Since the use of colored strobes has come up in some discussions (on Discord at least, if not here as well), I decided to come up with something resembling a “standard color code” for notification strobes, as well as manual initiating devices.
| Color | Memory Aid | Response | Condition | Associated Tone/Code if voice is not in use (Note 6) | Bezel Labels (Note 3) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clear | “CLEAR THE AREA!” | Evacuation from the space/room or building | Fire or Smoke, Carbon Monoxide, Gas Leak (flammable, toxic, or asphyxiant, Note 2), Agent Discharge, Sprinkler Waterflow (exterior strobes only), General Life Safety Notification (Note 1) | Temporal 3 (fire/smoke), Temporal 4 (Carbon Monoxide), March Time/Pulsed (Gas Leak), Continuous (Agent Discharge or Sprinkler Waterflow) | unlabeled (Note 1), FIRE (or a fire symbol), AGENT (for agent discharge), WATERFLOW (for exterior sprinkler waterflow strobes), or a bezel specific to the hazard (for local alarms) |
| Amber | “be Alert!” or “Air Raid!” | Seek Further Information (MNS/ECS), Private Mode Notification (where Private Mode is available), or Take Shelter (Note 5) | General Mass Notification, Severe Weather or Move to Shelter (Note 5) | Chime (Note 4) or Swept Siren (Note 5) | ALERT or EMERGENCY (for MNS/ECS strobes), EMERGENCY (if used without MNS/ECS) |
| Blue | “Burglar!” | As appropriate for the situation | Burglary or Intrusion Visual Notification, General Security Emergency, Lockdown | Continuous (bell/horn/burglar siren) or other appropriate tone for burglary/intrusion (Note 7), with bell cutoff. Silent strobe otherwise. | unlabeled or EMERGENCY for general security service, LOCKDOWN for lockdown notification |
| Green | “something Good for a change”, “Go get it!” | As appropriate to the notification | Doorbell or other non-emergency condition | Chime or Buzzer | unlabeled, DOOR if used for a doorbell (Note 9) |
| Red | “Stop, Responders Needed!” | Notify trained response personnel; if no response personnel are available, contact emergency services; DO NOT ENTER THE SPACE YOURSELF | Life safety emergency to be responded to by patrolling responders or requiring notification of emergency services (Note 8) | Silent strobe | unlabeled, STOP, or EMERGENCY |
Table 1: Strobes and Notification Appliances.
Table 1 Notes:
- Unlabeled appliances must be used whenever a clear strobe is used for all MNS/voice alerts, or when a single strobe is used for fire and non-fire life safety conditions (such as gas or CO)
- Local alarms for gas leakage (such as refrigerant alarms) must only use clear strobes within the space intended to be evacuated
- Labels may be translated into any appropriate language (such as FEU or FUEGO for fire strobes)
- This tone must only be used if a specific alert message is being delivered through non-voice means, such as textual appliances or personal devices, or if the alert is only intended for personnel specifically trained in its meaning (private mode notification)
- This strobe and tone combination must only be used where appropriate training for building occupants is in place, and must not be used in public spaces or where it may be confused with a burglary siren.
- Codes specified without a tone may be used with any appropriate tone, such as narrowband horns, low frequency horns, fire bells, or burglary sirens.
- Burglary tones must be distinct from all other tones used in a system. The use of multiple tones in sequence is permitted.
- Red strobes must be used when the intent is to notify outside parties of a life safety emergency in a localized area. An example of this is a refrigerant leak alarm strobe outside a machinery room.
- Green strobe appliances must have a white body
| Body Color | Intended System Response | Labeling (Note 5) |
|---|---|---|
| Red | Fire Alarm, Agent Release (Note 2) | FIRE or a fire symbol, AGENT or AGENT RELEASE for releasing applications |
| Yellow | Emergency Stop, Shutdown, or Power Off; Evacuation, Hazardous Materials, Gas Leak, or Emergency (Note 3) | SHUTDOWN (Note 1), EMERGENCY STOP (E-STOP), EMERGENCY POWER OFF (EPO), or unlabeled (Note 4); EVACUATION (EVAC), HAZMAT, GAS, or EMERGENCY where used for evacuation alarms |
| Blue | Security, Police, Lockdown, Medical, or General Emergency/Person Down | SECURITY, POLICE, or LOCKDOWN for security applications, MEDICAL, EMERGENCY, or PERSON DOWN for medical or general emergencies |
| White | Agent Release | AGENT, PREACTION, DELUGE, or AGENT RELEASE |
| Orange | Evacuation, Hazardous Materials, Gas Leak, Smoke Removal | EVACUATION, EMERGENCY, HAZMAT, SMOKE VENT, SMOKE REMOVAL, or GAS |
| Green | Exit Door Release (Emergency Request to Exit) | EXIT, EMERGENCY EXIT, DOOR RELEASE, or an exit symbol |
| Metal (wallplate) with red button | Suppression Abort | ABORT |
| Metal (wallplate) with green button | Exit Door Release | EXIT, REQUEST TO EXIT, DOOR RELEASE, or an exit symbol |
Table 2: Manual Initiating Devices (pulls, buttons, callpoints)
Notes for Table 2:
- SHUTDOWN may be preceded by the name of the system being shut down (such as HVAC, CHILLER, GENERATOR, or PROCESS), and must be preceded by the name of the system being shut down if multiple shutdown devices are present
- Red agent release devices must not be used where manual fire alarm initiating devices are present in the space protected by the fire suppression system
- Yellow devices must only be used for evacuation or leak alarm initiation where the initiating devices used cannot be confused with emergency stop switches
- Unlabeled emergency stop/shutdown devices must not be used where it is unclear what process or function would be stopped by the device
- Labels may be translated into any appropriate language
Does anyone have other color-code suggestions for either strobes or initiating devices they’d like to add, or obvious applications I’m missing with this list?