ERRCS Annual Testing: What’s Required and How to Pass

What the code requires

CFC Section 510.6.1 requires ERCES testing annually and whenever structural changes occur, such as additions or remodels that could affect radio coverage. The test results go to the fire code official.¹

What an annual test covers

• Coverage test using the same grid method as acceptance testing, including critical areas.
• Signal booster gain verified against the values recorded at acceptance.
• Battery and power supply load test — at least one hour, extended if the batteries show signs of failure.
• Active component checks of amplifiers, fiber units, and monitoring connections to the fire alarm system.

Source: CFC 510.6.1.¹ Local standards often add items: Burbank adds quiescent noise, isolation, and leakage checks², and San Diego requires semiannual visual inspections in addition to the annual test.³

Who can perform the test

Requirements vary by jurisdiction. Common requirements are an FCC General Radiotelephone Operator License (GROL), NICET In-Building Public Safety Communications certification, and manufacturer training on the installed equipment. Burbank, for example, requires NICET IB-PSC Level 3 for the person certifying the report.²

Common reasons systems fail

• Tenant improvements that add walls, metal ceilings, or low-E glass and create new dead spots.
• Donor signal changes when the public safety network adds or moves sites, or rebands channels.
• Aged batteries that can no longer carry the load for the required duration.
• Oscillation or gain drift from damaged antennas, cable faults, or reduced isolation.
• Monitoring faults — trouble signals that no longer reach the fire alarm panel.

How to prepare

1. Keep the acceptance report, grid map, and as-builts — the annual test uses the same grid.
2. Record any construction since the last test.
3. Check battery install dates against the manufacturer’s service life.
4. Schedule the test ahead of the fire inspection so there’s time to correct failures.