The 2025 edition of the National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code (NFPA 72) has been published by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and is now available for purchase and review. This edition introduces several new definitions and updates to existing ones to address advancements in fire detection and alarm technologies.
Key Updates in the 2025 Edition:
Auxiliary Service Provider (ASP): Defined as an entity or service that receives signals from a protected premises fire alarm system, modifies or manipulates these signals, and directs them to the supervising station. This definition acknowledges the role of third-party, often cloud-based, services in signal transmission.
Carbon Monoxide Source: Now includes equipment or permanently installed appliances, fireplaces, or processes used inside a building that produce or emit carbon monoxide gas, expanding the definition beyond traditional fuel-burning appliances.
Detector: The definition has been broadened to encompass devices that respond to physical stimuli such as gas, heat, light, sound, or smoke. This change incorporates new detection methods, including:
Acoustic Leak Detector: Detects gas leaks by sensing the sound produced by a pressurized gas release.
Thermal Image Fire Detector: Senses overheated combustible material by imaging in the long-wave infrared wavelengths using a focal plane array.
Fuel Gas Detection: With the publication of NFPA 715, definitions have been added for:
Fuel Gas Detector: A device with a sensor that responds to fuel gas and is connected to an alarm control unit.
Fuel Gas Warning Equipment: Includes any detector, alarm, device, or material related to single- and multiple-station alarms or household fuel gas detection systems.
Fuel-Burning Equipment: Clarified to include any device that burns solid, liquid, or gaseous fuel, recognizing that fuel sources can vary.
These updates reflect the evolving landscape of fire detection and alarm systems, incorporating new technologies and methodologies to enhance safety and response. Professionals in the fire alarm industry should familiarize themselves with these changes to ensure compliance and optimize system design and implementation.
Shane Clary, Ph.D., is Security Sales & Integration’s “Fire Side Chat” columnist. He has more than 37 years of security and fire alarm industry experience. He serves on a number of NFPA technical committees, and is vice president of Codes and Standards Compliance for Pancheco, Calif.-based Bay Alarm Co.