If that’s what she means, no, I don’t. I commute.
when should classes let out
Classes have been out for like 2 months now. There are summer sessions going on, and I’m taking a class as we speak. So far, the only drill I’ve seen was the one listed above. Most of them were conducted during the first week of summer sessions, and unfortunately, I was having my wisdom teeth removed then, so I missed a lot of 'em.
when should you some more pics for type 3
IDK. The soonest would be when my physics class lets out, and even after that my time is limited because New York Giants have their training camp at UAlbany and they use the SEFCU Arena (where Type 3 is) so during that time (which lasts for about a month), we’re not allowed into the arena. IDK when they’ll corner off the arena, but at the least, I’ll be able to get a couple of days of chances to take pics. The system isn’t much really, because it was installed in 1992, and there’s little to no strobes in the building.
What company is the system, and what are the speaker models, and what pulls are there?
System is that of a Simplex (either 4100 or 4120), speakers are a mix of lifealarms (flush mount and regular version) and bullhorn speakers (only in the arena itself) and pulls are 4251-20s. Some of the speakers are on retrofit plates, but the only places I’ve seen those in are the trophy room (on a 4903-9105 plate) and in the weight room (on 4903-9101 plates). IDK if there are any more on retrofit plates, but as far as I can tell, the rest of the building is strobe-less.
Sometime in the future, the building is expected to undergo a rennovation. IDK if the alarm system will be upgraded or not…
That sounds cool. I didn’t know the 4251-20s still were in production in 1992! Because I know that Simplex seemed to replace them with the 2099-series T-bar pulls in the late 1980s (or was it the early 1990s?)
And I hope the new system will be a Simplex system as well, if they install one. Chances are it will probably be a Simplex system, since it is one of the Academic buildings and not a dorm. Who knows, maybe they’ll keep the panel and just replace the old speakers and speaker/strobes with new ones (probably either Wheelock E70s or one of their own models) and replace the pulls and smokes as well. So it’ll then be changed from a Type 3 voice-evac system into a Type 1 voice-evac system
If they choose to do anything to the system, odds are they’ll just keep it and being it up to code (i.e., install more strobes), because despite the lack of strobes, it works fine to my knowledge.
As for the upgrades on Indian Quad, this is some news - the new systems aren’t Siemens - they’re SIMPLEX! And there’s some very interesting mix of alarms too. One dorm has TrueAlert horn/strobes, but the remote strobes are RSSs. The bedrooms also have smokes w/ internal sounders. Odds are, the systems are 4100Us.
What?! Maybe UAlbany broke off the deal with Siemens after they discontinued their own signals, despite the fact that several of the dorms have Siemens systems with Wheelock signals. Besides, it also could be because of the buildings on the Podium using Simplex for most of them. Does Simplex also do service for the Siemens systems on the dorms that have them like they did with the Edwards systems, or does a different company do service? (When I mean this, I don’t mean the company doing the installation and upgrades; I meant the company that inspects the system, tests it and makes sure it’s in working order.)
IDK, I’ve seen both Simplex and Siemens trucks on campus. I do know that before the old systems were removed on Dutch Quad last year, the old Edwards systems had Simplex service stickers.
At my college, the fire alarms are maintained by Total Computing and Yankee Sprinkler. But my public school system had the alarms serviced by Atlas Alarm Corp., but I think SimplexGrinnell does some maintenance work these days too. There were both Atlas Alarm Co. and SimplexGrinnell service stickers on the Simplex 4100U panel at South Junior High School (voice-evac system installed in 2003), and last month when I passed by the Arnone elementary school (which has an EST 2 voice-evac system) there was a SimplexGrinnell truck outside the building.
Based on what I’ve seen, I think the 2099’s replaced the 4251’s in 1993, or possibly late 1992.
OK. But the real question is, when did the Simplex T-bar pulls in general first came out? (I’m talking about the 4251-20 and 4251-30). My high school built in 1970 had a few 4251-20s in some places, but the others were Edwards 270-SPOs, so I doubt the 4251-20s were always there. They were probably installed in the 1980s to replace 270-SPOs that broke down or something. The horns there are Simplex 4040s, so I know it was a Simplex system (though the main building has a newer late 1990s-early 2000s generation FCI panel.)
The earliest I’ve seen them installed was at the Edgar B. Davis elementary school, built in 1974. I went here for kindergarten and I went there again in the summer of 2000 for a Smart Start day program (this was the summer before I started junior high). They have a Simplex system, originally with some kind of older Simplex panel but they now have either a Simplex 2001 or a 4002, and the signals were Simplex 4051 horns on 4050-80 light plates (they don’t have “FIRE” on the lens), while the 4051 in the small gym and one of the 4051s in the main gym have SAE AV32 light plates . They have Chemtronics heat detectors. There were also these kind of Simplex test stations around the school…
They were probably installed when they replaced the panel and annunciator, and they had 6-inch bells like this for the school bells:
And the pulls were mainly Simplex 4251-30 break-glass, and in the main gym they had these red metal cages over them. But in one hallway and in another spot, the pulls were Edwards 270-SPOs. They probably replaced dead 4251-30s since they look newer. The identical Oscar F. Raymond school also has the exact same alarm setup (opened in 1975).
Oh, and for the record, how do I know the horns were 4051s? I know because I’ve heard them go off during a fire drill in kindergarten, and I also heard them when they tested the alarm system in the summer of 2000, and they sounded exactly like the alarms in this clip, except in Slow March Time (20 BPM).
The one heard starting around :35 sounds just like the one in the classroom I was in for kindergarten.
So I know that the Simplex T-bars were around since 1974. But I’ve seen the Superior Courthouse’s fire alarm system, and they have Simplex 4050 (or 4051) horns on 4050-80 light plates but the pulls are Simplex 4251-113 Chevrons. This is probably older than the Davis school’s system, I’m guessing either 1970-1972.
MHS was built in 1965 and it has chevrons installed. At least one has been replaced w/ a 4251-20, and the rest of the 4251-20s were installed when an addition to the 200 corridor was built some time in the 80s…
Well, I wasn’t able to get into the arena, so now new pics until at least the end of August, and even then, IDK if I’ll be able to get them.
Anyway, I had to go to the Bursar’s office the other day, and while I was in there, I managed to find an old bell that wasn’t behind a grille:
Coincidentally, that same day, I also believe I figured out where the main panel in the campus center is. I’m not 100% sure it’s there, but I’m like 90% sure…
OK! Lots to say in this update:
First, as you know, I said the systems on Indian Quad are Simplex. The signals are oddly enough, a mix of TrueAlerts and RSSs. One building has a Siemens system installed w/ NSs, and I have reason to believe that system may be being unintalled, as near the NS is a TrueAlert w/ an annunciator below it! IDK why they’d uninstall a perfectly good system, unless they want that whole quad to be Simplex, but it seems like a waste of money…
Second, Dutch Quad. I went by the tower and sure enough, the old alarm signals are uninstalled, and the new signals are installed. These are them:
Only difference is, the signals installed are red, not white.
Third, also on Dutch Quad is a dorm that they’re completely gutting and rennovating. It’s been going on since last winter and the building is expected to be open for housing for this coming semester. Well, most of the work is done including the alarm system they installed. What are the signals? ZNSs! This is the first time I’ve seen ZNSs installed in my area.
Now, I don’t believe any of the systems have been tested yet, as it usually takes several days to do all that, so hopefully I’ll get to hear the new signals soon!
One last thing: I managed to find this outside one of the dorms on Indian Quad:
It’s a VERY old annunciator. As you can see, it was just leaning against a building. I saw this the last time I strolled Indian Quad, but because w/ all the workers around, I couldn’t snap a pic, and today I did. I forget what the top indicator is, but the send row is Basement, First Floor, Second Floor, and Third Floor. The sticker you see is covering up an indicator for a trouble bell disconnect trouble. As you can see, the one next to it is the general trouble indicator, and on the last row, there’s a trouble silence switch and a lamp test switch. If The annunciator is still there tomorrow I’ll take a look at what the top indicator is.
did you beat the training camp @ the arena?
See the post w/ the pic of the bell…
I knew that they’d use speaker/strobes for the tower, since you said that they put a voice-evac panel in it. But as for the Indian Quad, that sounds very strange indeed.