What alarm do you have at work/school

Fire Alarm General Discussion
862

I have been singing professionally with a church choir in my area for just over a month now, and we had a fire alarm test last week during and after rehearsal, so here’s the system. The church is one large building made up of four distinct structures, all of which were recently connected to form the one large structure. By far, the notification appliances are the most interesting part.

System Control—Full Campus

-Simplex 4100ES—Main Control Panel (probably in a boiler or electrical room somewhere)
Simplex 4100-9607+4100-1292—4100ES Remote Command Center w/ Voice Capabilities (Main Vestibule)
Simplex 4603-9101—Remote Annunciators (I’ve seen three scattered around the campus)

Initiation Devices

Main Sanctuary+Vestibule
Simplex 4099-9004 Pull Stations
Simplex 4098-9792+4098-9714 TrueAlarm Addressable Smoke Sensors
Music Department Wing+Administrative Wings
A*T 5050-001 Pull Stations
System Sensor 2100 Smoke Sensors
System Sensor i3 2W-B Smoke Sensors (spot-replacements)
Multipurpose Hall/Dining Hall
Fire-Lite BG-12L Pull Stations
System Sensor i3 2W-B Smoke Sensors
System Sensor 5600 Heat Sensors
Christian Education Wing+Small Chapel
Simplex 4251-20 Pull Stations
Simplex 4098-9788+4098-9601 TrueAlarm Conventional Smoke Sensors (probably replacing older sensors)

Notification Devices

Main Sanctuary+Vestibule
Simplex 4906-9153 TrueAlert Speaker/Strobes
Simplex 4906-9157 TrueAlert Speaker Strobes
Simplex 4906-9103 Remote Strobes
The system plays the Fast Whoop and Default Message, All Strobes Synced
Music Department Wing+Administrative
System Sensor MASS-241575ADAS Sounder/Sync-Strobes
System Sensor SS24-1575ADAS Remote Sync Strobes
Steady Coding, Swept Frequency Tone, All Strobes Synced
Multipurpose Hall/Dining Hall
System Sensor P1224MCW SpectrAlert Classic Horn/Strobes
System Sensor SCW Remote Strobes
Temporal 3 Coding, Mechanical Horn Tone, All Signals Synced
Christian Education Wing+Small Chapel
Simplex 2901-9838+4903-9101 Horn/Strobe Plates
Simplex 4904-9101 Remote Strobes
Temporal 3 Coding, Strobes Flash Continuously

863

At my school, we have Simplex TrueAlert Horn Strobes. At my work, we have Spectralert Classic Horn Strobes.

864

Ok I want to make this post to explain the way Siemens installed the new MNS system in my school, as well as the blue lockdown strobes (essentially functioning as my schools “POLICE” system, just with no pulls). Honestly, the way these are installed is kinda strange when comparing the west building (ZH horn/strobes). Every classroom, bathroom, and other rooms in that building have the notification appliance in the dead or close center, and all hallways have horn/strobes in a row or atleast formatted in a pattern. Thats the way it is in the west building.

The east building, where the new ALERT lettered ceiling speaker/strobe alarms are have some weird placements, like how in the classrooms, it’s either really close to the front of the classroom or close to the back of the classroom, which can be really noticable in double rooms.

Hallway speaker/strobes and remote speakers will vary in any way. Plus, there are lots of instances where the alarm is really close to the wall or on the corner of a hallway section, and others when its actually in the center of the hall.

The gym and pool (both ceiling mounts, pool has weatherproof NAs) have really uneven grid mountings where the alarm would be inches away from the wall on one end but not the other.

The commons area has randomized speakers and speaker/strobes scattered

The leveled conference rooms have the remote strobe in the corner of the ceiling or the side. Same with bathrooms although the speaker/strobes are close to the door.

Outdoor alarms are pretty badly mounted— two ceiling mountable speaker/strobes on only one side of the school’s huge open square space inclosed by the classrooms. Not to mention that they’ve been turned so the strobes are vertical. IDK.

Maybe it’s because they aren’t fire only that Siemens can get away with this but who knows.

865

Did you school finally replace all of the horn/strobes in it?

866
[quote="Simplex 4051" post_id=82137 time=1540666483 user_id=18]

Did you school finally replace all of the horn/strobes in it?

[/quote]

No. They’re currently installing covers on the walls for the new pull stations to be mounted onto. Not many Simplex pulls will be replaced and instead pulled out and the hole in the wall will either be painted over or covered.

They did a really good job with replacing the strobe plates in the auditoriums with the speaker/strobes.

867

Are they gonna replace the old horn/strobes or jut keep them up and disconnect them?

868

I think after they install the pulls and replace the already existing TrueAlarm smokes with Siemens versions, the horn/strobes will go bye-bye. After all, that is still the main system and the new one is still in progress of being finished. There would be no reason to not remove the old Simplex alarms.

I do believe they will test the new alarms, might either just be the fire evac (pretty sure i know exactly which one, the fast code 3 tone that clips a few times w/ the female message) or one of those annoying “testing” messages that repeat.

I do not believe there are any plans to replace the stuff in the other building because that was done like 3 years ago.

869

THEY ARE REPLACING THE ALARMS. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. REPEAT; THIS IS NOT A DRILL.

Yep, a horn/strobe plate and a remote strobe (9846/9105 and standalone 9105) in one of the enterences were both replaced with speaker/strobes (SET-CMC-W-MNS-ALERTs), their Simplex pulls below (2099-9795s) replaced with the Siemens version (MSM-K(-WPs).

Yes, these are all the correct model numbers. This happened today.

I think they’ve finished fixing the wiring for all of them so the system flip (and a possible system test) might happen next week.

870

Boo! That sucks! I like the older horns! XD

Then again I’m biased but it does admittedly sound pretty cool.

871
[quote="Simplex 4051" post_id=82194 time=1541126946 user_id=18]

Boo! That sucks! I like the older horns! XD

[/quote]

lol true. I had no problem with the old horn and since my ears got way less sensative i can walk through those and TrueAlerts on continuous.

I think the really cool part is that the alarms are really well replaced. Like you don’t see much any trace of an older alarm besides the dust outline.

[quote] Then again I'm biased but it does ladmittedly sound pretty cool.

[/quote]

True. They just replaced most all of the pull stations on the second floor with Siemens versions, and it looks really weird seeing a -9846/9105 above an MSM-K.

I’m really hoping they don’t go off for something minimal like a severe thunderstorm. I’ve been wondering if they’re gonna swap the ZHs too since thats a much easier task. Or not, IDK.

872

Do you know when the first fire drill with the new system will be?

873
[quote="Simplex 4051" post_id=82206 time=1541201486 user_id=18]

Do you know when the first fire drill with the new system will be?

[/quote]

no idea. I’m assuming they will test the system after it’s finished but still i don’t know

and since they have ‘ALERT’ instead of ‘FIRE’ possibly any drill would use them

874

The administration building at my university is undergoing a system upgrade. The current setup consists of an older Simplex panel (4207, 4208 or 2001) with a 4300-series annunciator. Pull stations are primarily Simplex 4251-20s along with a few 4251-30s and Edwards 270-SPOBs. Signals are mainly Simplex 4051s along with a handful of 12901-9801s and a bunch of other odds and ends (including Simplex 2901-9818s, EST 757-1A-Ts, a Mircom Select-A-Horn and a Wheelock MT). Smoke detectors are a mix of older Fenwal models and conventional TrueAlarms.

The new system features TrueAlert horn/strobes (wall-mount and ceiling-mount) and remote horns. The pull stations haven’t been installed yet, but they will either be bilingual 4099-9001s or 4099-9004s. The smoke detectors are addressable TrueAlarms (which still have their dust covers). The new panel will certainly be a 4100ES.

I’m sad to see this system being replaced as I loved its variety of older devices. However, I’m not surprised by the upgrade as this building features one of the oldest systems on campus.

Old 4251-20 and new Simplex backbox:

500×631 16.8 KB

Old 12901-9801 horn and new TrueAlert:

500×667 21.8 KB

1 Like
875

Bye bye 9838s and 4051s. You all had a very long and fruitful life. :frowning: :cry: :expressionless:

876

They replaced all the Simplex alarms in the hallway that links the two buildings with the wall-mounted speaker/strobes not only that but also in the computer lab thats part of the hall. Pulls and smokes are installed and the red dust covers are removed from the smokes that replaced TrueAlarms, not new ones.

Everything else, just have to install the new pulls/smokes, replace a few wall-mounted alarms with speaker/strobes, and then everything will be wiped.

This is going a lot faster than I thought, lol. It looks weird not seeing the vertical red strobe plates and instead a white speaker with dust coating around where the strobe was.

877

I’ve changed schools quite a bit, and I can say, I’ve seen three interesting systems across two (technically 3) interesting campuses.
The first system is my very first elementary school, Fremont Elementary (Long Beach, CA). I was too young to ask to see the panel, unfortunately… Nevertheless, it was my favorite system, and I may be biased towards it because it was the one where I experienced my first fire drills. Anyways, now on to the system-
10" vibrating bells were installed throughout the campus as school bells, and served another purpose as fire alarm bells (rang code 3 in an alarm) In addition to the multi-purpose bells, there was a single Edwards Adaptahorn on the outside of the the school that was on the same circuit as the bells. I remember there being Simplex 4904-9137’s in the restrooms, too. In the portables there were SpectrAlert Classics, and if I remember correctly (I probably don’t), approximately 120 flashes per minute. (I remember because they did code 3, not synced to the bells, and after every horn pulse there was a flash, and one extra during the pause.) To this day, I dread the sound of SpectrAlerts. They destroy young ears! :frowning:

That was one school, one to go! I won’t say the name of it for privacy reasons, but I’ll describe the systems! Silent Knight FACP and Voice Evac Panel for the north campus (literally only 8 rooms including 5 tiny classrooms, and only 2 of the classrooms actually use voice evac), but I don’t know the panel for the south campus. Both campuses are on the same property, both are equally small, and both have completely different alarm systems.

North Campus:
Wheelock Exceder ceiling mount h/s in one classroom, wall mount in office and 2 other classrooms. I never took the time to find the detectors’ model numbers (and I couldn’t if I tried), but they’re silent knight.

In the other part of the north campus, where the Voice panel is, there are Wheelock ET70 (or something like that) speaker strobes.

No pull stations are in the north campus.

South Campus:

Wheelock V7001’s in the hallways and gymnasium, a couple of Wheelock AS horn strobes scattered about.

Faraday “Chevron” pulls throughout the building.
I have yet to be involved in a fire drill in this building.

So those are my schools’ fire alarms!

878
[quote=CaliRailfan post_id=82300 time=1541815397 user_id=3361]

I’ve changed schools quite a bit, and I can say, I’ve seen three interesting systems across two (technically 3) interesting campuses.
The first system is my very first elementary school, Fremont Elementary (Long Beach, CA). I was too young to ask to see the panel, unfortunately… Nevertheless, it was my favorite system, and I may be biased towards it because it was the one where I experienced my first fire drills. Anyways, now on to the system-
10" vibrating bells were installed throughout the campus as school bells, and served another purpose as fire alarm bells (rang code 3 in an alarm) In addition to the multi-purpose bells, there was a single Edwards Adaptahorn on the outside of the the school that was on the same circuit as the bells. I remember there being Simplex 4904-9137’s in the restrooms, too. In the portables there were SpectrAlert Classics, and if I remember correctly (I probably don’t), approximately 120 flashes per minute. (I remember because they did code 3, not synced to the bells, and after every horn pulse there was a flash, and one extra during the pause.) To this day, I dread the sound of SpectrAlerts. They destroy young ears! :frowning:

That was one school, one to go! I won’t say the name of it for privacy reasons, but I’ll describe the systems! Silent Knight FACP and Voice Evac Panel for the north campus (literally only 8 rooms including 5 tiny classrooms, and only 2 of the classrooms actually use voice evac), but I don’t know the panel for the south campus. Both campuses are on the same property, both are equally small, and both have completely different alarm systems.

North Campus:
Wheelock Exceder ceiling mount h/s in one classroom, wall mount in office and 2 other classrooms. I never took the time to find the detectors’ model numbers (and I couldn’t if I tried), but they’re silent knight.

In the other part of the north campus, where the Voice panel is, there are Wheelock ET70 (or something like that) speaker strobes.

No pull stations are in the north campus.

South Campus:

Wheelock V7001’s in the hallways and gymnasium, a couple of Wheelock AS horn strobes scattered about.

Faraday “Chevron” pulls throughout the building.
I have yet to be involved in a fire drill in this building.

So those are my schools’ fire alarms!

[/quote]

Do you know if the 10" vibrating bells at Fremont were Edwards devices? I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a system in person before with multi-purpose bells/horns, so that’s pretty cool.

879

They removed a few TrueAlert horn/strobes on one side of the school, and the only thing that is left are those small vertical covers. The simplex pulls installed underneath them are Siemens now.

880

They’re starting to take out the old alarms and pull stations, mostly in places where there are not many speaker/strobes around (with the exception of a few) If anyone cares, the 9846s and Simplex 2099 T-bars have a large backbox cover with a few exposed, with dust outlining where the strobe part of the 9105 was. TrueAlerts just get a mini-cover. Not sure what Exceeders will get because none have been removed.

Also a lot of smoke detectors are getting replaced.

881

Today…