Washington · city · ERRCS / BDA requirements
ERRCS and BDA requirements in Seattle, Washington
In Seattle, every new high-rise needs emergency responder radio coverage, and so does every new building with 50,000 sq ft or more of total area, a basement of 10,000 sq ft or more, or occupied floors more than 30 feet below the lowest exit discharge, unless the building already meets the regional radio coverage standard. Smaller new buildings are exempt. Existing high-rises with neither a wired system nor approved coverage must be retrofitted.
Guidance, not engineering advice. Rules on this page come from the documents listed under Sources. Confirm with Seattle Fire Department, with Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI) for electrical permits before you design, permit or test a system.
Who must comply
State rules apply here too. See Washington statewide rules.
| Rule | Effect | Citation | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| New buildings smaller than the listed thresholds (not high-rise, under 50,000 sq ft total, no large basement or deep occupied floors) are exempt from Seattle Fire Code Section 510. | Not required | SFD CAM 5123, Section 1, item 3 | Seattle Fire Department |
| All new high-rise buildings need an emergency responder radio coverage system unless the owner shows the building meets PSERN minimum coverage standards. | Must meet | SFD CAM 5123, Section 1, item 1 | Seattle Fire Department |
| New buildings with 50,000 sq ft or more of total building area need a system unless the owner shows the building meets minimum radio coverage standards. | Must meet | SFD CAM 5123, Section 1, item 2 | Seattle Fire Department |
| New buildings with 10,000 sq ft or more of basement, or occupied floors more than 30 feet below the lowest level of exit discharge, need a system unless they meet minimum coverage standards. | AHJ may require | SFD CAM 5123, Section 1, item 2 | Seattle Fire Department |
| Existing high-rise buildings without a wired communication system or approved radio coverage must be retrofitted with one or the other. A wired fire department communication system may be provided instead of radio coverage. | Must meet | SFD CAM 5123, Section 1, item 4 (SFC 907.2.13.2 and 1103.2) | Seattle Fire Department |
| Trigger | Published value |
|---|---|
| Minimum building size | 50,000 sq ft |
| Minimum stories | Not published; confirm with the fire marshal |
| Height trigger | Not published; confirm with the fire marshal |
| Below-grade areas | True |
| Building types named | Not published; confirm with the fire marshal |
| Existing buildings must retrofit | Yes |
| Compliance deadline | Not published; confirm with the fire marshal |
Seattle's radio system operator is PSERN (Puget Sound Emergency Radio Network). Where only part of a building fails, coverage is needed only for the failing areas.
Signal and coverage
| Requirement | Value |
|---|---|
| Minimum downlink signal | Not published; confirm with the fire marshal |
| Minimum uplink signal | Not published; confirm with the fire marshal |
| Delivered audio quality (DAQ) | Not published; confirm with the fire marshal |
| Coverage, general areas | Not published; confirm with the fire marshal |
| Coverage, critical areas | 99% of floor area |
| Critical areas named | Critical areas marked on the test diagrams (99% coverage) |
| Public safety radio bands | PSERN regional public safety radio system |
CAM 5123 requires test diagrams that mark all critical areas where 99% coverage is required. The 2018 Seattle Fire Code text we read set 90% coverage for all areas, -95 dBm inbound, DAQ 3.0, a 12-hour standby supply, and channelized signal boosters unless PSERN authorizes broadband ones. That text is older than the current code, so we do not state those values as current; confirm with Seattle Fire.
Testing
| Test | What the source says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Acceptance test | The installer performs and certifies acceptance testing and enters commissioning results in The Compliance Engine at least 24 hours before the SFD inspection, with the grid diagrams and equipment diagrams. SDCI signs off the electrical permit, PSERN completes the rebroadcast agreement and uplink validation, and SFD inspectors then run talk-back tests in selected areas. | SFD CAM 5123, Seattle Fire Department Requirements |
| Annual test | Systems must be inspected and tested every year and after structural changes. The testing company uploads the annual report through SFD's vendor site within 7 calendar days of the test; reports of red-tagged or impaired systems are due by the end of the test day. | SFD CAM 5123, Section 3 (SFC 510.6) |
| Five-year test | Not published in the documents we read; confirm with the fire marshal. | None found |
| Coverage assessment interval | Not published in the documents we read; confirm with the fire marshal. | None found |
Maintenance and monitoring
- Any fault that reduces system function must send a supervisory signal to a supervisory service.
- Systems out of service for more than eight hours must be reported to the fire code official. Fire watch is not required for impaired BDA/DAS systems.
- Keep the electrical permit, equipment location diagram, floor grid diagrams, spec sheets and certification letter in the DAS cabinet for the life of the system.
Permit and inspection process
- Notify PSERN of the planned DAS and borrow test radios if needed. SFD CAM 5123, PSERN Requirements
- Get an SDCI over-the-counter electrical permit (subcategory Communications) for the BDA/DAS and backup power. SFD CAM 5123, Section 2
- After SDCI sign-off, complete PSERN uplink validation (book at least one week ahead) and the rebroadcast agreement. SFD CAM 5123, PSERN Requirements
- Upload commissioning results to The Compliance Engine and schedule the SFD inspection at least five working days ahead. SFD CAM 5123, Seattle Fire Department Requirements
SFD also checks Seattle Police Department channels during its test, so no separate SPD test is needed.
Codes and standards referenced
Notes
Applicability and testing come from CAM 5123 (November 2024). Signal values in the current Seattle Fire Code were not confirmed, so most are left blank.
Questions people ask
Does an existing Seattle high-rise need an ERRCS?
If it has neither a wired fire department communication system nor approved radio coverage, it must be retrofitted with one of them (SFD CAM 5123, Section 1, item 4).
When are Seattle annual BDA/DAS test reports due?
Within 7 calendar days of the test, uploaded by the testing company. Impaired or red-tagged systems must be reported by the end of the test day (SFD CAM 5123, Section 3).
Sources
Primary documents we read for this page. Rules change; confirm with your fire marshal (AHJ).
- Client Assistance Memo 5123, Emergency Responder/Public Safety Radio Amplification Systems Using PSERN (updated November 2024), Seattle Fire Department
- 2018 Seattle Fire Code, Section 510, Emergency Responder Radio Coverage (as approved by the Seattle Fire Marshal and Fire Code Advisory Board), Seattle Fire Department
- Systems Testing (BDA/DAS emergency radio communications, impaired systems), Seattle Fire Department