Central station service is held to a higher standard than other types of fire alarm systems. The unique requirements in NFPA 72 provide seven important advantages over other types of fire alarm systems:
Requires a listing, which means that an independent third party is responsible for verifying, by its willingness to "list" the service, that it is being periodically reviewed for conformance to a published set of requirements. Typically, UL and Factory Mutual Global (FM) provide the listing service, and the continued scrutiny that goes with the listing. Provides a very tight control over the way the central station provides service.
Requires very conspicuous indication that the system is code-compliant. Requires automatic recording of the signals received from the protected premises. Very clearly states the requirements for exactly how a signal is handled once it is received. Clearly states the manner in which the central station can use the different transmission technologies to receive signals. Requires that very tight control of the testing and maintenance of the system is maintained.

NOTE: This is an unformatted excerpt from our online fire protection training library.