Fire Alarms in Buildings (2.0)

[aerhardt]

Holiday Inn & Suites- Grand Forks, ND

Original System (From the early-mid 2000’s):
Panel: Simplex 4010

Notification Appliances: Simplex TrueAlert SmartSync horn/strobes (all fixed candela), and remote horns in the rooms

Detectors: Simplex TrueAlarm smoke detectors and heat detectors

Pull Stations: Simplex addressable T-bar pull stations

New System (Installed in the last few months):
Panel: Simplex 4007ES

Everything else is the same, but they decided to remove every pull station except the one at the front desk during the upgrade. I’m guessing that they were probably having issues with false alarms.

[aerhardt]

Pizza Ranch- Grand Forks, ND
Panel: Mircom FA-300

Notification Appliances: System Sensor P2R’s and SR’s

Pull Stations: Mircom MS-710U dual action conventional pull stations

Detectors: None. Not even above the panel which is right by the front door.

This is the first Mircom system that I have ever seen in person here in the U.S.

[NEOhistoryfan101]

Riverparke office building–Akron (Valley Commercial district)–built in the early 50s according to some old aerial photos of the area (pre-dates the whole commercial area) and expanded sometime in the late 70s.

I have no idea what the original system was (probably none)–the current one was installed in the late 70s

Panel–originally some kind of Faraday; upgraded in the early 2000s with a Fire-Lite MS-#UD or 9200UDLS–also this unknown annunciator (Faraday?)

Initiating devices:

Fire-Lite BG-8s at exits: original ones would’ve most likely been Faraday 10123’s; ESL smokes at scenic elevator lobby and both sides of fire doors; others possibly in mechanical/storage rooms

Signals: Faraday 3400 vibrating bells with 6 inch gongs

one Potter vibrating 10 inch bell (Replaced a 3400)

also off-topic: an Otis three-story hydraulic elevator with GAL hardware; also an Otis Lexan Scenic elevator that was upgraded with Gen2 hardware sometime in the early 2000s

[Alex_Robbins (Alex Robbins aka AschTheWolf)]

Interesting. Saw something similar in Sault Ste Marie only it was all heats and one smoke. Also had no idea you were in Michigan

[AidanTheToiletElevat (AidanTheToiletElevatorFireAlarmFan)]

Fire Alarms in a Market Basket:

I don’t know the specific location, but it was somewhere in the State of MA. This Market Basket actually has a lot of Code Violations. The Alarms are Wheelock AS-24MCW-FR Horn Strobes. They are in pretty rough shape.

Now comes the code violation part:

The AS Horn Strobes were mounted really high up on the wall. On the wall, they should be mounted a lot lower. Another thing is that the strobes are set on only 15CD. That is like not bright, the installers in my honest opinion, should brighten the strobes by a lot (110CD minimum), on the wall they should mount the alarms much lower and actually add appropriate ceiling mounted alarm spots accordingly and as needed. I don’t think the Fire Marshall would be too happy about any of this if they investigated this very Market Basket System. Way too many code violations, the system is a complete mess and they should possibly even upgrade the system because the way the system is set up is completely unprofessional and unrealistic.

[AidanTheToiletElevat (AidanTheToiletElevatorFireAlarmFan)]

Fire Alarms at the Savers in Endicott Plaza MA.

Siemens ZH-MC-R Horn/Strobes & ZR-MC-R Strobes

This system isn’t code compliant. There’s alarms mounted high up on the wall and wall mounted alarms on the ceiling. Also, the alarms strobes’ are only set on 15CD. Like WTF?!?! What is up with these Code Compliant Failures?!?! I’d want to address this and say, to mount the alarms lower on the wall and to set them on a higher candela. And to also order the actual ceiling rated device; possibly a High Candela version. That way, the store would meet the code compliance regulations and not fail anything.

[AidanTheToiletElevat (AidanTheToiletElevatorFireAlarmFan)]

Fire Alarms at the Danvers YMCA:

This YMCA is old and has a retrofit system of Wheelock AS-24MCW and RSS-24MCW.

IMG_1323|375x500

Unfortunately all AS horn strobes are only set on 15CD, ugh and it’s in a pretty mid sized weight room. It’d be better to at least have a 75CD strobe in this weight room. I know I’m a little bit obsessed with saying like “This strobe is far too dim for this room”, but honestly it’s fax. It’s just that in my personal opinion, I don’t think installers should be setting strobes on 15CD in the weight rooms of a YMCA. And of course I mean every YMCA will have its own system. For example; I’ve seen YMCAs with System Sensor, Wheelock, Siemens, EST and even Simplex. IDK why none of the YMCAs I’ve been to have Gentex Fire Alarms. I personally think finding a Gentex Commander in a YMCA would be pretty cool.

There’re of course other types of Fire Alarms that I think would be cool to find in a YMCA:

1. Edwards Integrity (I find Genesi a lot in a YMCA, but I hope one day I find an Integrity. There are probably YMCAs that have Integrities, just not the ones I’ve been to and I like the Integrity more than the Xenon Genesis)

2. Simplex QuickAlert (The older version of the Non-Addressable TrueAlert, I’d be pretty sure there are YMCAs out there that might Simplex QuickAlerts. I don’t care if they are the 1999 model or the 2000 model. Any one of those would be cool to find. It’s most likely going to be a SmartSync model)

3. Simplex 4903-9101 (This one is Highly unlikely, but I’ll tell you for a matter of fact I found a Wheelock 7002T in a YMCA, and Simplex 4903-9101s are about just as old)

4. System Sensor LED L-Series (This one’s just kind of random, but these are just very new)

5. Simplex 4903 of course! Note; I have seen 4903s before in a YMCA, but they are Speaker/Strobe versions. It’d be cool to find the horn strobe version in a YMCA. They’d probably be electronic, but it would be super cool to find one that’s electromechanical.

6. Wheelock MT

7. 1990’s Gentex

8. Simplex QuickAlert (Selectable Speaker Strobe Model with raised different Simplex logo and different ‘FIRE’ lettering)

9. Space Age Fire Alarm (Yea Boi! Dis’ll be cool!)

[aerhardt]

@AidanTheToiletElevat

I personally think finding a Gentex Commander in a YMCA would be pretty cool.

My local YMCA has a Simplex system with TrueAlerts inside but they have Gentex Commanders outside.

[NEOhistoryfan101]

you can only read “FIRE” from only one direction–there is a reason that ceiling units exist. I would not consider it a code violation since the strobe light can be seen everywhere

[AidanTheToiletElevat (AidanTheToiletElevatorFireAlarmFan)]

Actually, the wall and ceiling units have a different strobe reflector. The wall units actually have a thing at the top which prevents the light from traveling upwards. I know some people have a hard time seeing the difference in the strobe reflector, but if you pay close attention, you’ll be able to find the difference. Now I wouldn’t say the same thing for the SpectrAlert Advance, Edwards Integrity or Simplex 4903/4904 because those strobes all flash in a 360° as of in wall and ceiling units have the same exact strobe.

I just want to provide people with an example:

Wall Mount Siemens ZH

Ceiling Mount Siemens ZH

The strobe reflectors are actually different; can you spot the difference?

[The09Creeper]

[AidanTheToiletElevat (AidanTheToiletElevatorFireAlarmFan)]

Fire Alarms in the BJs in Dedham, MA:

System Sensor P24110

System Sensor P2R or P4R SpectrAlert Advance (Candela setting is 110)

System Sensor SpectrAlert Classic S2415, 1575, 30, 75 or 110

I like the Classic SpectrAlerts

[NEOhistoryfan101]

yes, I see it now and it is considered a fail. I was thinking the reflectors would be similar to the SpectrAlert Advanced series wall units

[firealarmking]

The Italian Village Pizzeria, Riverside, Connecticut:

This restaurant shares the system with the rest of the shopping strip it is in (with the exception of the ACME, which has an EST2 system with 270-SPO pulls and Integrity remote strobes- the alarm audio is integrated into the overhead paging system.)

The pulls here are FCI MS-7s:

The N/As are Wheelock AS horn/strobes:

The detectors are ASD-PL2s:

[aerhardt]

@firealarmking

The detectors are ASD-PL2s:

Just so you know, that specific detector that you took a picture of is actually a heat detector. You can tell because of the gray ring on the front of the detector.

[Illomenga23]

The BLOC (formerly Macy’s Plaza), Los Angeles, CA

EST2 system

The place was remodeled around 2013-2017 and was turned into an open-air shopping center. I recall the alarms here going off once, I was late to whatever because it was on silence when I went to check on it. It did the EST chime and someone was talking over the microphone, it was in December 2020. There are weatherproof speaker strobes in the area of what used to be enclosed.

Streetview in 2012 before remodeling. I do remember it a bit when I went here before the remodeling in 2013-2014.

(Credits to Thank You (25 Millions ) views on Flickr)

[aerhardt]

Kalahari Resort- Wisconsin Dells, WI
I last visited this resort in the summer of 2022. I will be talking about the system as it was at that time in this post. I will also go over the new system. This is the first Kalahari resort that was ever built. The original part of the building (sections 1 and 2 on my map) opened in 2000. It had many additions done throughout 2000’s and 2010’s The Hillside Building (section 7 on my map) was added after 2022.

As you can see in the above map, I’ve divided the resort into 7 sections. Each section was built at a different time and has different characteristics when it comes to its FA system. Sections 1 and 2 are the original part of the building. This entire resort has (or had) an older Notifier system

Section 1: (Opened in 2000)
Notification Appliances- System Sensor Spectralert Classic horn/strobes and remote strobes

Detectors- A mix of older addressable Notifier detectors

Pull Stations- A mix of many different kinds of addressable pull stations from different Honeywell brands (Mostly the BG-10 series)

I do not know what devices the rooms in this section have because I have never been in them

Section 2: (Opened in 2000)
No fire protection in this area. This is the indoor waterpark.

Section 3: (Opened a few years after sections 1 and 2)
Notification Appliances- Wheelock AS horn/strobes

Detectors- A mix of older addressable Notifier detectors

Pull Stations- A mix of many different kinds of addressable pull stations from different Honeywell brands (Mostly the BG-12 series)

Rooms- Simplex rebranded Gentex GX-90 mini horns and Kidde 10 year battery smoke/co detectors (the ADA rooms have Wheelock AS horn/strobes and RSS remote instead of mini horns)

Section 4: (Opened in 2018)
Panel- Tied into the main system, but with some voice evac panel

Notification Appliances- Wheelock E-70 and E-90 speaker/strobes

Detectors- Newer Notifier addressable detectors

Pull Stations- Notifier BG-12LX’s

They actually use the speakers in this section for general paging throughout the theme park.

Section 5: (Opened sometime in the late 2000’s-early 2010’s)
Panel- Tied into the main system, but with some voice evac panel

Notification Appliances- Wheelock E-70 and E-90 speaker/strobes

Detectors- Newer Notifier addressable detectors

Pull Stations- Notifier BG-12LX’s

Section 6: (Opened a few years after section 3)
Notification Appliances: Wheelock NS horn/strobes and RSS remote strobes

Detectors: Newer Notifier addressable detectors

Pull Stations: Notifier BG-12LX’s

Rooms- Notifier addressable detectors on older System Sensor sounder bases (the ones that have a continuous piezo horn) If one goes off, all of the rooms on that floor go off. They do not sound the general building alarm. I know this because they went off during our stay.

Section 7: (Opened in 2024)
This building did not exist in 2022.

New System:
The resort received a major overhaul in some areas over the past year. So did the system. The new system is still Notifier, but it is a voice evac system with L-Series speaker/strobes. I believe that they also modernized some of the addressable devices. The new system is also in the Hillside building (section 7 on my map). This was a much needed upgrade.

[Mack_Doyle]

Americas Quality Inn & Suites Finlayson/Sandstone/Hinckley In Hinckley MN Built In 1992
Notification Devices Simplex 2901-9838 With 4901-9101 And Simplex 2099 Pull Station

[aerhardt]

Holiday Inn Express- Fargo, ND
This is a fairly new hotel that opened in the mid-2010’s.

Panel: Gamewell-FCI E3

Common Areas:
Notification Appliances: System Sensor SPSR speaker/strobes

Pull Stations: Gamewell-FCI branded single action addressable BG-12’s (This area seems to require single action pull stations as every pull station that I have seen in recent buildings, including ones that would normally be dual action, has been single action)

Smoke Detectors: Gamewell-FCI versions of Notifier 851 and 951 series

Rooms:
Same smoke detectors on sounder bases. Shockingly, there aren’t any speakers in the rooms.

[AidanTheToiletElevat (AidanTheToiletElevatorFireAlarmFan)]

Fire Alarms at the Brockton Bus Station;

Simplex 4903-9236 15CD Horn/Strobes (4 of these packed in the small waiting area), they have a Green Asterisk on the strobe reflector. Either these are -9236s or they are just extremely late models of the 4903-9219 that have that green asterisk to indicate 15CD (Which I highly doubt). I think they are -9236. There was also 1 Gentex GX90S-4-15/75WR in that poorly maintained restroom which really surprised me; even I wouldn’t expect a 4903-9236 in the restroom; I’d just hope for a 4904-9137 strobe as it’s a smaller restroom that wouldn’t need a 30 or 110CD strobe. And plus the horn strobes are 15CD, which may be harder for the occupants to notice. 4903-9236/9237/9238 Horn/Strobes are some of the Quietest Horn/Strobes from Simplex. The 4903-9236 Strobes are very very dim in comparison to its 4903-9238 brother which has a really bright strobe represented by an Orange Triangle 110CD strobe.