Per NEC®, the 120-volt circuit supplying power to a fire alarm system must be ___.

Per NEC®, the 120-volt circuit supplying power to a fire alarm system must be ___.

• A. GFCI Protected
• B. Dedicated
• C. Arc Fault Protected
• D. Installed with an Isolated Ground

Answer: (B)

Focusing on reliability for life-safety equipment, the circuit supplying a fire alarm system must be dedicated. A dedicated circuit means it serves only the fire alarm system and not other loads, ensuring the alarm has consistent power, avoids voltage drops or nuisance trips from other devices, and makes faults and maintenance easier to isolate. While GFCI, arc-fault, or isolated-ground protections have their places in other installations, they are not required specifically for the normal 120-volt feed to a fire alarm circuit. The important requirement is that the power source is devoted exclusively to the fire alarm system.

Focusing on reliability for life-safety equipment, the circuit supplying a fire alarm system must be dedicated. A dedicated circuit means it serves only the fire alarm system and not other loads, ensuring the alarm has consistent power, avoids voltage drops or nuisance trips from other devices, and makes faults and maintenance easier to isolate. While GFCI, arc-fault, or isolated-ground protections have their places in other installations, they are not required specifically for the normal 120-volt feed to a fire alarm circuit. The important requirement is that the power source is devoted exclusively to the fire alarm system.