E-Comm Public Safety Radio Compliance in the Township of Langley
Public Safety Radio Building Amplification System Bylaw 2017 No. 5319
The Township of Langley’s Public Safety Radio Building Amplification System Bylaw 2017 No. 5319 sets requirements for in-building public safety radio coverage to support the Township’s public safety communications service provider, including E-Comm.
Fraser Valley RF Solutions helps builders, owners, and project teams achieve compliance through coverage verification, engineered design, commissioning, and acceptance/annual testing documentation.
Fraser Valley RF Solutions supports builders, owners, and project teams in the township of Langley with end-to-end E-Comm compliance services – from coverage verification and engineered design through commissioning and acceptance/annual testing documentation.
Key Dates & When the Township Requires Compliance
The Township published guidance indicating that building permit applications made after October 23, 2017 for certain new buildings and certain additions must demonstrate compliance with Bylaw No. 5319.
The bylaw received readings on October 23, 2017 and was reconsidered and adopted on November 6, 2017.
In addition to new construction, the bylaw is triggered by changes such as additions that increase gross floor area by more than 20% where adequate radio coverage is not supported.
Does This Bylaw Apply to My Building?
The bylaw includes exemptions, but they are conditional.
Common exemptions include:
Single-family detached or semi-detached residences
Wood-frame buildings that are not metal-clad
Buildings under 5,000 m² gross floor area
Buildings less than 12 metres in height
Buildings used for qualifying farm business/operations
Important: those exemptions do not apply if the building has:
more than 1,000 m² gross floor area below grade, or
floor space more than 10 metres below grade.
Township of Langley Requirements at a Glance
Coverage performance (DAQ 3.4)
“Adequate radio coverage” includes system access and Delivered Audio Quality (DAQ) of 3.4 or better, and coverage expectations include:
90% of each floor area (including underground parking),
100% in critical areas such as fire command centres, stairwells, protect-in-place areas, lobby refuge areas, equipment rooms, and high-hazard areas,
90% in “shadowed areas” where DAQ 3.4 could have been achieved before the building was erected/modified.
As a design aid, the bylaw notes a design target for indoor coverage of -85 dBm.
Frequencies and network protection
The supported radio frequency range is the set of frequencies used by the Township’s public safety communications service provider’s network; if amplifiers are used, they must include filters.
Where active amplification is required, coordination with the communications service provider is required so that outdoor system performance is not degraded.
System types allowed
Where required, systems may include passive antenna/radiating cable, DAS with uni/bi-directional amplifiers, voting receiver systems, or other systems acceptable to the Fire Chief.
Power, enclosures, and licensing
If any part of the system is electrically powered, it must operate on an independent UPS for at least four hours, with monitored alarm signals; amplifiers/electronics must be in NEMA Type 4 or higher enclosures.
A summary alarm must be hard-wired to the building fire panel, and the owner must notify the Fire Department of power/UPS failures within required timeframes.
Radio equipment must be selected from the ISED list and active systems must be licensed by ISED and comply with the applicable SRSP; licenses are renewed annually at the owner’s cost.
Acceptance Testing, Annual Testing & Documentation
Acceptance testing (after installation) is performed using frequencies assigned by the public safety communications service provider, with coordination involving the Fire Chief and Police.
Testing uses a grid approach (e.g., floor plate/shadowed areas broken into defined grid areas) and verifies DAQ 3.4 using portable radios and standardized test speech.
The bylaw sets pass/fail handling (including limits on failing grid areas and retest requirements), and requires corrective action if critical areas or overall coverage targets are not met.
Backup power testing is performed under full load, and the bylaw also specifies keeping amplifier gain measurement records using calibrated equipment.
Annual testing: owners test active components at least annually and keep records as part of the Fire Safety Plan; batteries/power supplies are tested under load for at least one hour.
The Township bulletin also indicates the system must be maintained and an annual testing report submitted to the Fire Department.
Qualified supervision: tests and measurements are performed by or under the direct supervision of a professional engineer registered in BC and qualified in radio communications, and test reports bear the engineer’s seal.
Permits and Final Inspection
The bylaw states that no permit shall be issued or final inspection approved until requirements are met to the satisfaction of the Building Official and Fire Chief.
The Township also notes that drawings for the system are required as part of the building permit application process for buildings subject to the bylaw.
How Fraser Valley RF Solutions Helps in the Township of Langley
We provide end-to-end E-Comm compliance services in the Township of Langley, including:
Coverage surveys and verification testing
iBwave design and engineered implementation plans
Installation support and quality review
Commissioning, optimization, and performance validation (including isolation and uplink-noise checks)
Acceptance testing and documentation packages suitable for engineering/AHJ review
Annual testing and ongoing compliance support
Full Text — Public Safety Radio Building Amplification System Bylaw 2017 No. 5319
Contains information licensed under the Open Government License – Township of Langley.
The Township of Langley’s published bylaw is the authoritative source; this reproduction is provided for convenience and does not imply endorsement.
THE CORPORATION OF THE TOWNSHIP OF LANGLEY PUBLIC SAFETY RADIO BUILDING AMPLIFICATION SYSTEM BYLAW 2017 NO. 5319 EXPLANATORY NOTE Bylaw 2017 No. 5319 requires that certain buildings and alterations, reconstructions and renovations of certain buildings, have radio amplification systems to support the uninterrupted operation of the Township's public safety communications service provider as experienced by its users, including but not limited to fire services and law enforcement personnel. This Bylaw is enforceable by Bylaw Offence Notices pursuant to the Township of Langley Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw 2008 No. 4703 as amended. ________________________________________ WHEREAS it is deemed necessary and desirable that certain buildings have radio support and amplification systems to ensure the Township's fire service, law enforcement and other emergency services radio communications networks provide public safety grade reliability essential to public safety and emergency response; AND WHEREAS certain buildings constructed of steel, reinforced concrete or reflective glass can cause radio signal penetration losses thereby degrading the quality of communications provided by emergency services radio communications networks; AND WHEREAS radio support and amplification systems within buildings can overcome the degradation of emergency communications and are vital to public safety, policing and emergency services; NOW THEREFORE, the Municipal Council of The Corporation of the Township of Langley, in Open Meeting Assembled, ENACTS AS FOLLOWS: 1. Citation This Bylaw may be cited for all purposes as "Public Safety Radio Building Amplification System Bylaw 2017 No. 5319". 2. Severability If a portion of this Bylaw is found invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, it will be severed and the remainder of the Bylaw will remain in effect. 3. Definitions For the purpose of this Bylaw, the following words have the following meanings: • (a) "Amplification System" means the in-building radio communications support and amplification systems described in Section 4 of this Bylaw; • (b) "building" means any structure used or intended for supporting or sheltering any use or occupancy; • (c) "Building Official" means the person appointed by the Township as the General Manager of Engineering & Community Development or such person's authorized delegate; • (d) "E-Comm" means Emergency Communications for Southwest British Columbia Incorporated; • (e) "Final Inspection" means the permission or authorization in writing by the Building Official to occupy a building; • (f) "gross floor area" means the sum of the area of each floor of a building including exterior walls; • (g) "Shadowed Area" means an area that suffers attenuation or obstruction of radio signals to or from the area as a result of the interposition of all or any part of the building. 4. Requirements to Provide a Radio Communications System Support Except as otherwise provided, no person shall erect, construct, change the use of or provide an addition of more than 20% to the gross floor area of any building which fails to support adequate radio coverage. Adequate radio coverage shall include: • Delivered Audio Quality (DAQ) of 3.4 or better. • Coverage for a minimum of 90% of the area of each floor. • Coverage for 100% of fire command centres, stairwells, and high-hazard areas. • The design target for indoor coverage should be -85 dBm. 5. Amplification Systems Allowed Where a building requires an Amplification System, such system shall include any of the following sufficient to achieve coverage: • (a) distributed antenna systems; • (b) passive antenna systems or radiating cable systems; • (c) voting receiver systems; • (d) any other system acceptable to the Fire Chief. 6. Power Supply and Maintenance Systems with electrically powered components must operate on an independent Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) for at least four hours without external power. The building owner must ensure the Fire Department is notified of any failure within two hours. 11. Exemptions This Bylaw shall not apply to: • (a) single-family detached or semi-detached residences; • (b) wood frame buildings that are not metal-clad; • (c) buildings with a gross floor area less than 5,000 square metres; • (d) buildings less than 12 metres in height. Note: These exemptions do not apply if the building has more than 1,000 metres gross floor area below grade or floor space more than 10 metres below grade. 18. Offences and Penalties Any person who violates this Bylaw is subject to a penalty of not less than $200 and not more than $5,000, or a term of imprisonment not exceeding thirty (30) days, or both. Each day a violation continues constitutes a separate offence. ________________________________________ ADOPTED the 06 day of November, 2017 .
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