LIRR Hillside Maintenance Complex Fire Alarm/Detection System

Project Description

The existing Fire Alarm/Detection System (FADS) within Long Island Railroad’s (LIRR) Hillside Maintenance Complex (HMC) no longer meets the latest usage and building code requirements. Therefore, the purpose of the project is to conduct an assessment of the existing FADS within all eleven buildings that comprise the HMC and provide 30% Design-Build documents for new and/or upgraded FADS across all buildings. LIRR identified six locations within Buildings 1, 2 and 3 of the HMC that represent a range of acoustics environments in which achieving audibility and speech intelligibility of the FADS sirens and announcements may prove difficult.

Pursuant to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 72-2019, the new FADS shall be designed to achieve a sound level at least 15 dB above the average ambient sound level or 5 dB above the maximum sound level having a duration of at least 60 seconds, whichever is greater. Therefore, PCA was responsible for documenting existing noise levels within the six pre-determined spaces to support the FADS design. Existing noise level measurements were performed in pre-determined acoustically distinguishable spaces (ADS). Measurement locations were strategically selected based on field observations of typical operations and equipment usage. Multiple measurement locations were deemed necessary in larger spaces with greater variability in operations to ensure maximum noise levels were documented. Both short-term spot measurements and long-term (one full week) measurements were performed, as some operations only occurred on an ‘as-needed’ basis and were therefore not always occurring when PCA staff were on site. Based on field observations, PCA documented existing noise levels in 33 additional locations within Buildings 1, 2, and 3 of the HMC that were outside of the six pre-determined ADS. Noise measurements were performed in these additional locations due to observed noisy environments.

PCA organized and graphed all noise measurement data, identified overall ADS noise levels based on multiple sites documented within each ADS, and determined average and maximum ambient noise levels for all ADS for modelers to evaluate appropriate locations for sirens and speakers for the new/upgraded FADS. A 30% Conceptual Design Report was prepared, summarizing the existing acoustic environment within the occupied buildings (Buildings 1, 2 and 3) of the HMC.