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US Security Equipment Regulatory Approvals
There are a significant number of regulatory hurdles for any new entrant to the US electronics security equipment market. Different parts of the market have different requirements and some regulatory standards, that initially look important, are in fact dead letters. Some that appear unecessary to a manufacturer are in reality used by dealers and consultants in selecting equipment.
There is no single place to get all the necessary approvals and most equipment will be submitted to at least two of the following approval bodies before being sold in the US market. In the case of the FCC regulations and California State Fire Marshall, compliance is a legal requirement.
Organizations
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Underwriters
Laboratories
UL is the principal approval body for alarm equipment in the USA. It publishes standards in most areas of alarm equipment and carries out compliance testing. While UL listing is not legally required, it is virtually impossible to sell alarm control panels to professional alarm dealers, whether for fire or intrusion detection, that do not comply with UL standards. UL also have standards for monitoring stations and for installations, and compliance with these is often required by insurance carriers. -
Factory Mutual
Research Corporation
FM is a standard setting and testing organization for industrial equipment. It publishes standards and tests compliance, publishing a list of compliant equipment each year. Many insurance companies will mandate the use of FM approved fire alarm equipment as a condition of insurance coverage in industrial properties. -
Federal
Communications Commission
The FCC regulates all equipment that emits radio frequencies, whether intentionally or not. It is a legal requirement to comply with these regulations, with severe penalties. Equipment must be tested and certified by approved laboratories, and the entire system is tested. For an alarm panel, this involves testing the panel with a representative selection of ancillary devices connected by an appropriate amount of field wiring. -
Security
Industry Association
SIA has undertaken standard setting efforts in a number of areas, following the ANSI process for standard creation. Not all SIA standards have achieved wide adoption. Most recently, its efforts to establish false alarm performance standards have been welcomed by the industry, and UL will now be testing equipment for compliance with these standards. It has also published a number of standards documents that have properly codified widely used protocols for central station transmission and for access control credentials. -
California
State Fire Marshall
No supplier may sell equipment for use in fire detection in California which has not been approved by the office of the CSFM. This applies to intrusion alarm panels to which smoke detectors may be connected, as well as to the more obvious fire alarm panels and smoke detectors.
