In the United States, smaller conductors are measured using the American Wire Gauge (AWG). With the gauge system, the higher the number is, the smaller the cable will be. For larger wires, circular mils are used. MCM sizes, also called kcmils (kilo-circular mils), are for even larger cables. One MCM......

UL stands for “Underwriter‘s Laboratory” and is an independent US testing organisation, similar to the German VDE. Based on the the National Electrical Code (NEC, also referred to as NFPA 79) – the safety standard prevalent in the USA for electrical installations – the Underwriter’s Laboratory defin......

Verband der Elektrotechnik, Elektronik und Informationstechnik – more commonly known as VDE – is the Association for Electrical, Electronic and Information Technologies and their related sciences, technologies and applications.

Under no circumstances should cable and wire act as fuses enabling a fire to spread. They must not act as fuel for a fire, and should not release any dangerous substances. That is exactly what happens with materials whose flame retardation is based on halogens – i.e. fluorine, chlorine, bromine or i......

Fire alarm cables are placed into three broad categories: plenum, non-plenum, and riser. Each of these corresponds to another standardized category. Plenum cable, to be used in ducts or other enclosed air spaces, is called FPLP; non-plenum cable, to be used in applications such as surface wiring, is......

There are many safety precautions like voltage, abrasion resistance, chemical resistance, etc., that should be considered in choosing any kind of electrical cable, including that for fire alarms. However, there are some notable fire-related safety precautions to consider as well.