New updates for the CVS/pharmacy on Newburgh in Livonia; the stockroom inside the CVS has a ceiling-mount SpectrAlert Advance horn/strobe; the BG-12 pull stations are branded by Fire-Lite, and there is a Fire0Lie LCD-80F annunciator at the main entrance.
Well, there’s yet ANOTHER fire alarm update in my city, and it’s not a good one (depending on your point of view.) South Middle School’s Simplex 4100U voice-evacuation fire alarm system is getting the axe this week! Turns out, the public school system is fed up with Simplex, and no longer uses them. They are already halfway through upgrading the school. The system is going to be a Notifier of some kind; they already replaced several of the 4099-9003 T-bar pulls with Notifier BG-12 pulls (they kept the Sigcom covers over them though,) and they also replaced several of the TrueAlarm smoke detectors with Notifier smoke detectors of some sort. I imagine it will be another Notifier NFS-3030 system. Hopefully it’ll be voice-evac too (I heard from somewhere they might just switch to using horn/strobes instead!)
The reason for this sudden upgrade is because despite this system being only roughly eight years old, the 4100U is now full of bugs and glitches. Rather than try to fix it or replace it with a 4100ES or something, they’re just dumping Simplex altogether. But at least they’re not replacing it with some cheap Siemens system! (Siemens is actually garbage compared to Notifier, IMHO.)
Personally, I am sad to see this Simplex system go, but it does seem for the better, even if the new system is Notifier. Oh well, at least there’s still plenty of other places here in Brockton still satisfied with Simplex that aren’t schools (such as the previously mentioned YMCA Youth Center and their new Simplex 4006 panel!) Plus I can’t get any parts from this upgrade, as the service company is keeping them to save as spare parts (except the panel, which will probably be scrapped.) Guess I’ll have to resort to eBay for buying a TrueAlert speaker/strobe…
I prefer Siemens over Notifier, and the techs usually agree, saying Notifier systems are not very user-friendly. Of course neither are Siemens systems, but they’re more managable than Notifier.
Yeah I also like Siemens better than Notifier. I have been around some pretty interesting Siemens systems. Simplex is still my favorite though.
There may be local codes that mandate voice evac for buildings of a certain size/occupancy.
As long as a fire alarm system does it’s job, it’s not garbage. I am not a huge Siemens fan myself, but their systems are just as robust and capable as Notifier. They ain’t cheap either. Because of their proprietary model, you could end up paying a Siemens dealer as much as Simplex when it comes to replacement parts and service calls.
Wow, August must be fire alarm update/service month in my area! Now my therapist’s office in Canton, MA got a new fire alarm panel! Previously they had some Kidde panel, but now they have a Silent Knight IFP-100 panel. A new System Sensor 2251 smoke detector (probably an addressable Silent Knight version) was installed right near the panel. Everything else is the same (signals are Wheelock MT-LSMs and one NS, pulls are Edwards 270-SPOs, and the smokes are a mix of System Sensor and ESL.)
Interesting how Siemens seems proprietary these days, yet when I see their new systems installed in my area they look like cheaper minor-brand systems (usually if they use Wheelock ZNS horn/strobes and the metal RSG T-bars.)
With Notifier, sure I do get rather tired of seeing their stuff everywhere (ESPECIALLY in restaurants or stores), but to me they seem better to work with than Siemens. Besides, they’re doing a similar switchover at Massasoit College, except it’s from Faraday to Notifier (though they also did remove their Simplex 4020 system in the Administration building.)
I guess from what I read, SimplexGrinnell must be like the fire alarm industry equivalent to Apple Computer Inc. Good solid products, not-so-great service and extremely expensive pricing! Going from SimplexGrinnell to Notifier would be like switching from a Mac to a Dell or HP PC running Ubuntu or some other popular Linux OS (note I deliberately avoided Windows; that’d be for the minor companies!)
Wow, they’re really taking their time with upgrading South Middle School’s fire alarm system. The 4100U panel is still there but deactivated; so is the annunciator. So currently the building has NO active fire alarm system. I did see a rather large vertical shipping box near it; I suppose that’s the new Notifier panel, ready to be installed. Additionally, the TrueAlert speaker/strobes are still intact, and I could also see a remote TrueAlert strobe through a window. All of the initiating devices have been replaced now though; the Simplex addressable T-bars with Notifier NBG-12s (they kept the Sigcom covers over them), and the TrueAlarm smokes and heats with new Notifier smoke detectors (even in the kitchen where they only had heat sensors!) It has now been two weeks since I initially saw them doing the fire alarm replacement.
I’m still not sure yet if the system will be horn/strobes or voice-evac. We still have several schools roughly the same size that still use horns.
Additionally, I am buying a TrueAlert speaker/strobe off eBay to remember this system by! 
UPDATE: Turns out, South Middle School’s new Notifier system WILL be voice-evac! I was glad to hear that. Plus, the technician and school principal there said that they need to go with voice-evac due to the size of the auditorium and the gymnasium. I got some neat work-in-progress pics too (the principal was cool with that.)
Here’s the panel. It is a Notifier ONYX NFS2-640. It’s sort of like a lower-featured version of the NFS2-3030. It isn’t completely assembled or turned on yet (the new panel only came in last week!)
Close-up of the LCD console. Unlike the Notifier systems at Massasoit College, the Ashfield, West Middle or Gilmore schools, this one has a larger LCD. Must be Notifier’s equivalent to the Simplex 4100U/ES InfoALARM display.
A box of remote alarm/RTU indicators waiting to be installed. They’re also putting up a few of these at Massasoit College’s Science building.
The new Notifier annunciator, replacing the old Simplex annunciator. I’ve never seen one like this before. The other schools with Notifier voice-evac systems don’t have annunciators.
One of the new Notifier NBG-12LX pull stations. Note that they kept the Sigcom covers from the old Simplex system.
NBG-12LX pull in the main office with no cover. I do think at least the BG-12s should say “FIRE ALARM” on top instead of just “FIRE.”
Remote alarm indicator above a closet. There used to be a Simplex 2098-9808 remote alarm indicator here.
Notifier FSP-851 smoke detector. I see these in nearly every Notifier system; even the Student Center at Massasoit Community College has these for elevator recall!
Strangely enough, the TrueAlert speaker/strobes are STILL intact! I asked about that, and the technician said they are going to try and reuse them. I warned that could be difficult, as Simplex signals would not work that well on a Notifier system, and they have that SmartSync protocol. (I DID show him the Wheelock ET70WP speaker/strobes in the locker room, and he was glad to see those.) If they can’t use the TrueAlert speaker/strobes, and they don’t want to have to go and install new speaker/strobes (he was hoping they wouldn’t need to do that), I think they could just install remote strobes everywhere and have the alarm tone and message sound over the intercom, tied into the Notifier panel! It’d be just as good.
So far, pretty interesting stuff, even if the system is no longer Simplex.
Very cool. I don’t think it’d be hard to get them to work on the Notifier system, all they need are SCMs or sync cubes. IDK if by “they have the protocol” they mean it will work when hooked directly to the panel or they have the devices that will make them work, but so long as it does. It’ll be weird hearing a Notifier EVAC sequence played over Simplex signals.
Isn’t the Notifier Slow Whoop and message the same as the Fire-Lite one, or identical?
It’s the same, but not identical.
Well, it’s update time again!
South Middle School’s new fire alarm system’s all done! You can see that the Notifier NFS2-640 panel has been turned on and is now active.
Look at the fancy font for the school on the LCD!
They also managed to get the TrueAlert speaker/strobes working on it!
And speaking of Notifier, here’s some more updates from Massasoit Community College…
I found THIS still intact in the Fine Arts building’s radio production room! I already knew there was a Simplex 4051+4050-80 in there, but I didn’t think it was still there! I guess the techs missed it; I actually thought there would be a SpectrAlert Advance horn/strobe there or something. The rest of the system hasn’t been changed yet…
But now for the big news: the Science and Technology buildings are both getting full-blown upgrades! Both will share one Notifier NFS2-640 panel, located in the Science building (rebranded by Johnson Controls as an IFC2-640.) The Science building’s Faraday FireWatch II panel is now gone, and the one in the Technology building is being gutted.
The new pull stations are NBG-12LXs rebranded by Johnson Controls. I was glad to see these installed, as I personally like these a lot better than those Faraday pulls. And yes, they ARE addressable! (This one was opened from it being recently installed, but remember, opening a BG-12 would NOT cause an alarm!)
They now have these Notifier/JC 2151T smoke detectors, also addressable.
Here’s a picture of an NBG-12LX being installed in the Technology building. The tech liked those ADA-extension adapters! I think the BG-12s look pretty good on them, actually.
As for signals, the Space Age VA4 horn/strobes are still intact, but the system now does Code-3! (I didn’t hear it, but I was told the new system is now in Temporal Code instead of Continuous.) They also plan to put remote strobes in the restrooms and any big lecture/conference rooms (they’ll probably use Wheelock RSSs or SpectrAlert Advance remote strobes.) Additionally, they’re getting new outdoor signals…
They both had these old Standard Electric Time bells outside. I had the feeling these bells were used for the fire alarm, and this proves it. But they’re on their way out; the Science building already had theirs replaced…
…with a WHEELOCK ASWP HORN/STROBE! I guess it was new-old-stock or something. MASSASOIT COLLEGE FINALLY HAS A WHEELOCK NOTIFICATION APPLIANCE! Note the sideways “FIRE” lettering; I guess Wheelock didn’t make a ceiling-mount weatherproof version, so they had to go with this. I’m sure this would sync well with the VA4s.
Pretty cool stuff!
Actually, they DO make ceiling-mount versions. As for the syncing, IDK because the ASWP is 2-wire and I would think the VA4s are 4-wire. Considering the VA4s are coded, they’d probably have to get fancy with the wiring to make it work correctly (either put them on their own circuit or pending whether or not the strobes are programmed for on until reset, they could just wire the ASs to the strobe circuit).
This is the notifier slow whoop.
That sounds just like the Fire-Lite whoop.
I was at Northville Township’s Barnes & Noble today, and actually got to hear a Detex door alarm go off (set off by accident)! It sounds in a “hyperyelp” setting. Also, outside, next to one of the fire exits, is a 6" fire bell.
Earlier this year, one of the Simplex 4251-30 pull stations at the Raymond K-8 school had the glass broken, probably by some vandal. THEN, after the spring break, they removed the glass mechanism from it altogether, converting it to a single-action pull. Today when I stopped by there to see a few teachers, I was surprised to see THIS:
They went and installed a Stopper II cover over this pull station, and WITH the sounder! Interestingly, none of the other pulls so far have Stopper covers over them, even though there’s another 4251-30 like this outside the speech classroom and guidance offices. I guess they needed some way to protect the pull, since it no longer had the break-glass feature, and because this is right outside the junior high classroom pod, where kids that age may be more likely to cause false fire alarms.
The iParty store in Avon, MA had a fire alarm upgrade very recently. Previously, it had an FCI FC-72 system with Space Age VA4 horn/strobes and FCI MS-2 pull stations. When I arrived there today, the FCI panel was gone and was replaced with a new Fire-Lite MS-9200UDLS system. All the alarms are now SpectrAlert Advance horn/strobes. The FCI pulls were kept.
Interestingly, before the upgrade, all the VA4s were wall-mounted. But now there is only one wall-mount SpectrAlert Advance, located at the front entrance in the place of a VA4. The rest of the store has ceiling-mount SpectrAlert Advances, and the areas were the other VA4s were are now just empty exposed backboxes!
Another update from Stevenson; today, I attended my first after-school club, and in the classroom I was staying in, there was a unique door lock on a door in a corner of the room; it is manufactured by Best Electric Lock Company (currently Best Access Systems) and is known as the model “B”. Apparently, this door lock is used in case of emergencies; there is a “STRIKE” mechanism that you push to break some glass mounted in the back, and it opens the door and also sets of a silver, 4" bell that is part of the lock. The glass was already broken the first time I saw it, and it looks to be very old.
So, does anybody else know a door lock similar to this?