That’s a Simplex clock/speaker!
Ah, but it does remind me of the older clock/speaker units at my high school. Guess that may explain why there are no individual electric clocks or PA speakers in the school (a few disconnected speakers, but that’s about it). It could also be because they use a tone on the PA system for class-change (my high school did this too). Prior to the renovation, they had an old IBM clock system with 6" IBM bells (but a 1980s-era Simplex clock panel in the main office), now it’s a Simplex 6400 master clock panel. And I’ve mentioned they had an old Edwards fire alarm system with the old flush-mount Adapt-a-Horns but now it’s a Simplex 4100U voice-evac fire alarm system.
Wow!
I’m astounded, considering I was a student at Brockton High School!
Thank you for sharing!
As far as the IRCs (libraries) are concerned, since those Simplex 4040s were deafening horns, I’m just lucky the principal didn’t conduct the occasional fire drills while I was in the IRCs, 'cause when I was on one of their computers, I got a bit nervous 'cause the horns were right over the computers. I’m glad I got out of those libraries undeafened. Otherwise, I’ve have a very HUGE headache after evacuating, and reentering.
I know, I am glad I got out of that school undeafened, and those 4040s have caused many ear-ringing and headaches for me, too. I think once they get the money, that school REALLY needs to replace the fire alarm system. It IS rather obsolete, anyway.
And if you like that, I made another thread about the school I attended for kindergarten (the Edgar B. Davis K-8 school):
<URL url="Fire alarm pics from my elementary school! (Updated 9/15!)
Yeah, those Simplex 4040 horns were a heart attack waiting to happen to unsuspecting occupants.
Those things could give any occupants a heart attack if they get scared to death too much.
As for possible replacements if Brockton High School gets the money any time in the future, I wonder what it’d be like if the Simplex 4040s got replaced with voice evacuation speakers instead. Voice evacuation speakers don’t seem so scary.
It seems that with most new fire alarm systems the Brockton Public School system orders since the late 1990s, it’s almost always voice-evacuation. The Plouffe, Angelo, Arnone, Baker and George schools all have EST voice-evacuation fire alarm systems, and South Junior High School had a Simplex 4100U voice-evacuation fire alarm system installed during their renovation in 2003, and West Junior High recently had a Notifier voice-evacuation system installed.
With Brockton High, chances are they’ll probably install some cheap Notifier or FCI system, as they’ve pretty much moved on to the Honeywell subsidiaries at that school (the main building has a crappy FCI-72 fire alarm panel from the early 1990s that was always having problems, the new TV studio has SpectrAlerts for the alarms, etc.) I doubt they’d go back to Simplex for that school (that would probably be for if the Davis and Raymond schools have their fire alarm systems redone), but an EST system like the new schools built since 1998 could be a possibility.
It’s been a while, but here are some new pics!
Another shot of the main building’s crappy FCI-7200 -series fire alarm panel. I say crappy because throughout the time I was here, this panel had nothing but problems. It often needed to be inspected, it would often go into Trouble, it’s caused a number of frequent problems with the alarms, etc. Maybe once the school gets enough money they can upgrade the system…
The FCI MS-2 pull station in the new TV studio, which was built in 2003.
One of the two System Sensor SpectrAlert horn/strobes in the TV studio. It must be mad as heck hearing these and the 4040s both going off at the same time!
Some smoke detector. It looks like it may be a Gamewell model.
Another instance in the Fine Arts building where the pull station is SO high up, it’s really close to the Simplex 4040 horn!
One of the many Simplex 4255 heat detectors seen throughout the campus.
One of the newer Simplex 4251-20 pull stations, this one in the Azure section. Looks more like a Simplex system this way than with the Edwards pulls.
A mysterious smoke detector not too far from the maintenance section of the school.
Detail shot of one of the Edwards 270-SPO pulls in the athletic building. Come to think of it, I wonder what Simplex called them if they assigned a model number to them?
A Simplex 4040 outside the mens’ locker room that has seen better days.
The only 4040 that was installed without a flush-mount grille in the whole campus.
One of the 4040s in the gym that was re-installed with conduit above it. This occurred some time last summer. IDK why they would do this though. Maybe the old grille got damaged?
The same alarm but from another angle.
Chemtronics 600-series heat sensor in a storage room near the gym.
Any comments/questions?
Where’d you find this flush-mount grilleless Simplex 4040?
It’s in the back stairwell going from the gymnasium to the girls’ locker room and the swimming pool.
I think that’s a hidden camera, not an actual smoke detector.
You know, I THOUGHT something looked strange about that “smoke detector.” I’ve never seen it in any catalogs I know. Maybe that’s why.
They have those hidden camera sprinklers out there too. As someone who knows much about sprinklers, I can say that they look very fake. To the average person though it wouldn’t look suspicious at all.
You are 100% correct about the smoke detector hidden camera.
However I disagree with you on the sprinkler cameras. There are some VERY cheapo ones out there however this unit shown bellow looks 100% legit as that is a common extension/plaster plate.
If you look at this second photo very closely you will see that even this real sprinkler has the tiny hole in the plaster/extension plate just as the camera does
Oh yeah, the cameras that are hidden in the escutcheon plates are very well disguised. However, those cheapo ones that you see on ebay sometimes are very obviously cameras to those that recognize sprinkler designs. For example when you see the upright style sprinklers hanging in the pendant positition with no valve cap and a frame/deflector design that was never manufactured…
Here are a few more updates from the high school. Not much has changed, BUT…
They are now installing Stopper II covers over the pull stations! So far, they are only in the main building on the first floor, but I imagine this is an ongoing project, and hopefully by the end of the summer the job should be complete. But anyways I am glad they are finally doing this (I was one of the people that suggested to the school principal that they do this!)
Another Edwards pull with a new Stopper II. The old Simplex 4040 horns are still intact, of course.
They also still have the old Simplex 4247 panels at the Field House building (the main building still has the FCI FC-72 panel, and I didn’t see the Fine Arts building panel yet.)
The rewired install job in the gymnasium, still there. I do hope that the Stopper II project will spread over to this building as well!
Another 4040 horn and 270-SPO pull with Stopper II, in one of the cafeterias.
Overall, it’s good to see they’re finally improving the fire alarm system a bit (in fact, the Stopper IIs are a MAJOR improvement to the system IMO).