By Mike Brownson, ERCES Trainer
I was recently asked to take part in a Podcast with an ERCES ralted topic of my choosing. I decided to make Competency for ERCES installers the focus of the conversation. Why? It’s simple. For most all other building trades a lack of competency only impacts the occupants of the building where shoddy work was done. For example, if a person installing doors does shoddy work perhaps the door doesn’t close tightly, or rubs against the door frame. If a plumber does shoddy work perhaps the toilet gets clogged up more often. These are inconveniences at best. If an ERCES installer doesn’t fully understand how that installed system operates in unison with the public safety radio network it can take down an entire tower site and make first responder radio communication inoperable over many square miles of coverage. This is far worse that a sticky door or a plugged toilet.
So, how should we evaluate and confirm competency for ERCES installers and designers? When the radio enhancement code was first put into the fire code there was no suitable test for competency. They took the only RF certification available, the GROL (FCC General Radio Operators License) and added it to the requirements for installers. For anyone that has taken the test they will tell you that the GROL has almost zero questions that relate to ERCES. Additionally, students can attend a 2-3 day class where all the answers are taught, without an explanation of why, then pass the test and forget everything they learned the next day.
Clearly there’s little to no value for any training class that teaches student the answers with a test the following day without an understanding of the concepts. But that’s all we had until recently when the Safer Buildings Coalition worked with NICET (National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies) to create a meaningful certification for ERCES installers and designers.
NICET is a non-profit division of the National Society of Professional Engineers with a mission to promote excellence in engineering technologies globally through certification and related services. NICET is recognized as the go-to organization for certification of fire alarm and fire suppression system installers and NICET certification is widely required by AHJs for installers of these systems. So NICET was the obvious choice. Not just for the familiarity with the code officials, but also for the validation process of the necessary skills.
To receive a NICET certification there is more than just a test. Applicants also must provide a list of relevant projects and have their supervisor verify their performance on those projects. NICET offers 3 levels of certification for installation technicians, Levels 1, 2 and 3. Or as I referred to them in the Complete ERCES Handbook, Installation Technician, RF Technician and Project Manager. Each of the three levels of technician have specific skills that must have been practiced for a minimum amount of time (ie, 6 months, 2 years and 5 years). For more information on the requirements visit the NICET web site at www.NICET.org and under the Certification menu look for In-Building Public Safety Communications (IB-PSC).
Earlier I mentioned how a poorly installed BDA can take down an entire radio site. But how is that? Let’s first look at an ECRES that is optimized to the outdoor radio network. This system amplifies the incoming radio signals and distributes that RF wherever the signal levels are too weak for reliable communications. But also being careful to not amplify more than is needed causing RF to leak outside the building to potentially interfere with ERCES systems installed in adjacent buildings. On the talk-out side (referred to as Uplink or UL) the same system amplifies the RF signals from within the building to a level required for the radio site to receive reliable audio. In this case, too much signal can also degrade the operation of the tower site. BDAs also amplify the natural RF noise floor that exists everywhere. Raising the noise floor at the radio tower acts just like an RF jammer which can partly, or totally, overwhelm the normal radio traffic arriving at the radio site.
Think of this noise floor as if you were at a social event or night club. The background noise is so high that to understand what your friend or date is saying they have to speak up loudly enough for you to understand. The same happens at radio sites when the noise floor is increased due to a poorly installed ERCES, now only the closest radio users can be heard. This can reduce the range of a tower site from 10 or more miles down to just a few blocks. Obviously not a good situation for the first responder community or the public they are tasked with protecting.
Having a certification organization that can attest to the competency of installation technicians is hugely valuable to the AHJ community. With the IB-PSC certification being relatively new we may need a little more time to build up a community of certified individuals. I encourage AHJs to put this requirement in their near future plans and alert the installer community. This will drive more people to get these certifications. I’d also encourage reputable ERCES installers to talk to the AHJs they have relationships with and encourage them to add these certifications to their requirements for installers. This will help to eliminate what Chief Purdue refers to as the Trunk Slammers or Chuck and a Truck. NICET certification should also reduce the number of BDAs that turn into RF jammers.
To help installation companies and individuals with an understanding of the competencies required, the Safer Buildings Coalition contacted me to compile the most complete reference manual on this topic, the Complete ERCES Handbook. At 600 pages this handbook contains a vast treasure of knowledge from over a dozen highly experienced individuals that helped me to write this. If you’ve not already, order yours today at www.ERCESHandbook.com. And for companies interested in hands-on training class I offer a two-day NICET levels 1 and 2 class. More details can be found at www.ERCEStrainer.com.