I’ve seen a Simplex badged GX-90 before on a 4002 system (main signals were 4903 mechanical horn/strobes), so the idea of a Simplex SHG doesn’t seem too far-fetched.
As for the disconnection situation, this 4051 is on the opposite end of the school from the remaining 4051/4051+4050-80 signals, so I’m willing to bet that it was on a different NAC than those still in service. As previously stated, the rest of the Simplex devices in that part of the building were removed and I assume discarded when the EST system was installed.
Mine isn’t super strange, but it definitely isn’t something you see every day.
There’s a building near me that USED to have Simplex 4261-1 pull stations paired with Edwards Integrity horn/strobes on an older Simplex system (a few 40XX alarms remained as well). Obviously this isn’t super strange, probably just an ADA retrofit done back in the late 90s. Anyways, in 2007 the building received an addition, which had Wheelock AS horn/strobes paired with Edwards 278B pull stations. As far as I could tell, the addition had an EST3 system with SIGA detectors. Sadly, in 2015 the entire system was replaced by a Notifier voice-evacuation system (I shouldn’t even have to name the notification appliances and pull stations).
I found at a restaurant in Cleveland a Fire-Lite addressable system with BG-12LX pulls and Wheelock LHSW LED horn strobes. I took a picture of course, but those new low profile LED horn strobes are so hard to find in a packed and dim restaurant in the evening. Anyways, it was really cool, because until then, I have never seen LED alarms in an actual installation before.
Interestingly enough, in the restrooms they put in Wheelock RSS ceiling mount xenon strobes (RSS-24MCCW) instead of Wheelock LSTCW LED ceiling mount remote strobes…thoughts on this? I was thinking maybe due to costs, but not too sure. The panel had an ANN-80 at the entrance too…it was in trouble because the ‘OFFICE SMOKE DETECTOR’ was off its base. Smokes were SD-355 addressable smokes. Panel was probably an MS-9200UD or UDLS (or maybe an MS-9050UD).
I’ve seen this with RSS’s before. There’s a school near me that has Exceders (the xenon version), that has RSS’s wherever a strobe is required. As for what you mentioned, I’m not quite sure why that is, but I would guess it was either installed as a cost-saving measure or possibly a leftover from an older system.
Wheelock’s LED line is limited, for example, there’s no weatherproof version! This means if for some reason they wanted a weatherproof device in the bathroom (rare but it happens), they’d have to use a xenon. You were probably looking at a RSSWP-2475C-FW if I had to guess.
There’s also mixed use buildings where most of the building may require horn strobes, and one part may require voice evac so you end up with a mixed system.
I’ve seen this on schools often where the gym or theater may require a voice system and the rest of the school is horn strobes. The newest codes require voice evac for schools now, but older ones didn’t.
I’m assuming this means when my school district builds the new high school it’s going to be voice evac. Honestly voice evac really is hard to even hear, not to mention if in a situation where you’re in the middle of lunch with about 100 or so other students at a time. Just giving the perspective of current students that honestly voice Evan would be terrible. I think horn strobes are much better because they’re louder, more annoying, and give people the sense of ‘we need to get out of here!’
My school currently may be old, but those 9838s and 9846s in march time really get your attention.
It seems like whenever someone posts a video of the fire alarm going off and it’s voice evac, some people seem to ignore it. Now for certain areas like auditoriums I would see voice evac working out, but probably not in other areas.
I wouldn’t put voice evac in areas where there is a lot of talking going on and it gets loud. Especially if it was a big space. Say what you want about older horns but the 4 9838s in the cafeteria/gymnasium of my elementary school, 3 4051s in the cafeteria and in the auditorium of my junior high school and 1 4051 horn in both gymnasiums, and the 2 9838s in both the cafetorium and in the gymnasium of my high school told you to get the hell out before the school BECAME a hell.
Voice evac should be as loud as horns are required to be. NFPA requires all audible notification to be 15 db above average ambient noise. Often times in practice, though, this isn’t the case. It requires closer placement of speakers than would be required with horns, many amplifiers, and high wattage speakers. Inspectors don’t always check volume levels, and as a result, these systems can be quieter than they should be.
With 70V amplifiers and 8-inch speakers, you can have a system that will make you jump out of your shoes.
I’ve heard the TrueAlertES speakers are better quality and if memory serves me correctly they partnered with Bose to make them. They have much better bass and remind me of the old Wheelock’s ET-1080 speakers that were high quality. If I wasn’t going to be in college throughout the construction process I’d love to get a career with SG and hopefully help with the new high school system. I hope they choose Simplex, most new construction around here and retrofits (esp. with colleges and universities but I’ve seen it in newer high schools in the area) choose Simplex, so if they go that route we’re probably looking at a 4100ES system with TrueAlertES devices for both the new elementary school and high school. I’d assume if the middle school and primary elementary schools get renovated during that time (it was on the bond issue but depends if they have enough funds or not) they’d also receive such systems to a smaller scale. We probably have about 1,000 students at the max but it could still be a good custom system, and hey, if I do have a job with them by then (I’m looking at pursuing electrical engineering) maybe I could help with the project, but probably not unfortunately, as I’ll still be in college during that time period, but maybe the school board could take a recommendation? Although that’s up to the architecture firm and there have already been design constraints to a security issue standpoint (I.e. more glass could make it easier for an intruder to gain entry, but they’re working on a compromise from what I’ve heard from the admins).
That’s because people in general ignore fire alarm signals because they assume it’s always either a drill or false alarm.
It’s not that they don’t hear them, it’s that they’re choosing to not listen to them.