BYKHY Articles 76–77: Alarm Signalling and Panels

When a fire is detected, the Turkish Regulation on Fire Protection of Buildings (BYKHY) wants three audiences told: the staff watching the panel, everyone in the building, and the response teams and fire brigade. Article 76 sets out those three channels; Article 77 says where the control panel and repeater panels go. Both clauses are short, but they hold the decisions most often skipped in design: who gets the alarm, by what means, and who is sitting at the panel.

Article 76: three alarm channels

When the system operates, the alarm is given audibly and visually or by data communication. The Regulation splits this into three sub-paragraphs, summarised below.

(a) Panel indication. The panel is where the alarm lands first. The Regulation does not prescribe the indicator: a buzzer, a lamp or a text display will do. What matters is that sub-panels and repeaters at other monitoring points show the same information as the main panel; read this together with the repeater rule in Article 77.

(b) Occupants. The clause refers to "all occupied parts" of the building, so alarm coverage is building-wide; corridors only, or the fire floor only, does not meet it. The exceptions (phased evacuation, staff-only alarm, visual-only alarms in healthcare) and the sound levels are covered in the Article 81 article. Where automatic detection is mandatory, this clause effectively makes alarm devices necessary too; the site's detection requirement checker uses that reading.

(c) Teams and fire brigade. The building's own teams are alerted by audible and visual devices, the fire brigade by data communication over direct lines or other media. Article 82/1-f completes this: the emergency control system must be able to notify the local fire brigade, the electricity utility, the municipality, the police or gendarmerie, the head of the institution, the owner and anyone else considered necessary, automatically. The parts of the notification cables inside the building withstand fire for at least 60 minutes (83/1-b), and lines to remote monitoring centres are continuously supervised (74/2). The cable rules are in the Articles 82–83 article.

Article 77: where the panel goes

There are two rules for fire control and repeater panels:

• 77/1-a: control and repeater panels are installed preferably on the ground floor or in an easily reached part of the building, at a location with staff on duty continuously.
• 77/1-b: if there are periods when no staff are present at the panel location, repeater panels are installed in one or more other rooms that are staffed continuously during those periods.

The first rule has two tests: access and continuous attendance. "Preferably ground floor" is a preference; "staff on duty continuously" is a requirement. A panel in a plant room, a basement switch room or a locked space fails on access; a panel where nobody is present means the indication of 76/1-a reaches no one. Choose the panel location with the architect and with the operator's staffing plan in hand.

The second rule covers the reception desk or security room that is empty at night or at weekends. The repeater then goes where staff are present during those hours. No number is set: if staff sit in more than one place, more than one repeater may be needed.

Other panel-related provisions

• Cables (83/1-c, ç): communication and supply cables between the main panel and sub- or repeater panels, and the supply cables to all panels, withstand fire for at least 60 minutes.
• Priority (82/2): controls from other systems such as building automation must never obstruct the emergency control actions taken from the fire panel.
• Existing buildings (143): where detection is required in an existing building, the main panel is provided by the owner or the flat owners and serves the whole building. See the existing buildings article.
• Out of service (74/3): while the panel or system is out of service, unprotected areas are patrolled by additional security staff.

Conventional and addressable: the Guide's example

The Regulation does not choose a system architecture. Next to Article 76, the Guide illustrates two typical ones (Figure 76, p. 129):

The device counts are the Guide's illustration, not regulatory limits. How many devices a circuit or loop may carry, and how zones are bounded, is set by TS EN 54-14 and the panel's documentation, or by NFPA 72 on projects designed to it. The Guide also stresses that system components are designed and installed to TS EN 54 and that faults such as open and short circuits in devices and cables are monitored by the panel. For an introduction to zoning, see the fire alarm zone design article.

Link with pre-alarm

Article 76 says through which channels the alarm is given; 81/2 says when. A pre-alarm that allows the signal to be investigated is permitted, provided the alarm reaches the response teams and trained staff without delay. In industrial buildings where hazardous materials are kept or processed, and in storage buildings, any detection must start the evacuation alarm directly and no pre-alarm is allowed. Programme the panel accordingly.

Design checklist

• Panel location: ground floor or easily reached; staffed continuously? (77/1-a)
• Unstaffed hours: when, and where are staff then? Is a repeater there? (77/1-b)
• Indication: do main, sub- and repeater panels show the alarm? (76/1-a)
• Do the alarm devices cover every occupied part? (76/1-b, 81)
• Is notification to the teams and fire brigade defined, automatic and supervised? (76/1-c, 82/1-f, 74/2)
• Are inter-panel and panel supply cables rated for 60 minutes? (83/1-c, ç)
• If pre-alarm is used, does the building type allow it? (81/2)

When automatic detection and call points are mandatory is covered in the Article 75 and Annex 7 article.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where must the fire alarm panel be located under the Turkish regulation?

Under Article 77/1-a, control and repeater panels go preferably on the ground floor or in an easily reached part of the building, at a location with staff on duty continuously. The ground floor is a preference; continuous attendance is a requirement.

When is a repeater panel mandatory?

If there are periods when no staff are present at the panel location, repeater panels are installed in one or more rooms that are continuously staffed during those periods (77/1-b).

Must the alarm be sent to the fire brigade automatically?

Article 76/1-c describes notifying the fire brigade by data communication over direct lines or other media, and Article 82/1-f requires the emergency control system to be able to notify the fire brigade and others automatically. The notification cables inside the building are rated for 60 minutes (83/1-b).

How many detectors can go on a conventional circuit?

The Regulation sets no number. The Guide's example figure mentions 25–30 devices per conventional circuit and 100–125 per addressable loop (p. 129), but this is an illustration. Binding limits are in TS EN 54-14 and the panel's documentation.

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