If they choose to upgrade, hopefully it’ll be another Simplex system, probably a voice-evac one give how many people it can seat. They’d probably replace the 4051+4050-80s with TrueAlert speaker/strobes or Wheelock E70 speaker/strobes, and the 4251s with 4099-9003s or something like that.
However where I live, 4051+4050-80s are still fairly common in some places. Even though only three of them at my college are left (one in the Field House building, two in the Fine Arts building), they still have them at the Davis K-8 school, as well as the Huntington Elementary School, the Eldon B. Keith pre-K school, the Raymond Elementary School, the David E. Crosby Administration building and the Superior Courthouse (I’m not sure if the latter has 4050s or 4051s, but I know the other places I mentioned have 4051s). Only other place in my area I know that had them but upgraded is the Brockton Day Nursery; they replaced them with Simplex TrueAlert horn/strobes.
Here’s one for you guys: the Patriots’ Place in Foxborough, MA. For those who don’t know, this is the home of the New England Patriots football team. We went there for a AAA vacation exhibit show.
The main building (The Hall) had this HUGE Cerberus-Siemens system voice-evac system. They had U-MCS remote strobes EVERYWHERE. I couldn’t find any horn/strobes or speaker/strobes for the most part, so I assumed that the voice-evac tones/messages would sound over the building’s PA system. There was also an S-HP-MCS speaker/strobe in a mens’ room, which I thought was overkill because aside from that speaker/strobe, there were THREE PA speakers near it! Maybe if they just had a U-MCS strobe there instead of a speaker/strobe it wouldn’t be so bad. They also had addressable CP/Siemens smoke detectors, and they had a few CP-branded MS-501 pulls. There weren’t a lot of pull stations in the building, which surprised me.
But the Pro Shop in the same building had Wheelock E70 speaker/strobes (rebranded by Siemens) and dual-action RSG T-bar pulls (also rebranded by Siemens).
I have an update on some of the alarms at the schools in Belmont. I discovered a website all about the plans to build a new Wellington Elementary School. One of the things on the list of outdated electrical systems was the fire alarm system. Sadly no clear images of the alarms or images in the video were shown. At least they are aware of it being non-ADA compliant and old. As we have figured out they are probably vintage Fire-Lite horn/lights with BG-6s and indeed Fire Alarm Fan says he saw one on ebay with the small circular 100db horn below the triangular light. Th3sp0rk said he saw one at a pool with BG-6s and NBG-1s. Also, the alarm is shown in a slideshow video that is posted on the website and youtube. Th3sp0rk said the alarm he saw looked exactly like that. Even though I did not go to the Wellington, I am a huge supporter for building a new building since the current one is in one of the worst conditions of any school in the state of Massachusetts. I also personally think it’s ugly both outside and inside.
Also, a document discussing future plans for the renovations of Belmont High School mentioned the fire alarm system there is a candidate for “accelerated replacement”, whatever the heck that means, because it’s non-ADA compliant, in poor condition, and there aren’t many parts they can use any more to replace dead alarms. I am guessing they try to replace the 4040s with used 4040s as I have seen no newer alarms at all, and they have been in service for almost 40 years! There are newer pull stations, smokes, and heat detectors. Wiley209 is guessing the panel might be a 2001, but, here’s the thing. The 2001 style march time is 90bpm, but Belmont High School’s fire alarm system is on 120bpm march time. Maybe the panel is a 4001 or 4005.
Oop, my mistake. My best guess it is probably a 4002 or 4005. Some 2001s could do 120bpm March Time, though. And my high school’s alarms just as in bad condition as yours. But so far there are no plans to replace it. The main building does have an FCI panel of some sort replacing the old Simplex panel for that building, but it’s obviously a discontinued model, and I’m guessing it was put in around the early 1990s. And we have only a couple of different alarms that are newer, but they are not in the main building: the Fine Arts building has a renovated TV studio from 2003; the room originally had no alarms in it at all, but after the new TV studio was put in, they installed two SpectrAlert horn/strobes and an FCI MS-2 pull. Also in the swimming pool, it looks like one of the 4040s was replaced with a Simplex 2901-9806. All the other horns, and all of the alarms in the main building are Simplex 4040s. I haven’t gotten a good look at ALL of them yet, but I am certain that all of them are 4040s. Also in the Field House building, there is a Simplex 4040 that is not flush-mounted into the wall. And most of the pulls are Edwards 270-SPOs, but there is a newer 270-SPO in the gym, and a few 4251-20s around the campus as well (Replacing older 270-SPOs). And of course, the system (except the renovated TV studio in the Fine Arts building) is non-ADA compliant, with no strobes on the alarms, and the pull stations are practically at eye-level! As if that weren’t bad enough, it also does not meet with a lot of other ADA requirements (several outdoor ramps aren’t in great condition, nearly no braille signs, the elevators are a little klunky, etc.) I think it’s high time the school began saving up money for a renovation or at least an ADA upgrade.
My friend and I are going to persuade the principal, since we know her really well from when we used to go there, to hold a fundraiser for the school to help renovate it, because as of now, they are resorting to grandfather clauses since they are practically broke! The only alarm upgrades the schools in my town recently went through were when West Junior High put in a new Notifier voice-evac system last year with SpectrAlert speaker/strobes, SpectrAlert Advance remote strobes, BG-12s located at the exits and SD-355T smokes installed where required; South Junior High’s renovation in 2003 with all the old alarm parts getting replaced with a Simplex 4100U voice-evac system with TrueAlert speaker/strobes and 4099-9003 pulls and TrueAlarm smokes; and the Whitman elementary school (now closed down) that was not renovated in the 1970s when the other ancient school buildings were had Wheelock AS horn/strobes installed (probably a Notifier system). New Brockton schools built since 1998 use EST voice-evac systems.
I think my high school might go with a voice-evac system since it is a rather large school, and all new schools built in my city since 1998 have voice-evac alarm systems. If they stick with Gamewell-FCI (since the new TV studio had SpectrAlerts and an MS-2 pull installed, and they put System Sensor 2451 smokes near one of the elevators) then they would probably go with a Gamewell-FCI voice-evac system, install Wheelock E70 speaker/strobes or SpectrAlert Advance speaker/strobes where all the 4040s once were and probably in the classrooms, RSS strobes or Spectra Advance strobes in the restrooms and offices, replace the 270-SPOs with either MS-2s, Gamewell Centuries or BG-12s (addressable versions) mounted on ADA-adapter thingies, and replace the Chemtronics heat detectors with either SD-355T smokes or i3 smokes. But if they decide to put in a Simplex system, then it would probably be a Simplex 4100U system with TrueAlert speaker/strobes and 4099-9003 pulls and TrueAlarm smokes.
I was at a Bar Mitzvah Party last night. The party was located at the Hyatt hotel in Cambridge MA. This was my first time there so I was excited to see the system. There are different devices in the parking garage than in the main hotel. The system is probably recent in the garage and late 70s/early 80s in the hotel, since it’s NOT ADA compliant at all.
Parking Garage:
Pulls: Simplex single action metal generic t-bars
Alarms: Weatherproof Wheelock E70s
Hotel:
Pulls: I am not 100% sure, but I have seen pics of them on here and on ebay. I believe they are old Autocall pulls. The whole thing is dark red metal and there is a section at the top where you pull. I am guessing the whole thing pulls downward since it’s unclear how it would pull. It says “Pull for Fire Alarm”. All the pulls are mounted very high, almost as high as the alarms. They are mounted higher than the pulls at my school! Some have been replaced with Simplex 2099-9756s, still mounted as high. There is an Autocall pull mounted at ADA level in a newer area.
Alarms: Federal Signal 450Es behind SpaceAge Electronics V33 light plates (I believe the V33 are the larger ones and the AV32 are the smaller ones). I usually see silver horns or 2DCDs behind the AV32s and I usually see 450Es behind the V33s. The newer area with the ADA level pull has VA4 horn/strobes. However, all the alarms could be speakers since the parking garage is voice evac, but I am guessing they are all horns.
Overall, an unusual system. Also, please help me ID the old pulls here.
Sorry for triple posting, but I have something on a different topic to talk about. This post is mainly regarding stuff Wiley209 talks about the schools in Brockton. I have looked at pics of all the schools in Brockton and have noticed Brockton schools seem to be built similarly. Here is the example:
Elementary Schools:
Davis and Raymond Schools: Wiley209 has mentioned these are on the same floor plan and both have 4251-30s and 4051/4050-80s. However, I am guessing the Davis school is slightly bigger due to the fact it’s now a K-8 school and the Raymond is a K-6 school.
Angelo, Arnone, and Plouffe Schools (my personal favorites in terms of the building design): These schools all look basically the same. They also all have EST voice evac systems with Integrity Speaker/Strobes and remote strobes in the classrooms. What pulls do they have? I am guessing 270-SPOs. I don’t know when the 278 series came out, but it could be those. These schools were built in 1998. I am guessing the Plouffe school is bigger than the others since it’s a K-6 school (unless all the ESs are K-6 in Brockton). Wiley209 says the Plouffe is going to be a MS next year.
Baker and George Schools: These are apparently the newest schools and are identical in terms of the looks (I personally like the looks of the 1998 schools better though). The Baker school has EST Genesis speaker/strobes. What pulls does this place have? I am guessing 278 series pulls but they still could be 270-SPOs as those are still found with Genesises. Both Wiley209 and me are guessing the George School (is that the newest one?) will have the same system.
All the other schools including the Brookfield, Downey, Hancock, Howard, Huntington, Keith, and Kennedy Schools do not look alike and were most likely built at different times. The Downey School has Gamewell Centuries and Federal 450s. Wiley209 has not mentioned much about the other schools. What alarms do they have? Maybe I am forgetting something he posted before.
I also have some questions about the middle schools in Brockton. Most of them are old, but some have been renovated:
North JHS: What alarms do they have here. Wiley209 has not mentioned much about the system here. It looks pretty old from the picture so it could have a Gamewell system.
East JHS: This is where Wiley209 attended MS. They have Gamewell coded pulls and Federal Signal explosion proof horns.
South JHS (my favorite in terms of the building and FA system): They have TrueAlert speaker/strobes here and 4099-9003s.
West JHS: They have SpectrAlert speaker/strobes and Advanced remote strobes here. Pulls are Notifier BG-12s? Wiley209 said it was a Notifier system.
Brockton High School’s system has been mentioned a lot on here and is similar to the system at my HS. They have Edwards 270-SPOs and Simplex 4040s. The only differences between the system at my HS and Brockton HS are the alarms are on march time at my HS and continuous at Brockton High School. Also, the pulls are different.
Overall, it’s interesting comparing school’s within a district. Brockton is huge and has many schools where as my town has 4 ESs, 1 MS, and 1 HS. All the ESs look different and have completely different systems with no similarities, other than most, but not all systems are Simplex.
That is correct, many schools here in Brockton share similar designs, etc. Schools built at the same time since the 1970s also share the same floor pattern. I guess this is to save money or something.
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Elementary Schools:
Davis and Raymond Schools: Wiley209 has mentioned these are on the same floor plan and both have 4251-30s and 4051/4050-80s. However, I am guessing the Davis school is slightly bigger due to the fact it’s now a K-8 school and the Raymond is a K-6 school.
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On the contrary, the Davis K-8 and Raymond schools are both the exact same size since they were built. BUT, the Davis K-8 school has a modular building! (It is located right next to the pod where I had kindergarten, and, like that pod, is now only used for junior high classes). The Raymond School had a modular building at one point, but I think it got torn down or something, so now only the original 1974-1975 structure is still standing. There are also rumors the Raymond school may be renovated in the near future. I do not know if the Davis K-8 school will be renovated yet though, but that school’s in pretty good condition considering its age and is my favorite in terms of building design (I love the retro 1970s look it has.) Both schools have Simplex 2001 panels, to my knowledge, given the Simplex graphic annunciators in their main lobbies. Weird why both schools had their panels upgraded at the same time. Oh, and next year the Raymond is going to be a K-8 school as well. I guess they want the Davis and Raymond to be nearly exact duplicates of each other (I once met a girl who went to the Raymond, but one day accidentally went to the Davis and was like “This isn’t my school!”)
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Angelo, Arnone, and Plouffe Schools (my personal favorites in terms of the building design): These schools all look basically the same. They also all have EST voice evac systems with Integrity Speaker/Strobes and remote strobes in the classrooms. What pulls do they have? I am guessing 270-SPOs. I don't know when the 278 series came out, but it could be those. These schools were built in 1998. I am guessing the Plouffe school is bigger than the others since it's a K-6 school (unless all the ESs are K-6 in Brockton). Wiley209 says the Plouffe is going to be a MS next year.
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Again, all three of these schools are the same size. And while the Plouffe and Angelo were built in 1998, the Arnone was built in 2001 (and opened in 2002). The Arnone has an EST 2 panel (I saw it in the main lobby, complete with alarm power extender thingy and a voice-evac microphone). Quite a few of my friends went to the Plouffe school, and they know about their alarm system. They said it was actually rather quiet. I’m not surprised since it’s a voice-evac system.
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Baker and George Schools: These are apparently the newest schools and are identical in terms of the looks (I personally like the looks of the 1998 schools better though). The Baker school has EST Genesis speaker/strobes. What pulls does this place have? I am guessing 278 series pulls but they still could be 270-SPOs as those are still found with Genesises. Both Wiley209 and me are guessing the George School (is that the newest one?) will have the same system.
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I am sure they might have SIGA-278s, but they might be SIGA-270s (addressable 270-SPOs), but for now I’m going with SIGA-278s, judging by a picture I saw that had a pull that size in the background. They both have EST 3 voice-evac systems, so it’s obvious that newer schools built in my town since 1998 are going with EST fire alarm systems. Sure beats the heck out of Fire-Lite/Notifier systems, like many new systems I have seen since 2007.
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All the other schools including the Brookfield, Downey, Hancock, Howard, Huntington, Keith, and Kennedy Schools do not look alike and were most likely built at different times. The Downey School has Gamewell Centuries and Federal 450s. Wiley209 has not mentioned much about the other schools. What alarms do they have? Maybe I am forgetting something he posted before.
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My dad went to the Hancock school. They have Simplex 4030-2s! I have seen them, but luckily I never heard them go off. My dad said that they were REALLY loud. They might be even louder than the 4040s at Brockton High and the 4051s at the Davis K-8! The school was built in 1963, but a new wing was built in 1969 and it has Vibratone 450 horns and Gamewell Centuries. There are a few other Centuries scattered around the main area, but the rest is either Simplex Chevrons or Edwards 270-SPOs. The Brookfield has Simplex 4030-2s as well (I saw a picture on the old version of the site.)
The Huntington and Keith schools have Simplex 4208 systems with Simplex 4051+4050-80s and 4251-30s. I went to the Keith school for preschool (luckily the fire alarms never went off there!), and to the Huntington for a summer program in 1999. Both those schools were over a hundred years old! The Keith school was built in 1906 and used to be the “B” building for the original Brockton High School campus, but in the early 1970s the “A” building was torn down, and the “B” building was renovated around the mid-to-late 1970s to the state it is today. The Huntington was built in 1896 and has always been an elementary school; an addition was built around maybe 1914-1918, and it was renovated in 1978-1979. They told me that they used to have an auditorium, but during the renovation it was transformed into a gymnasium (the stage is still intact). They somtimes use the gym for assemblies, and other times they go to South Junior High’s auditorium. I think the Huntington and South Junior High are both very similar now by the fact that they are close together and that they were renovated at one point (and they both apparently had Edwards fire alarm systems but now have Simplex systems).
The Kennedy, I wish I knew. It was built in 1965. I bet it may have a Gamewell system or even a Simplex system.
The Downey school was built in 1971, and you are correct on its alarm system. The panel was an old ugly-looking Gamewell Flexalarm panel.
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I also have some questions about the middle schools in Brockton. Most of them are old, but some have been renovated:
North JHS: What alarms do they have here. Wiley209 has not mentioned much about the system here. It looks pretty old from the picture so it could have a Gamewell system.
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According to a pic I saw, it is actually an EDWARDS system! It had Edwards 360-L horns, 270-SPO pulls, and the school bells are 6-inch IBM bells. This is what South Junior High used to have before its renovation. This school was built around 1956-1957. I don’t know if it is still there.
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East JHS: This is where Wiley209 attended MS. They have Gamewell coded pulls and Federal Signal explosion proof horns.
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Correct on that. This school was built in 1957. The class-change bells were mostly 6-inch Edwards Adaptabels, and a few Autocall single-stroke chimes. But the old wood shop and home economics room was destroyed in a fire almost 20 years ago, and was renovated. They have newer Vibratone horns, and the home economics room (now a computer lab) has a Gamewell Century pull. Both these rooms also have 6-inch Simplex bells, and they were as loud as the Adaptabels!
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South JHS (my favorite in terms of the building and FA system): They have TrueAlert speaker/strobes here and 4099-9003s.
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Yep, you are correct on that. They USED to have Edwards 360-L horns and 270-SPO pulls before the renovation. The school was built in 1954. It even had a fallout shelter (it still has the sign outside, too!) Their current fire alarm panel is a Simplex 4100U.
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West JHS: They have SpectrAlert speaker/strobes and Advanced remote strobes here. Pulls are Notifier BG-12s? Wiley209 said it was a Notifier system.
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Yes, they have BG-12s at exits and a few other areas. But what you DON’T know is that they still have several of the old coded Gamewell pulls from the original system still intact! They also have a couple of the old projector horns still intact, too. I hope they don’t work! The school was built in 1952, and my parents went here for middle school.
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Brockton High School’s system has been mentioned a lot on here and is similar to the system at my HS. They have Edwards 270-SPOs and Simplex 4040s. The only differences between the system at my HS and Brockton HS are the alarms are on march time at my HS and continuous at Brockton High School. Also, the pulls are different.
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Ah, I see I’ve taught you well. In fact on Tuesday, my friend and my brother and I are going over there in the afternoon to talk with the staff and present them info about our Helping Hands Club, to see if we can bring the school up to ADA codes! I’ll bring my camera for the ADA compliance check, but I seriously doubt anything has been changed/upgraded.
Cool! The only school you didn’t mention was the Howard school. DO you know what alarms are there?
Also, I was looking at virtual tours on the Brockton Public schools website and noticed a newer alarm in the last photo of the Davis school tour. It looks like an Integrity! Go check it out if you want. I can’t post the image cause it’s flash player.
Also here are the systems in my town as I have mentioned:
Burbank Elementary: This is where I attended, and is also my favorite of the elementary buildings since it’s bright and nice looking. It was built in the 30s and renovated in 1989 and installed there system then. The panel could be a Simplex 4002 or even a 4100. Pulls are either 4251-30s or their addressable twins. Alarms are 9838s (which I thought were 9806s) behind 2903 light plates on continuous. There is a Gentex SHG in the music room. Smokes are wiffleball smokes. There is a TrueAlarm by the first floor elevator area, probably replacing an old wiffleball that broke down.
Butler Elementary: I have never been inside here, sadly. It was built in the 20s and renovated in 1979. I am guessing they have Simplex 4251-30s and 4050/4050-80s, considering my town mainly installs Simplex systems. But they also could have SAE AV32 plates with whatever horns are normally used with those. Pulls could even be 270-SPOs or BG-6s.
Wellington Elementary: This used to be the old high school and was built in three sections. The original high school was built in 1917, the cafeteria and gym area in 1939, and the current classroom wing in 1963. The original high school part burnt down in 1967. Belmont High School’s current building was built in 1970. In 1972, Wellington got a new entrance connecting the 1939 and 1963 parts of the school. I am guessing their current system was installed then. They have Fire-Lite BG-6s with those “wedge” horn/lights. The Fire-Lite version of those horn/lights has a small round Federal Signal horn below the light compartment which takes a standard light bulb and is made of glass. “Fire” is written on both sides in while and the glass is red. They also have Chemtronics heat detectors. This school is set to be rebuilt as early as this coming school year. I am guessing they will go with a Simplex 4100U with 4099-9003s and TrueAlert speaker/strobes for the new building.
Winn Brook Elementary: This school was built in the 30s and renovated in 1989. They installed FCI MS-2 pulls and SpaceAge Electronics V33 light plates with Federal Signal 450Es behind them (at least I think those are the horns).
Chenery Middle School: The original building burnt down in 1995 and a new building was built in 1997. They have a whole lot of stuff. They have a Simplex 4100 panel. The pulls are 4099-9003s. Alarms are Federal Signal SelecTone speaker/strobes with the ADA strobes on them in the hallways. Simplex 4903 speaker/strobes are found in bigger rooms like the cafeteria and gym. Classrooms have a 4904 strobe next to a SelecTone speaker both on the ceiling. Offices have just the strobe. Outside, there are SAE V33 strobes next to Simplex rebranded Honeywell speakers. The system does slow whoop with a female custom voice evac message. Oddly, a phone ringing noise was hooked up to the system that comes out of the PA speakers.
Belmont High School: Built in 1970, I have not seen the panel. There is a 4208 annunciator in the main office. Pulls are Simplex 4251-113 Chevrons and Edwards 270-SPOs in the field house. Alarms are Simplex 4040s behind flush mount grills and do march time. Smokes are a mix of really old Simplex smokes (most have been replaced), ESL smokes, and TrueAlarms, as well as a mystery smoke. There are Chemtronics heat detectors as well. 3 Chevrons got replaced with Fire-Lite BG-6s, I am guessing the ESL smokes were also put in then. Also, a few 2099-9754s can be found, one in the field house, as well as one in the pool room (I discovered this when reading the yearbook). The alarm in the pool room in the picture is what looks like a 4040 behind the grille, but I can’t see behind the grille from the picture. I also remember seeing a 2099-9754 in the boys pool locker room. There are no newer alarms I have discovered, except for what looks like a brighter red thing I saw through the door to the little theater. Maybe that’s a newer alarm, but I can’t prove it yet.
Overall, there is no official pattern, except for many systems being Simplex systems. All the schools look different and are on different floor plans, and have different alarm systems.
The Howard school, where my brother went for afternoon preschool (I went to the Keith for afternoon preschool), has Simplex 4051+4050-80s and 4251-30s. I am pretty sure their panel is a Simplex 4208.
As for that Davis new alarm, that is in the modular building, which was added in 1996. It is either a Wheelock MT-24-LSM or an Integrity. I’m guessing it is probably an MT though. The modular building at the Downey school had this too.
They have EST SIGA-278s. A friend of mine who went to the Plouffe school said the pulls in the gym had Stopper II covers over them, which makes sense. I am pretty sure the two new schools have EST SIGA-278s, as their EST fire alarm systems are identical to the ones in the 1998-2002 schools, but with Integrity speaker/strobes instead of Genesis speaker/strobes.
However, the Baker and George schools also have a SpectrAlert Advance strobe outside their buildings. I guess they couldn’t get a weatherproof EST signal so they had to get one from System Sensor. This first led me to believe that they put in a Notifier or Silent Knight system until I saw the indoor pictures and found it was an EST-3 system.
Here are more pictures of South Junior High School’s Simplex fire alarm system and a few other assorted things relating to that school. Nothing has been changed since I last went there. I didn’t get a pic of the Simplex 4100U voice-evac panel or the 4603-9101 annunciator, but at least they weren’t in Trouble mode for once! This should interest the user TrueAlertSpeaker/Strobe, as the system here is quite similar to the alarm system at Chenery Middle School, where he had junior high.
As I’ve mentioned before, 99% of the signals in the building are Simplex TrueAlert speaker/strobes, often with different strobe candela ratings. This one is a 4903-9357 (the 75-candela version), and are common around the building. They have the speaker/strobes installed just about everywhere in the building, even in the classrooms!
The remote strobes in the restrooms are Simplex TrueAlert strobes. They are 15 candelas and, unlike the speaker/strobes, do NOT have the TrueAlert logo on them! Maybe the strobes were new-old-stock, or Simplex makes versions with and without the TrueAlert logo still. Usually with the exception of Brockton Hospital and Brockton Public Library, usually when I see remote TrueAlert strobes they do not have the TrueAlert logo on them, like the ones at this school.
Most of the pull stations are Simplex 4099-9003 T-bars. All but at least two of them have Sigcom covers that are a knock-off of the Stopper II. Today I even heard a kid bump into one of the covers and set off its built-in sounder! It sounded like a Wheelock MT in Continuous. I knew for sure it couldn’t be the school’s alarm system, and the kids were thinking he was going to “pull the sprinklers” or already set off the alarms! I explained that pulling the fire alarm does NOT activate the sprinkler system, and the alarm that sounded was just the horn in the pull station cover used to scare away pranksters. So that proves a long-held suspicion I had, that these covers have built-in sounders like Stopper IIs do!
That large backbox with the silver plate over it is where an Edwards 360-L flush-mount horn used to be prior to the renovation six years ago. There’s another like this, and all the others were regular flush-mounted. The smaller silver plate next to it is where a 6-inch IBM bell used to be. You’d think that Simplex would’ve taken out that backbox and plated over if there was a hole behind it. But then again, the old Edwards fire horns were AC-voltage, and the Simplex speaker/strobes are DC-voltage, so it makes sense to plate over the old alarms and put the new ones on backboxes in other areas. If they were replacing a Simplex 2001 system with 4051+4050-80s, then it would’ve been different.
The sprinklers. They have these everywhere in the school. I think they are SimplexGrinnell sprinklers, since the school has a Simplex fire alarm and clock system. These were put in when the school was renovated.
The smoke detectors are Simplex TrueAlarms. I don’t know their model number, but I am pretty sure they are addressable since the system’s a Simplex 4100U and the pulls are addressable too. They occasionally blink a red LED. These are installed in all hallways and office areas and large rooms. The kitchen has Simplex heat sensors, which makes sense.
However, THIS is located right near an exit in the auditorium. It’s a Simplex 4099-9001 pull! I don’t know why there is a 4099-9001 here while the rest I have seen so far are 4099-9003s. Maybe the installers ran out of -9003s at one point when the upgrade was almost complete. I think it would’ve been funny if they put in a 4099-9002 or even an addressable 4251 pull that was new-old stock!
This speaker/strobe is a Simplex 4903-9356, the 15-candela version. They have these in some areas instead of 4903-9357s. The 4903-9356s are the exact same TrueAlert speaker/strobe model installed at the Brockton Public Library and the South Shore Plaza mall. I also saw a 4903-9358 speaker/strobe somewhere in the building (the 110 candela version :shock: )! The TrueAlert speaker/strobes in the gymnasium have red metal grille thingies over them to prevent being destroyed, which made sense since they were playing dodgeball when I was there!
This is in the men’s locker room. What I THOUGHT was a regular Wheelock E70 turned out to be a DIFFERENT speaker/strobe! It know for sure it’s a Wheelock alarm judging by the strobe design and the “FIRE” font, and of course the Wheelock logo on the bottom. It is a Wheelock ET70WP speaker/strobe. The design reminds me of a Wheelock E50 but with a Wheelock weatheproof RSS strobe on the top and a shorter height. I guess since Simplex does not make their own weatherproof signals they had to order them from Wheelock.
However, the restroom in this locker room has a Simplex TrueAlert strobe. I think they should’ve used a weatherproof Wheelock RSS strobe in here, because it’s in a locker room and they already have a weatherproof speaker/strobe here.
On a semi-related note, these are the Simplex clock/PA speaker combos in the school. They all look like this. I think they should’ve used some individual clocks in some rooms like the gymnasium and hallways and hook up some of the old existing speakers in those areas to the new PA system. They sound a tone over the PA system for class-change signaling, but there are NO loudspeakers outside! Also, in the classrooms they mounted these new clock/speakers right next to the old PA speakers from when the school was built in 1954, which are disconnected (the new clock/speakers were installed right where the old IBM clocks and at least one Simplex clock were). They kinda remind me of the clock/PA speaker combos in my high school.
This is the outdoor clock tower. This was added to the school when it was renovated and is not part of the original structure. It also contains the school elevator. It should be noted that this clock is not set for Daylight Savings Time (the clock system inside was, though). They told me the clock towers in the city are controlled by somewhere downtown. This clock does not have any chimes in it (we have some churches in my town, including one near my college, that do chime on the hour).
Interestingly, the school still has its old fallout shelter sign still intact! It’s pretty much out of date by now (the school closed their fallout shelter several years ago). The school is built with very thick concrete to help prevent radioactivity from a nuclear explosion getting in the building (they obviously built this school with The Bomb in mind, as “Duck and Cover” referred to it as). The sign is to be taken down in the future, and the principal said I can have it, since I knew him from East Junior High (he was one of my health teachers there) and he knows I’m interested in that old Civil Defense stuff. The fire station on Main Street and an old warehouse not too far from the library also have fallout shelter signs, too. Good to see my city knew plenty about “Duck and Cover” back in the 1950s and 1960s!
Also, I checked out the Huntington K-5 school right near South Junior High, and like its middle school neighbor, nothing has been changed here since I last saw. I didn’t see their panel, but the old Simplex annunciator is still intact (it’s a Simplex 4208 system installed when the school was renovated in 1978-1979, it was originally built in 1896 and added onto in 1914!).
The Simplex 4051+4050-80s are still intact…
Likewise the 4251-30 pulls. Even the Wheelock MT horn/strobe outside is still there!
My ES has 1 outdoor MT horn/strobe and 2 or 3 MT horns. They are the newer version. However, my current school has 1 newer outdoor MT, and a lot of Simplex TrueAlert horns under weatherproof covers.
Cool System! I personally like this one better than the one at Chenery MS. I love TrueAlert speaker/strobes. Also, the alarm system at Chenery is very odd. The pulls are the same at South Junior High School as they are at Chenery Middle School, but there are no stoppers over the ones at Chenery. The alarms are different. Simplex hadn’t started making TrueAlert speaker/strobes until 2002. Chenery had their system installed when the new building opened in 1997. For some reason, the installers went with a mix of Federal Signal SelecTone speaker/strobes and Simplex 4903 speaker/strobes. The hallways have the Federal Signal ones and the bigger rooms (ie: cafeteria gym, and others) have the Simplex speaker/strobes. The classrooms have a ceiling mounted 4904 strobe next to a ceiling mounted Federal Signal speaker. It’s odd, maybe the installers hated the look of the 4903 or SelecTone speaker/strobe on the ceiling :lol: . The classrooms at SJHS have wall mount TrueAlert speaker/strobes, a lot simpler than the classroom alarms at Chenery. Offices at the Chenery have ceiling mount 4904 strobes. Restrooms have Federal Signal speaker/strobes. Sorry for the complication this is a complicated system. Pretty much, a speaker/strobe is never found on the ceiling at the Chenery, and the only wall mount alarms (besides the crappy install jobs and outdoor alarms) are speaker/strobes. The two bad install jobs are ceiling mount 4904 strobes + part of a wall plate mounted on the wall replacing old speaker/strobes. They could have put in Wheelock E70s or 4903 speaker/strobes on back boxes. The most odd thing is the phone ringing noise in the PA at Chenery, which makes it too hard to hear the voice evac message. As you mentioned, SJHS probably does not have a phone ringing noise from the PA. In my opinion, the phone ringing noise at the Chenery is a stupid decision, it’s even likely it wasn’t on purpose. SJHS has a nicer system than the Chenery in my opinion, and I agree they are similar.
I was at Lord & Taylor at the Burlington Mall today. Although the mall has a Simplex system, Lord & Taylor doesn’t. They have BG-12s. The alarms are mostly red SpectrAlert Advanced horn/strobes and remote strobes on the ceiling. The biggest problem is the alarms in some of the changing rooms. The mens fitting rooms I was in had two rooms. The hallway between the rooms had a SpectrAlert advance horn/strobe on the wall. But each changing room also had a horn/strobe in it. OUCH! Thank god they didn’t go off that would be so loud in such a small room. They are advances! The changing rooms downstairs where my mom and sister were had a horn/strobe in it too, but it was bigger and the room next to it had a ceiling mount remote strobe. The other smaller changing rooms had a ceiling mount horn/strobe in the hallway, but no alarms in the rooms. Weird. I feel bad for anyone in the changing room I was in if the alarm goes off. That oughta hurt.
I agree the phone ringing noise is a stupid decision, likewise putting 4904 strobes where speaker/strobes once were. Wheelock E70s would’ve been a MUCH better idea.
I have also once driven by South Junior High one morning when they were having a fire drill; you could see the strobes flashing in perfect synchronization through the windows, and my brother said he could faintly hear the voice-evac message playing. And the people there told me that they all like the new Simplex system much better than the old Edwards system! I don’t blame them.
