Make Up a System (2.0)

For something totally different, we have a small alarm and sprinkler monitoring system for an enclosed parking garage converted into an indoor skatepark and community center.

The panel is a Kidde/Edwards FX-5 with a Honeywell CLSS HW-AV-LTE-M-2 communicator tripped by the panel’s relays. Each of the two entrances (one on the lower floor and one on the street floor) has an annunciator at it consisting of a FSRSI/FSRZI-SA pair. There is also an Altronix AL1002ULADA NAC extender to provide NAC power throughout the building.

Initiation is as follows:

  • Zone 1 is used for elevator recall, with 4WTR-Bs connected to it and NC recall circuits
  • Zone 2 is used for the fire hat, with a 4WTR-B in the machine space handling that duty.
  • Zone 3 is connected as a combination waterflow and supervisory zone, as the building is fully sprinklered (with caged heads, as appropriate, to protect them from inadvertent impact)
  • Zone 4 is connected to KC2-OSH detectors at the panel and extender closets + a SK PS-DA behind the front desk and a PS-SA in the sprinkler closet. Alarm verification is used on this zone to allow smoke signals to be distinguished from a pull activation.
  • and Zone 5 is connected to the power-failure signals from the NAC extender

Notification consists of Gentex Commander3 hornstrobes throughout, set to the whoop tone and synchronized by the NAC extender, which is tripped by NAC1. A 24V Potter weatherproof bell by the FDC, running off NAC2, provides waterflow alarming.

5208 isnt adressable. i think you mean a panel such as the 5820

yes sorry about that I edited it.

Random abandoned building somewhere in a hidden part of a downtown area of a rural city in New York

This building was built in the late 60s as a single-story facility and was abandoned in the late 2000s to early 2010s. Luckily none of the alarm devices appear damaged in any way, however, some were pulled down with no alarms going off whatsoever, indicating that the system has been disconnected for awhile now. Another indication of the system having no power supplied to it is the lack of any lights on the annunciator or main panel. There is moderate vandalism throughout and outside the building too, however not on the alarms.

Old System: Couch Coded Pull System directly tied into the building’s electrical system

Notification Devices: Couch/Federal Sign and Signal 350 120VAC Horns

In the mid to late-80s, the system was replaced and the coded pulls and horns were completely removed.

New System: Firecom 8500 /w EVAC

Pulls: Rebranded Mirtones /w No Stripe (some had trimplates for retrofitting)

Notification Devices: Federal Signal DirecTone™ Speakers

Smokes: Edwards 62X Detectors

I wish this was true, because then we could possibly get our hands on a Firecom 8500.

It could actually be true, especially the 8500 part… although in a different form.

Yeah, I hope you’re right and some collector somehow gets an 8500 in their hands someday.

Tbh I wanna be that collector.

Another mixed-use sprinkler monitoring system, this time with a side of burglary, for a bakery(F-2)/coffeeshop(A-2)/8 apartments(R-2) mixed-use building (complete with elevator). This system also provides panic/holdup alarms, fuel gas and CO detection, and suppression monitoring for the hood system.

Panel

The panel in question is a B8512G, fitted with a B444-V2 cellular communicator and a B208 input expander and mounted in the bakery’s office. Annunciation is supplied by a B920 keypad in the coffeeshop and a B921C keypad in the bakery floor area; the keypad in the coffeeshop has a B208 input card mounted behind it in a B56 backbox.

Sufficient backup battery is provided for 24h of whole-system operation followed by 15 minutes of alarm; this consists of a single 18Ah, 12V battery. This is well in excess of the requirements for central station burglary alarms, but the 24h standby time is required due to the sprinkler monitor, elevator recall, and supervisory functions this panel performs.

Initiation

As an aside, the door contacts are GRI Magnesphere units (these provide a high level of protection against bypass for relatively little incremental expense over a standard reed), and the deadbolt monitoring is accomplished using SDC MS-18 mortise strikes.

Building Life Safety

The panel zones are fitted out as follows:

  • Zone 1 is connected to 4WTR-Bs in each lobby (basement, first floor, second floor) for elevator recall
  • Zone 2 is connected to a 4WTR-B in the machine room or machine space for the elevator “flashing hat”
  • Zone 3 is connected to the sprinkler waterflow switch
  • Zone 4 is connected to the sprinkler supervisory switches
  • Zone 5 supervises the various UL300 hood systems in the bakery (there is at least one and perhaps more)
  • Zone 6 is connected to the door and deadbolt (strike) monitoring switches for the communicating door between the coffeeshop and the bakery and set as a perimeter delay zone in one of the partitions, while being repeated as a “virtual” output to an otherwise-unused zone number in the other partition to allow it to be in both partitions at once
  • and Zones 7 and 8 are connected via a 3-wire cable to an AGS Mini Merlin CH4CO gas/CO detector that is mounted over the main door to the kitchen, powered from 120V exhaust fan power, and wired as follows:
    • A PAM-1 relay is used to provide AC trouble monitoring with its NO contact in the common line,
    • the switched common goes to both EOL resistors and the contact common on the Mini Merlin’s CO-only contact,
    • the CO zone goes to the CO contact’s NO terminal on the Mini Merlin and its associated EOL,
    • the gas zone goes to the combination (CO and gas) contact’s NO terminal on the Mini Merlin and its associated EOL,
    • the combination contact’s common is connected to the CO contact’s NC terminal,
    • and the 120V output from the Mini Merlin controls a gas valve in-line with the kitchen space gas supply line to shut the gas supply off in case a leak or CO condition is detected

This setup deliberately cuts the zone common ahead of the contacts on power failures due to the Mini Merlin’s alarm contacts being in the alarm state when unpowered. It also disambiguates CO alarms from gas alarms; due to the Mini Merlin’s inflexible design, a common infelicity on low-end commercial CO/NG sensors/alarms, it’s not possible to program its relays to function differently, nor is it possible to get a true trouble output from it to indicate EOL conditions back to the panel. (This is a problem with all of them: the Senva units can only be set with both contacts as NO or both as NC, and don’t document an analog trouble output, and while the Macurco units provide the most programming flexibility, Macurco doesn’t make a CO/NG combination detector.)

Bakery Intrusion

The expander zones at the panel, then, receive the burglary zones from the bakery space, set up to provide Extent 4 protection to the bakery and motion-based Extent 3 protection to the office within, along with Extent Partial protection for a safe in the office:

  • Zone 1 is a perimeter delay zone connected to the door and deadbolt switches for the main (back) entrance door
  • Zone 2 is a perimeter zone connected to the door and deadbolt switches for the restroom hall door
  • Zone 3 is a perimeter zone connected to a FG1625F glassbreak detector mounted on the north wall of the cake decorating room
  • Zone 4 is a perimeter zone connected to both door switches for the manually operated roll-up dock door in the back of the bakery space (near its main entrance)
  • Zone 5 is an interior zone connected to the door and deadbolt monitor switches for the office door
  • Zone 6 is an interior zone connected to the door switch for the decorating room door
  • Zone 7 is an interior zone connected to a CDL2-A12G motion detector in the southwest corner of the office with its microwave sensitivity turned down to near the minimum to minimize potential false alarms
  • and Zone 8 is an interior zone connected to a double-EOL tampered high-security contact on the office safe

The keypad, in turn, has one of its zones connected to GR3045CT panic switches adjacent to all doors in the walk-ins, and another zone connected to supervisory temperature switches within the walk-ins to monitor them for a failure condition.

Coffeeshop Intrusion

The input expander serving the coffeeshop space has the following sensors connected to it to provide Extent 3 protection to the main coffeeshop space:

  • Zone 1 is a perimeter delay zone that has the door switches and monitoring strikes for both main entrance doors to the coffeeshop space on it
  • Zone 2 is a perimeter zone that provides protection for the storefront glazing using 3 ceiling-mounted FG1025Z directional glassbreaks set for maximum sensitivity
  • Zone 3 is a perimeter zone that has the door and latchbolt monitor switches for the restroom corridor exit door on it
  • Zone 4 is an interior follower zone with 3 CDL2-A12G dual tech motion detectors on it, mounted to the west wall and northwest exterior corner within the coffeeshop space
  • Zone 5 is a 24hour panic zone with a Potter HUB-T or equivalent double-action holdup button on it for panic/holdup protection
  • and Zone 6 is an interior follower zone for the storeroom door.

The coffeeshop also has a dome IP camera in the back corner of the main space, set up to have a good view of the cashier’s station and recording to a local SD card.

Residential Security

The residential security system consists of a 4G/LTE intercom (a 2N LTE Vario would work, but others can be used as well), mounted in the inner vestibule, with a remote security relay mounted on the inside of the building providing power to the ELR on the inner vestibule panic. One of the inputs is connected to a door switch on the inner vestibule door and to a FG1625F glassbreak mounted to the vestibule ceiling to provide a local alarm if the door is forced or the vestibule glazing is attacked, while the other input is connected to a REX switch in the panic hardware.

Notification

Intrusion notification is supplied by ceiling-mounted ELK-74 Echo sirens, with one siren for each partition. They are centrally located in the main area of the coffeeshop and the main kitchen area of the bakery, and connected to the A and B outputs of the B8512G respectively, with output C used for resettable power throughout the system.

Life Safety

In-Apartment

The apartments have ordinary (non-interconnected) apartment entrance deadbolts on their main doors and a full suite of local smoke, CO, and natural gas alarms within them.

Exit Hardware

The corridors, bakery, and coffeeshop spaces are all fitted out with PLT 50290 exit sign/emergency light combination fixtures as-needed. In addition, there is a PLT 50311 in the center of the apartment corridor to supply additional emergency lighting, and a matching fixture along the front wall of the coffeeshop to supplement the emergency lights on the exit sign at the back, to go with matching emergency lights in the stairwells.

There is also a communicating door between the coffeeshop storeroom and the bakery; this door is fitted out as a double-acting door with a Jackson 20-330 or equivalent closer and a Rockwood 590 roller latch into a 590DA strike for door control, along with a standard double-cylinder (F16) deadbolt into a deadbolt monitoring strike for security. (This door cannot be a means of egress from the coffeeshop due to the fact it goes into a kitchen, which is not a valid egress route according to IBC 1016.2 point 5.)

Residential

The rear exit stair from the residential space is intended to serve only as an emergency exit, so it has a storeroom (F08) function lock on the door from the corridor to it. The front stair, though, simply has a passage function latchset on its door from the corridor; any further access control here would require also access controlling the elevator, which’d add significant complexity to a very small-scale building.

Common Space

The vestibule doors consist of a push-pull outer door with a closer and a Rockwood 590 roller latch to provide positive door control, along with an inner door set up with a nightlatch/storeroom (03) function Electric Latch Retraction panic device, using a SDC IP100FRK on a Falcon 25-R-NL rim panic, less dogging, with a Command Access CDL power transfer and a factory or retrofit REX switch. While costlier than standard hardware and a strike, this choice of hardware provides low-power operation while ensuring that egress code is still met and also resists common forced entry attacks better than an electric strike can as the latchbolt on the rim panic is less accessible to attackers.

The exit doors from the restroom corridor use panic hardware as well, but this can be done using another Falcon 25-R-NL, less dogging, for the exit to the outside and a medium or light-duty exit-only (01 trim) fire exit device for the exit from the restroom corridor to the residential lobby. The restroom doors, themselves, though, use simple classroom function deadbolts (F29 in the ANSI scheme) and pull handles, as each restroom provides two stalls.

Finally, a storeroom (F08) function lock is used on the door leading to the front stairs down to the building’s basement.

Coffeeshop

The coffeeshop has a double-cylinder indicating deadbolt (F16) along with push-pull hardware on its main door and a cylinder dogged dummy (02) trim panic on its auxiliary exterior entrance. The rear exit to the restroom corridor, though, is another storeroom/nightlatch (03) trim panic (another Falcon 25-R-NL would do the job, although this one needs to be ordered with cylinder dogging); while I’d rather use something that provides the lockout-proofing of the ANSI F13 corridor mortise function for this, there just isn’t panic trim available that automatically unlocks on egress in that fashion. (This is an issue for mobility-impaired folks as the only accessible routes out of the corridor go back through the coffeeshop and the bakery due to elevation changes within the building.)

The door to the coffeeshop storeroom is a pivot-hung double-acting door with an overhead concealed closer (Jackson 20-330 or equivalent) and a Rockwood 590 roller latch on a Rockwood 590DA strike. This provides self-closing double-acting operation along with positive control of the door at a relatively low cost.

Bakery

The bakery office uses a standard corridor (F13) deadbolt function (to avoid accidental lockouts). The cake decorating room door, though, is a double-acting door similar to the coffeeshop storeroom door; we use this instead of a conventional impact door to provide better door control and security, as impact doors are essentially impossible to secure without the use of canebolts, and provide no positive control over door location, which is a problem for intrusion detection.

The back exit from the bakery to the restroom corridor and the main bakery entrance door near the back of the building are also both F13 corridor deadbolts to provide protection against inadvertent lockouts.

Collage campus fire alarm system: I Apologize if anything doesn’t match up with the dates or appears unrealistic, it was difficult to find what products started production and which ones were discontinued.

Background: Built in 2000 most of the buildings were operated and maintained separately from each other. In 2019 the campus was unified and many upgrades were undertaken.

5 floor tower/Library (Built 2000, Expanded 2019)

  • Panel
    • 4100ES (Networked) (Replaced 4120, 2019)
  • Annunciation
    • InfoAlarm Command Center
  • Alarms (2019)
    • 49SV-APPLW ES speaker strobe (Wall)
    • 49SO-APPLC ES speaker strobe (Ceiling)
    • 49VO-WRF ES strobe (Wall)
    • 49SV-APPLW-O ES speaker strobe (Wall, Weather proof)
  • Alarms (2000)
    • 4906-9251 Addressable Speaker Strobe (Wall)
    • 4906-9254 Addressable Speaker strobe (Ceiling)
    • 4906-9201 Addressable Strobe (Wall)
  • Initiating Devices (2019)
    • 4099-9003 Pull
    • 4098-9714 Smoke
    • 4098-9733 Heat
    • 4098-9770 CO base
    • 4098-9756 Duct
  • Initiating Devices (2000)
  • 2099-9795 Pull
  • 4098-9701 Smoke
  • 4098-9732 Heat
  • 4098-9706 Duct
  • Fire Suppression
    • ANSUL CO2
    • 4090-9006 Controller + 4090-9812 Communications Indicator
    • 2080-9059 Disconnect
    • 2081-9046 Coil Supervision
      Module
    • 4099-9015 Pull + STI-13320CR Stopper
    • SS2026AB-EN Abort Switch + 4090-9001 IAM Module
    • AMT-24MCW-FR Addressable Multi Tone Horn Strobe (Wall, P1 Horn, P2 Slow Whoop, P3 Vibrating Chime)
    • 4906-9137 Multi Tone Horn Strobe (Wall, 500z Horn)

Large Academic Buildings (Built 2000)

  • Panel
    • 4120 (Networked)
  • Annunciation
    • 4100-1292 RCU
  • Alarms
    • 4903-9255 Horn Strobe (Wall)
    • 4904-9178 Strobe (Wall)
    • 4906-9131 Horn Strobe (Wall, Weather Proof) (added 2019)
  • Initiating Devices
    • 2099-9795 Pull
    • 4098-9701 Smoke
    • 4098-9732 Heat
    • 4098-9706 Duct
    • C01224T Co + 4090-9001 IAM Modual (Added 2019)

Small Academic Building (Built 2000)

  • Panel
    • 4020 (Networked)
  • Annunciation
    • 4503-9101
  • Alarms
    • 4906-9127 Horn strobe (Wall)
    • 4906-9128 Horn strobe (Ceiling)
    • 4906-9109 Strobe (Wall)
    • 4906-9131 Horn strobe (Wall, Weather Proof) (added 2019)
  • Initiating Devices
    • 2099-9795 Pull
    • 4098-9701 Smoke
    • 4098-9732 Heat
    • 4098-9706 Duct
    • C01224T Co + 4090-9001 IAM Module (Added 2019)

Dorms (Built in 2000)

  • Panel
    • 4005 + NSI (Networked) + DSM (Added 2019)
  • Annunciation
    • 4602-9102
  • Alarms
    • Hs4-24MCC-FR Horn Strobe (Ceiling)
    • RSS-24MCC Strobe (Ceiling)
    • LFHNKW3 Low Frequency Horn (Wall) (Replaced MIZs in 2019)
    • MTWP-2475W-FR Multi Tone Horn Strobe (Wall, Weather Proof, Code 3 Tone)
  • Initiating Devices
    • 2099-9756 Pull
    • 2100TR Smoke
    • 5601P Heat
    • DH100ACDCLPX Duct
    • C01224T Co (Added 2019)

Apartments (Built 2000)

  • Panel
    • 4010 (Networked)
  • Annunciation
    • 4606-9101
  • Alarms
    • 4906-9127 Horn Strobe (Wall)
    • 4906-9128 Horn Strobe (Ceiling)
    • 49CMT-WRF Multi Tone Horn (Wall, Low frequency)
    • 4906-9101 Strobe (Wall)
  • Initiating Devices
    • 2099-9795 Pull
    • 4098-9710 Smoke
    • 4098-9733 Heat
    • 4098-9756 Duct
    • C01224T Co + 4090-9001 IAM Module (Added 2019)

Sports Facility (Built 2000)

  • Panel
    • 4020 (Networked) + 4003 Voice Evac
  • Annunciation
    • 4503-9101
    • 4003-9803 Remote Microphone
  • Alarms
  • ET80-24MCW-FR Vandal Resistant Speaker Strobe (Wall)
  • E70-24MCW-FR Speaker Strobe (Wall)
  • STH-4R24MCCH-FW Cluster Speaker Strobe (Ceiling)
  • RSS-24MCW Strobe (Wall)
  • ET70WP-2475W-FR Speaker Strobe (Wall, Weather Proof)
  • Initiating Devices
    • 2099-9795 Pull
    • 4098-9701 Smoke
    • 4098-9732 Heat
    • 4098-9706 Duct
    • C01224T Co + 4090-9001 IAM Module (Added 2019)

Commons (Built 1988, Expanded 2000)

  • Panel
    • 4120 (Networked, Replaced 4100, 2000)
  • Annunciation
    • 4100-1292 RCU
  • Alarms (1988)
    • 2902-9735 Speaker Light (Wall)
    • 2904-9103 Light (Wall)
  • Initiating Devices (1988)
    • 2098-9642 Smoke Photoelectric, Heat
    • 2098-9508 Smoke Ionization
    • 4098-9402 Heat
  • Alarms (2000)
    • 4906-9251 Addressable Speaker Strobe (Wall)
    • 4906-9254 Addressable Speaker Strobe (Ceiling)
    • 4906-9201 Addressable Strobe (Wall)
  • Initiating Devices (2000)
    • 2099-9795 Pull
    • 4098-9701 Smoke
    • 4098-9732 Heat
    • 4098-9706 Duct
  • Alarms (2019)
    • 49SV-APPLW-O ES speaker strobe (Wall, Weather Proof)
  • Initiating Devices (2019)
    • C01224T Co + 4090-9001 IAM Modual
    • C01224T Co

Offices (Built 2000)

  • Panel
    -6808 (Networked, Replaced 5808, 2019)
  • Annunciation
    • 5860R
  • Alarms
    • GEC3-24WR Multitone Horn Strobe (Wall)
    • GES3-24WR Strobe (Wall)
  • Initiating Devices
    • SK-PULL-DA Pull
    • SK-PHOTO Smoke
    • SK-PHOTO-T Heat
    • SK-Duct Duct
    • SK-FIRE-CO Smoke, Heat, Flame, Co (Added 2019)

Administrative (Built 2000)

  • Panel
    • 6808 (Networked, Replaced 5808, 2019)
  • Annunciation
    • 5860R
  • Alarms
    • AS-24MCW Horn Strobe (Wall)
    • RSS-24MCW Strobe (Wall)
  • Initiating Devices (Replaced 2019)
    • SD500-PSDA Pull
    • SD505-PHOTO Smoke
    • SD505-HEAT Heat
    • SD505-DUCT Duct
    • ACD-V Smoke, Heat, Co

Admissions (Built 1880, Expanded 2019)

  • Panel
    • 6700 (Networked)
  • Annunciation
    • 5860
  • Alarms
    • P2WL Horn Strobe + WAV-CWL Wireless Base (Wall)
    • AWL Strobe + WAV-CWL Wireless Base (Wall)
  • Initiating Devices
    • WSK-WGI Swift Gateway
    • WSK-PULL Swift Pull
    • WSK-PHOTO Swift Smoke
    • WSK-HEAT-ROR Swift Heat
    • SK-FIRE-CO Smoke, Heat, Flame, Co

Maintenance (Built 1960)

  • Network Annunciation
    • TrueSite Incident Commander Graphic Annunciator (Networked)
  • Panel
    • 4007ES (Networked, Replaced Codded Pulls 2019)
  • Alarms
    • 2901-9333 Bell (Vibrating) + 4904-9139 Strobe Plate (Wall, Added 2000)
    • 2901-9362 Bell (Single Stroke) + 4904-9139 Strobe Plate (Wall, Added 2000)
    • GB10-24 Bell (Vibrating, Added 2019) + 4904-9139 Strobe Plate (Wall, Added 2000)
  • Initiating Devices
    • 4099-5214 Pull
    • 4098-5292 Smoke
    • 4098-5293 Heat
    • 4098-5290 Smoke, Heat, Co
    • 4098-5214 Duct

Hospital (Off Campus, Built 1988, Expanded 2024)

  • Panel
    • N16x + 4905-9938 (Replaced 4100, 2024)
  • Annunciation
    • ACM-30
  • Alarms (2024)
    • SPSCWL-TILE Speaker Strobe (Ceiling)
    • SCWL-TILE Strobe (Ceiling)
    • UL22DM Speaker With Device Mount
  • Alarms (1988)
    • 2903-9234 + 4904-9139 Strobe plate (Wall, Added 2000)
    • 4904-9137 Strobe (Wall)
    • UL22DM Speaker With Device Mount (Ceiling, Added 2024)
  • Initiating Devices (2024)
    • NBG-12LX Pull
    • VEA-040-A10-NTF Pinpoint Aspirated Smoke + XCL-VEA-CO-RM Co sensor
    • VEP-A10-P-NTF Aspirated Smoke + XLC-LB-CO-RA Co Sensor
    • FSP-951-SELFT Self Test Smoke
    • FSP-951 Smoke
    • FPC-951 Smoke, Co
    • FST-951 Heat
    • FSCO-951 Co
    • DNR Duct
    • FS-OSI-R Beam
    • XP6-MA Six-zone Interface Module
    • 2W-B Smoke (Mounted on UL22DM)
    • CO1224TR Co (Mounted on UL22DM)
  • Initiating Devices (1988)
    • 4251-20 Pull
    • 2098-9209 Smoke (Mounted on UL22DM)

If I may ask, what areas do you see the ANSUL system in the library and the aspiration (VESDA) and beam smoke detectors in the hospital building covering? Also, I didn’t know the UL22DM was a thing.

So the Ansul system is covering a server room for the tower, it’s supposed to be a library/mixed use facility. The aspirating detectors are supposed to cover operating rooms and rooms that must remain sterile. The beam detectors are for skylights in the lobby of the hospital. I wanted to include those speakers in a unique way, as it appears it would be an easy way to add voice evac. Admittedly it’s not fully realistic, but I wanted to make a system that is physically possible.

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This post will actually consist of two systems in two separate buildings. In short, my local Hobby Lobby is moving into and renovating a Kmart building that has been vacant for 5 years. The existing Hobby Lobby building (which was built in the 80’s and was overhauled and moved into by Hobby Lobby in the early 2000’s) will be turned into a clinic.

Here is a local news story with more information about the situation:

(New) Hobby Lobby- Bismarck, ND (Opened in 2026):
Panel: Potter AFC-100 addressable panel

Notification Appliances: Potter PE-HSWC, PE-STWC, PE-HSW, and PE-STW horns and horn/strobes

Pull Stations: Potter PAD100-PSSA addressable pull stations

Detectors: Potter PAD300-PD smoke detectors

(New) Sanford Clinic (Opened in 2028):
Panel: Siemens FC901 50 point addressable panel or FC922 250 point addressable panel

Notification Appliances: Siemens SC (Acend) series conventional strobes and horn/strobes

Pull Stations: Siemens XMS-S addressable pull stations

Detectors: Siemens OP921 addressable smoke detectors

It is important to remember that this is complete guessing, and I am probably wrong, especially with the new Hobby Lobby store. I am fairly certain that that is the system the new clinic will have, as that medical company uses Siemens systems in every one of their buildings I have been in.

I did make a post about the existing Hobby Lobby’s system: