ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Fire Alarm contractors

I thought if you had a masters electrical license that you could install fire alarm systems as a contractor? Someone told me today about NICET (a testing/cetification co.), and said that you have to have a certain level of fire alarm license to actually install FA systems as a contractor? Any truth to this?

We do lots of FA systems, but all are started up and tested(with us) by the techs from the FA company. They make out the papers and we turn them over to the owners. These systems are all designed by engineers, then a riser is drawn by the FA supplier, and finally we install as per this. Perhaps if you design a system off the shelf and there are no techs or engineers involved there are requirements in place to make sure the system is adequate. Not everyone is an engineer.

The requirement for NICET certification is locally driven. Your state/city may require it for FA installation while others may not.

Here in Maryland I have installed quite a few F/A systems. We are required to have an approved and signed and clean set of drawings on the job at all times. Approved and signed by the state fire marshall. Then the system must be certified. Our supplier provides the techs to "program" the system and certify it.