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Life Safety Point

A Life Safety Point object represents one fire or safety initiating or indicating device, such as a smoke detector, a pull station, a horn or a sprinkler flow switch. It reports a life-safety state and supports silencing and reset operations, so a safety panel can be monitored over BACnet.

  • Report a smoke detector in alarm
  • Show a pull station as tripped
  • Expose the state of a sounder or strobe
  • Flag a detector that needs maintenance
Property What it holds
Present_Value The point’s life-safety state, such as quiet, pre-alarm, alarm or fault. It may stay latched until reset.
Mode The operating mode of the point, for example on, off or test. Accepted_Modes lists the modes it allows.
Silenced Whether the audible and visible signals are silenced.
Operation_Expected The next operation the point expects, such as reset or silence.
Alarm_Values The states that put the point in off-normal.
Life_Safety_Alarm_Values The states that put the point in the life-safety-alarm state.

The point is not commandable; clients change it through the LifeSafetyOperation service and by writing Mode. Where it reports events itself, the standard pairs it with the CHANGE_OF_LIFE_SAFETY algorithm, which moves the point to off-normal or life-safety-alarm depending on Present_Value and Mode. A fault algorithm can set Reliability from Fault_Values.

Enable it with the STACK_OPTION_OBJECT_TYPE_LIFE_SAFETY_POINT build option and add each object with BACnetStack_AddObject. Serve Present_Value with the callback you register with BACnetStack_RegisterCallbackGetPropertyEnumerated and the BACnetStack_RegisterCallbackSetPropertyEnumerated callback, and Object_Name with the BACnetStack_RegisterCallbackGetPropertyCharacterString callback. Handle silence and reset requests with BACnetStack_RegisterCallbackLifeSafetyOperation. Arm alarms with BACnetStack_SetAlarmsAndEventsForObjectEnabled, then BACnetStack_SetIntrinsicChangeOfLifeSafetyAlgorithm, and add BACnetStack_SetFaultLifeSafetyAlgorithm for fault values.

Life Safety Zone, Notification Class, Binary Input

The properties ASHRAE 135-2024 clause 12.15 defines for this object type.

How to read the table:

  • Conformance is what the standard asks of every object of this type: R is required, W is required and writable by a client, O is optional. A digit after the letter marks a condition in the standard that decides when the property is present or writable, such as support for intrinsic reporting.
  • Present by default: yes means the stack presents the property as soon as you add the object; no means it is optional and you turn it on with BACnetStack_SetPropertyEnabled. This is the stack’s starting setup, so it can differ from the conformance code.
  • Writable is whether a client can write the property by default. Change it with BACnetStack_SetPropertyWritable.
  • not in profile means the stack does not offer this property for this object type.
  • Value when your callback does not answer: “Held by the stack” means the stack stores and serves the value itself and does not ask your callbacks. Otherwise it is the value the stack answers when your callback declines or is not registered.
Property Datatype Conformance Present by default Writable Value when your callback does not answer
Object_Identifier BACnetObjectIdentifier R yes no Held by the stack.
Object_Name CharacterString R yes no "Object <type>,<instance>", such as "Object 0,1" for Analog Input 1.
Object_Type BACnetObjectType R yes no Held by the stack.
Present_Value BACnetLifeSafetyState R yes no No default: value-not-initialized.
Tracking_Value BACnetLifeSafetyState R1 yes no (yes while Out_Of_Service is true) 0
Description CharacterString O no no ""
Device_Type CharacterString O no no ""
Status_Flags BACnetStatusFlags R yes no Built by the stack from your callbacks.
Event_State BACnetEventState R yes no 0
Reliability BACnetReliability R1 yes no (yes while Out_Of_Service is true) 0
Out_Of_Service Boolean R yes no false
Mode BACnetLifeSafetyMode W yes yes 0
Accepted_Modes BACnetLIST of BACnetLifeSafetyMode R yes no 0
Time_Delay Unsigned O2,5 no no 0
Notification_Class Unsigned O2,5 no no 0
Life_Safety_Alarm_Values BACnetLIST of BACnetLifeSafetyState O2,5 no no 0
Alarm_Values BACnetLIST of BACnetLifeSafetyState O2,5 no no 0
Fault_Values BACnetLIST of BACnetLifeSafetyState O no no 0
Event_Enable BACnetEventTransitionBits O2,5 no no An empty bit string.
Acked_Transitions BACnetEventTransitionBits O2,5 no no An empty bit string.
Notify_Type BACnetNotifyType O2,5 no no 0
Event_Time_Stamps BACnetARRAY[3] of BACnetTimeStamp O2,5 no no No default: the read fails.
Event_Message_Texts BACnetARRAY[3] of CharacterString O5 no no ""
Event_Message_Texts_Config BACnetARRAY[3] of CharacterString O5 no no ""
Event_Detection_Enable Boolean O2,5 no no false
Event_Algorithm_Inhibit_Ref BACnetObjectPropertyReference O5 no no No default: the read fails.
Event_Algorithm_Inhibit Boolean O5,6 no no false
Time_Delay_Normal Unsigned O5 no no 0
Reliability_Evaluation_Inhibit Boolean O no no false
Silenced BACnetSilencedState R yes no 0
Operation_Expected BACnetLifeSafetyOperation R yes no 0
Maintenance_Required BACnetMaintenance O no no 0
Setting Unsigned8 O no no 0
Direct_Reading Real O3 no no 0.0
Units BACnetEngineeringUnits O3 no no 95 (no units)
Member_Of BACnetLIST of BACnetDeviceObjectReference O no no No default: the read fails.
Floor_Number Unsigned8 O no no 0
Property_List BACnetARRAY[N] of BACnetPropertyIdentifier R yes no Held by the stack.
Value_Source BACnetValueSource O7,8,9 no no No default: the read fails.
Audit_Level BACnetAuditLevel O10 not in profile not in profile No default: the read fails.
Auditable_Operations BACnetAuditOperationFlags O10 not in profile not in profile No default: the read fails.
Tags BACnetARRAY[N] of BACnetNameValue O no no No default: the read fails.
Profile_Location CharacterString O no no ""
Profile_Name CharacterString O no no ""