I’m pretty sure I saw that system in 2019 back when I was in Boston! Me and my friend went to Quincy Market to eat and then went for a late night walk around Boston, and I remember seeing 3 large red cabinets, for some reason I thought it was some old Fire Lite system. Also the bright fire call box too. I think that area in general had some very intersting systems in those highrises and the walkups on the side streets.
I recently visited a massive archival preservation facility that was completed in 1996. The building features a striking design and comprises three floors of storage vaults along with one floor of preservation laboratories, located above the vaults. To my surprise, the building is protected by a Notifier system; I wasn’t expecting to see this brand in a large government-owned facility from this era as EST and Simplex were more common in these types of applications. While I didn’t see the panel, I assume it was originally an AM2020.
The pull stations are Notifier NFM-950s, and the signals are Notifier KMS-series bells (black bulhorn-style speakers are mounted above the bells):
Many bells and pull stations are mounted on unique architectural poles (the bell shown here happens to be an Edwards MB6-24—the only one I saw in the building):
Interestingly, similar poles were used for the devices (Siemens pull stations and U-MMT horn/strobes) in one of the buildings at my university. The building in question was completed in 2001 and was designed by the same architect who designed the preservation facility (Ron Keenberg of IKOY Architects).
The smoke detectors are a mix of Notifier SDX-551s and CPX-551s (in some cases, both are used within the same area):
The annunciator in the main lobby consists of six LED modules and a remote microphone mounted in a custom freestanding enclosure (apologies for the awful photo—I didn’t think of getting a better one, so this one is cropped from a much larger photo of the lobby):
The facility also featured a multitude of (likely fascinating) specialized detection and suppression systems with which I’m completely unfamiliar.
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Freestanding eh? Interesting. Wonder how they got that approved lol
Also Edwards/EST Genesis-series remote strobes as the 3rd picture shows (if I’m not mistaken at least).
Adventure Aquarium - Camden, NJ
Panel: EST addressable panel (what I believe is but I’m not so sure) tied to a Gamewell FCI (what I believe is) addressable panel
Pulls: EST SIGA-278s and 276Bs, as well as FCI MS-2d
Detectors: EST SIGA-PSes and SIGA-PDs, as well as Gamewell FCI ASD-Is
AVs EST Genesis speaker/strobes, genesis strobes, possibly genesis horn/strobes (since some areas don’t have speaker/strobes), and integrity speaker/strobes (outdoors and in one indoor area), as well as Wheelock ET-1010-WS-24s (one with a dual projector on it), ET80s, E70s, and RSSes
Machine shed, undisclosed location, Bellevue NE.
System seems to be a custom Spectronics system, with a rebranded wheelock 7002T, and BG-6 pulls.
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Oddly enough, that’s the only strobe I saw in the areas I visited in this building; I may have missed others as I wasn’t paying close attention. It doesn’t look like there was originally a strobe in this location as the conduit leading to the strobe is unpainted while the conduit leading to the smoke detector is coated in the same colour as the ceiling.
Really? Huh, okay. Interesting…
Flanders Hotel - Ocean City, NJ
Panel: EST addressable panel with possibly a few conventional zones
Pulls: SIGA-278s
Detectors: SIGA-PSes and Edwards 6250s (some possibly disconnected)
AVs: Integrity speaker/strobes, integrity strobes (single gang), at least one genesis strobe, and unknown speakers
I also wonder how they were able to install the panels like that without it being mounted to any walls and just poles on a table right under the stairs. Hopefully nobody leans on it too hard.
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Lol. I bet they’re bolted to the floor
I didn’t notice how it was attached to the floor, but it is indeed most likely bolted. The yellow tubular poles on which certain devices are mounted in this building are attached to the floor with four beefy bolts.
The angle from which I took the photo makes it seem like the annunciator is over the table, but the tubular frame goes straight to the floor—there’s nothing beneath the annunciator. It certainly looks fragile with the skinny frame; I’m sure, however, that the frame was designed to remain solidly upright if someone or something leans against the annunciator (it’s likely not much different from a floor-mounted handrail/railing or sign/display board). If it’s still standing perfectly after 28 years, I don’t think there’s much of a risk of the annunciator toppling over.
Last weekend, I attended an event at a former elementary school that was recently converted into a multi-use facility. The building has a new Mircom FX-2000 system. The signals are a mix of bells (mainly Edwards 6100D Durabels, although I also saw Mircom BL-6/10s and an Edwards 439D-10AWC) paired with Mircom FS-400-RR strobes:
I found this combination quite unique. I came across a photo showing this room before the system was upgraded, and it seems that the Mircom strobes are replacing older strobes; the previous strobes look like they were perhaps Wheelock LSMs or Faraday models. I’m surprised that the bells and strobes weren’t simply replaced with FHS-400 horn/strobes during the upgrade.
Considering Canada’s long history of using bells in fire alarm service (long after the US stopped using them as far as I can tell), I’m honestly not surprised at all that they were left in place. Neat combos regardless though.
Newark Liberty International Airport - Newark, NJ
Terminal A
Panel: Siemens Addressable Panel
Pulls: Addressable Chevrons
Detectors: OP921s
AVs: ST-CMC-W-MS-ALERTs, SLSCW-ALs, and SLSWW-ALs (Voice evac tied to main intercom system)
Terminal B (I haven’t been in there since 2021 so either things might’ve changed or I don’t remember correctly)
Panel: Cerberus Pyrotronics Addressable Panel
Pulls: MSI-20Bs
Detectors: DI-X3s and possibly some FP-11s
AVs: UMMT-MCSes, MTL-S17s, and ZH-MC-Rs
Terminal C
Panel: Siemens Addressable Panel
Pulls: Addressable Chevrons
Detectors: FP-11s and FPT-11s
AVs ZH-MC-Rs, ZR-MC-Rs, and AS-HMC-Rs
The local Saks Off 5th got a fire alarm panel upgrade!
The store is part of a planned redevelopment of a former Lord and Taylor, with the planned development having multiple medical offices and storefronts. From 2012 to 2024, the panel was originally a Fire-Lite MS-9200UDLS, the pulls were Fire-Lite BG-12s and BG-6s (original to the building as it was built in 1966), and the notification appliances were SpectrAlert Advance horn/strobes on the wall and the ceiling.
Now, the panel was upgraded to a Honeywell Fahrenhyt series panel, the pulls are now the Honeywell Fahrenhyt rebrand of the BG-12, and the notification appliances remained the same. Quite an interesting system, you may think. The building could have either gotten voice evacuation for its large size or L-Series LED horn/strobes to replace the xenon Advances.
ICWU/UFCW/ Walter L. Mitchell Building–Akron; built in 1969
Panel: Simplex 4247-4 without master code generators
Initiating devices: pull stations–mid-century Simplex “chevron” units (4251-1(1(1); automatic detectors: none or only in mechanical and storage rooms (I have no idea)
Signaling devices: Simplex 4017-03 vibrating 10 inch bells and a few newer Simplex bell/strobes in some of the offices
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Capital Building of North Dakota-
Bismarck, ND
Old System (2012-2023?):
Panel: Simplex 4100U with voice evac
Notification Appliances: Simplex TrueAlert SmartSync speaker/strobes
Initiation Devices: Addressable Simplex TrueAlarms and T-bars
New System (2023?-Current):
Panel: Autocall 4100ES with voice evac
Notification Appliances: Autocall TrueAlertES speaker/strobes
Initiation Devices: Addressable Autocall TrueAlarms and T-bars
Note: This building is from the 1930’s and these are not the only systems.
Fun Fact: This is the tallest building in ND at 242 ft. with 14 floors. There can be no taller buildings built in ND.
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That’s a nice vintage system: wouldn’t surprise me if it’s one of the few left in North America that still has that old of a system still in operation (including with bells).
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there is an elementary school school that’s a few years older not far from this building that has the same hardware, but except with single stroke bells (mounted in the reverse direction). Old School Fire Alarms knows about this building. there are lots of buildings that still have original fire alarm systems in use.
I just found an apartment building in the rubber city that has my holy grail–the IBM/Simplex 4037. This is the second building that I have visited that has those, and I didn’t think they were in my area until recently
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