scope:

The fire hazard risk assessment criteria defined in this standard are considered applicable to frame and cabinet-mounted equipment intended to be installed in environmentally controlled telecommunications network facilities. Examples of such locations are Central Offices, Controlled Environmental Vaults, and aboveground Huts.

This standard does not apply to auxiliary monitoring equipment such as oscilloscopes, personal computers, portable test equipment, etc., which are not integral to the equipment.

It also does not apply to network equipment that is designed to be solely utilized in an outside plant cabinet/enclosure, or equipment intended to be located solely at a customer premises location.

Smoke, contamination, or other byproducts of combustion data for assessing the fire hazard of equipment is considered outside the scope of this standard

Purpose

The purpose of this American National Standard is to provide fire propagation hazard risk assessment criteria for equipment assemblies used in telecommunications network equipment environments.

Application

This standard is intended for equipment installed in telecommunications network facilities. The hazard assessment criteria provided by this standard may be used as one of the elements of a fire hazard risk assessment for a telecommunications facility, and spaces with similar functions.

The results of standardized fire propagation testing or constructional evaluation may be used as elements of a fire propagation hazard analysis or risk assessment. Such an analysis should consider all of the factors pertinent to assessing the fire hazard within a telecommunications network facility, and spaces with similar functions.

However, the results of evaluating telecommunications equipment in compliance with this standard does not, unto itself, eliminate the potential risk of a fire hazard in a telecommunications network facility and in spaces with similar functions.