Which statement best describes alarms in NFPA 20 systems?

• A. On-site audible/visual alarms with remote monitoring or notification to designated personnel
• B. To document noise levels
• C. To calibrate sensors
• D. To log maintenance tasks

Answer: (A)

Alarms in NFPA 20 are meant to promptly notify people about the fire pump’s status and any faults, so actions can be taken quickly. The standard requires on-site audible and visual alarm signals at the pump controller to indicate running, stops, faults, and other status changes, and it also calls for remote monitoring or notification to designated personnel when abnormal conditions occur. This combination ensures that responders both nearby and who are responsible for the system are alerted, improving response times and system readiness.

The other options describe activities that aren’t the primary purpose of alarms: documenting noise levels is about testing or compliance, calibrating sensors is a maintenance task, and logging maintenance tasks is recordkeeping. All of those support operation in other ways but not the immediate signaling and notification function that alarms provide.