical decisions and
monitoring the safety of firefighters. These goals are met through interaction with the equipment by both
First Responders and Incident Commanders.
The information of value to the First Responder arriving on the scene must be readily available for quick
processing, planning and response.
The Incident Commander, also, must have information readily available for quick processing, planning
and response. The Incident Commander may continue to process information, plan and direct the incident
through out the emergency. They may spend more time with the system using it as an ongoing tactical
tool after the initial response has commenced.
Both the user interactions required for the First Responders quick assessment and the Incident
Commanders ongoing analysis should be supported in uniform, consistent and intuitive ways. The
design of the system interactions shall not change based on the user role.

Copyright 2005 by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association.