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<br /> <br />PPC is a registered trademark of Insurance Services Office, Inc. <br /> Page 11 <br />Item 432 - Credit for Dispatch Circuits (3 points) <br />The third item reviewed is Item 432 “Credit for Dispatch Circuits (CDC)”. This item reviews the <br />dispatch circuit facilities used to transmit alarms to fire department members. A “Dispatch <br />Circuit” is defined in NFPA 1221 as “A circuit over which an alarm is transmitted from the <br />communications center to an emergency response facility (ERF) or emergency response units <br />(ERUs) to notify ERUs to respond to an emergency”. All fire departments (except single fire <br />station departments with full-time firefighter personnel receiving alarms directly at the fire <br />station) need adequate means of notifying all firefighter personnel of the location of reported <br />structure fires. The dispatch circuit facilities should be in accordance with the general criteria <br />of NFPA 1221. “Alarms” are defined in this Standard as “A signal or message from a person <br />or device indicating the existence of an emergency or other situation that requires action by an <br />emergency response agency”. <br />There are two different levels of dispatch circuit facilities provided for in the Standard – a <br />primary dispatch circuit and a secondary dispatch circuit. In jurisdictions that receive 730 <br />alarms or more per year (average of two alarms per 24-hour period), two separate and <br />dedicated dispatch circuits, a primary and a secondary, are needed. In jurisdictions receiving <br />fewer than 730 alarms per year, a second dedicated dispatch circuit is not needed. Dispatch <br />circuit facilities installed but not used or tested (in accordance with the NFPA Standard) receive <br />no credit. <br />The score for Credit for Dispatch Circuits (CDC) is influenced by monitoring for integrity of the <br />primary dispatch circuit. There are up to 0.90 points available for this Item. Monitoring for <br />integrity involves installing automatic systems that will detect faults and failures and send visual <br />and audible indications to appropriate communications center (or dispatch center) personnel. <br />ISO uses NFPA 1221 to guide the evaluation of this item. ISO's evaluation also includes a <br />review of the communication system's emergency power supplies. <br />Item 432 “Credit for Dispatch Circuits (CDC)” = 2.85 points <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />