SynAudCon ECS Speech Intelligibility Workshop

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by John Murray

It is estimated that the Emergency Communications Systems (ECS) market, including Fire Emergency Voice/Alarm Communications Systems (Fire EVACS) and Mass Notifications Systems (MNS), will grow to a 5 billion-dollar business by 2016. Historically, this type of business was strictly controlled by the fire-alarm/security industry.

However, in 2010 the new fire code, NFPA-72, Chapter 24 now requires Fire EVACS and MNS systems to produce intelligible announcements not just audible annunciation.  And this new version of the code is being adopted faster than any version in the history of the NFPA.

The bulk of this business will be going to companies

  • that understand this new code
  • understand what the Speech Transmission Index (STI) is
  • how to measure it
  • how to design sound systems that will produce good STI results.

These companies will be a mix of FA/S contractors that hire employees with the STI skills, A/V integrators that already do FA/S systems, A/V integrators that add FA/S departments, and some joint projects involving both FA/S and A/V contractors working together.

If you, or your company want to be part of the biggest opportunity in audio contracting in decades, you need to make sure your skill set includes a strong background in both the FA code and in designing and measuring sound systems with good STI results.

This will be the focus of the SynAudCon ECS Speech Intelligibility Workshop. Be there or be left behind.

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