The 2010’s was memorable for me, of course, learning more about fire alarm systems and my collection getting bigger and bigger. Perhaps what was notable for me was always seeing devices installed in a system I have previously learned about in person for the first time (not counting obtaining one in my collection). For older horn/strobes, the first few examples that come to mind include but are not limited to an Edwards 892, Simplex 4050-80 with the “FIRE” lettering, FCI strobe with the “bubble” near the strobe tube, and even a Simplex 4048 (yeah, you read right).
For devices that were either released this decade or started to become more popular, this of course marked my first exposure to some newer devices. Most notably, these include the System Sensor L-Series (already, these are starting to become pretty popular, just like its predecessor, the Advance), the Wheelock Exceder (though I can only count on one hand how many systems I have seen with these devices), and even a system with some Simplex TrueAlert ES’s in some parts.
Of course, there’s some sad memories as well, such as saying goodbye to older systems I thought were cool (hey, the first time I saw an L-Series devices was actually a device retrofitted where a Simplex 2903 formerly was, so that was pretty cool for me), and even not-so-pleasant memories, such as being right underneath a SpectrAlert Advance right when the system activated! :shock:
[quote=EpicFireAlarms post_id=85894 time=1578754745 user_id=3400]“Other major changes in my area that pretty much reflected the trends nationwide included increased installation (almost exclusively) of addressable systems, the first systems utilizing LED strobes”
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Probably my favorite thing to come out of the 2010’s decade is are LED fire alarm strobes (Horn/Strobe, Strobes, and even Speaker Strobes). We first saw this with Wheelock, then Kidde, Simplex, and even Mircom have made their own variant. It’s interesting to see fire alarm technology go back to the “blinking light” for visual notification (I remember the earlier LED’s having a fade in/out kind of reminiscent of the Incandescent lights), however, with improvements to get them up to par with traditional Xenon strobes (sufficient candela, appropriate light output, etc). I’ve only seen one system so far with LED strobes (and it was only installed last year), so I am hoping in the 2020’s, we can see more LED strobes installed in buildings. These are cool, and should allow for life safety systems to become more efficient.
[quote=EpicFireAlarms post_id=85894 time=1578754745 user_id=3400]“an increase in fire alarm signaling used for general purposes (e.g lockdown alarms in schools), and an almost exponential increase in voice-evacuation systems. Voice-evac in my area was pretty much reserved for malls, hospitals, auditoriums, and universities at the beginning of the decade, but has now found its way into retail, government, and K-12 education settings.”
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This is another thing that has come out of the 2010’s that I really think is interesting as well; these systems being used for more life safety purposes other than just fire safety. I’m hoping to see more of these systems installed in more buildings in the future, they are really beneficial (definitely the first decade I’ve seen a few of these systems, evident with a Speaker/Strobe with “ALERT” labeled on it or a Speaker/Strobe with an Amber strobe attached)!
[quote=DownsLife+Safety post_id=85902 time=1578797985 user_id=4181]I’ll also comment that they tend to attract critters that get stuck forever and die, leaving a odd looking corpse in the covers… hahaha
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Thankfully, the Exceders I have seen have not trapped any critters in them…yet. 
Here’s to the 2020’s, hoping to see some cool stuff roll out this decade too!