NYC ARCS Field Guide for General and Electrical Contractors: Planning, Coordination, Installation, Testing and FDNY Approval

By Krystian Terepka

ARCS work touches design, electrical, fire alarm, emergency power, life safety, testing, and building closeout. When coordination begins too late, the result can be inaccessible pathways, unapproved field changes, failed testing, and delayed FDNY acceptance.

The NYC ARCS Field Guide for General and Electrical Contractors explains the project lifecycle in clear, practical language. It is written for general contractors, electrical contractors, project managers, superintendents, foremen, owners, and teams responsible for getting an ARCS project from preconstruction through final acceptance. Inside the guide, readers will find:
- A complete project sequence and responsibility breakdown
- Preconstruction, drawing-review, installation, and concealment checklists
- Plain-language guidance on two-hour cable survivability
- Coordination guidance for power, batteries, generators, fire alarm interfaces, consoles, cabinets, antennas, and RF pathways
- CTR testing and FDNY acceptance-test preparation
- Defect tracking, closeout, annual certification, and five-year recertification planning
- Twenty-two reusable field logs, checklists, and forms Built for the field and organized around the actual project lifecycle, this independent guide helps construction teams ask better questions, document decisions, protect required access, and reduce preventable closeout problems.

This is an independent practical guide. It is not issued, approved, or endorsed by FDNY or any government agency and does not replace approved drawings, current codes, professional design responsibility, product listings, or project-specific agency direction.

About the Author
An Electrifying Blend of Technical Experience and Earthly Commitment

Krystian Terepka has more than 13 years of experience in the electrical industry, with a focus on low-voltage life-safety systems, including fire alarm and Auxiliary Radio Communication System work. His field experience includes installation planning, trade coordination, testing readiness, defect resolution, documentation, and project closeout. He is especially interested in translating complex requirements into practical steps that general contractors, electrical contractors, foremen, and project teams can use in the field.

Krystian believes that technical knowledge is most valuable when it can be clearly explained and practically applied. That belief led him to write the ABC Electrician Edition, a children's book created to introduce young readers to the electrical trade in an educational and engaging way.

He is also the author of the Poultry Flock, Coop & Tractor Daily Log Book, a practical record-keeping tool designed to help poultry owners, homesteaders, and small farmers document daily flock care, feed and water use, bedding changes, ammonia levels, health observations, and other important coop or tractor information.
Krystian's commitment to education and accountability extends beyond the electrical industry. In 2022, he and his family established 11 Kettle Farm, where he became actively involved in organic farming, poultry management, sustainable agriculture, and practical farm recordkeeping.

His work reflects an uncommon combination of technical experience, field leadership, education, farming, and environmental responsibility. Whether coordinating life-safety systems, developing practical field guides, introducing children to the electrical trade, or creating recordkeeping tools for farmers, Krystian's goal is the same: to make complicated work easier to understand, safer to perform, and more accountable.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0HC5D2FH7
• ISBN13: 9798189823794
• Release Date: July 2026
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 86 Pages
• Weight: 0.66 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 8.5" x 11.0"