What alarm do you have at work/school

Fire Alarm General Discussion
1110

Well, there are now no more Space Age VA4 horn/strobes left at my college campus! Hard to believe ten years ago nearly all the buildings had them, and now there are none left! The Liberal Arts and Humanities buildings finally replaced their VA4s with System Sensor L-series horn/strobes on adapter plates (covering up the holes left from the Simplex 4051+4050-80 horn/lights the buildings originally had when built in 1978, as the VA4s were large enough to cover the hole they left.) The Faraday MPC-7000 panel is still intact for now (installed in 2005 with the VA4s to replace both buildings’ Simplex 4207 systems), along with the FireSmart smoke/heat detectors and addressable dual-action Chevron pulls, but I assume those will be taken out very soon, as they are planning to put a Notifier system in these two buildings, since most of the other buildings on the campus already have Notifier systems in place.

And speaking of the L-series, I also saw that the daycare center in the Fine Arts building at the same college had an L-series horn/strobe installed this summer! From what I could see, the room originally did not have any alarm signals installed, as this new horn/strobe was on a new backbox and conduit (if there were originally an alarm installed in that room when the building was built, it would’ve been a SpectrAlert Advance horn/strobe on an adapter plate by now, like the rest of the building had installed in 2012 when their Notifier NFS2-640 system was put in.) Now if only they could go and install remote strobes in the restrooms…

1111

Wheelock HSWC, Wheelock SWC, Firelite/Notifier NBG12,
Simplex 2099-9754, and that’s about it for now.

1112

Well, the EST QuickStart at my high school is no more! The system was too quiet apparently, so a new system was installed this spring. The new system is a Kidde VS4, and the alarms are now mainly EST Genesis GC-HDVM horn/strobes, now installed in the classrooms and washrooms as well. Places where there is open ceiling, like the atrium, gymnasium, and shop have EST Genesis G1R-HDVM horn/strobes, in the gym, two are where the old bell/strobes used to be. Outside, ONE bell was replaced with an EST WG4RN-HVMC horn/strobe, the other two have plates covering where they were. The outdoor EST CS405-8A-T strobe remains, the only notification appliance not to be affected. The pull stations are still the original EST SIGA-270, but the smoke detectors are now Kidde KIR-PD. When the system goes into alarm, all strobes (indoor and outdoor) are synchronized, and all horns do code-3.

1113

I recently discovered that both my former elementary school (grades 5 and 6) and junior high/high school (grades 7 to 12) underwent upgrades.

My elementary school previously had an EST 6616 panel (installed circa 1994-1995). Initiating devices were a variety of 270-SPOs (older and newer models; French, English and bilingual versions) along with 6200-series smoke detectors. Signals were EST 882-2C horns. I noticed, while walking by the school a few weeks ago, that the panel is now a Notifier NFS2-640.

My junior high/high school had an EST2 system with a 2-CMDN annunciator (shown below); this system appears to have been installed around 1997-1998. Pull stations were round Standard Electric Time models along with a few 270-SPOs installed as replacements, while smoke detectors were EST SIGA-PSs. Signals were EST 757-1A-T (Integrity) horns set to continuous along with single-gang Integrity remote strobes in certain areas. While walking by the school yesterday, I noticed that a Notifier LCD-160 annunciator on a large silver trim plate was now sitting where the 2-CMDN was previously mounted; this leads me to believe that the new panel is a Notifier NFS2-3030. I was expecting the EST2 to be replaced as construction on a large addition began about one year ago.

I did not notice whether the initiating devices or signals had been replaced at either school, but I’m almost certain that this is the case (or, at my high school, that these devices will be replaced once construction on the addition is complete). My high school would particularly benefit of such an upgrade as audibility was problematic in certain areas; additionally, in such a large building, it would seem far more practical to have a fully addressable system rather than to retain conventional zones in the original part of the building.

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1114

Nice, I noticed a ton of schools here in Ontario are now getting Notifier systems retrofitted in them, mainly the schools built in the 80s-90s. One by the college I went to had a Simplex system when it was built in the 90s, drove by it a few weeks ago and now its a Notifier panel.

I always keep a lookout at my former high school, which to this day still has it’s 6500 system with the Edwards 24 single stroke bells. The new school should have opened September 2019, but there have been many delays with the construction. I know they have no intentions of upgrading the system, unless of course it happens to die and they have no choice, although I would think they would just replace the panel and leave everything else.

Another place I have been looking out with single stroke bells is an old theatre in my city we service. The system is a Mircom FA-1000 setup as a 2 stage system, which replaced a 6500. They left all the old 333D bells in place still, and the 270-GAO pulls. But, they are upgrading the theatre as we speak, and I am unsure if we will get to upgrade the system, as we have to bid on it.

1115

Some more stuff from school…

A Cerberus Pyrotronics FirePrint-style heat detector.

A FirePrint on a compact base (DB-11E.)

Also, the speaker/strobe with the hanging cage has been fixed!

1116
[quote="El Chupacabra" post_id=87772 time=1602431088 user_id=2572]

My elementary school previously had an EST 6616 panel (installed circa 1994-1995). Initiating devices were a variety of 270-SPOs (older and newer models; French, English and bilingual versions) along with 6200-series smoke detectors. Signals were EST 882-2C horns. I noticed, while walking by the school a few weeks ago, that the panel is now a Notifier NFS2-640.
[/quote]

I recently passed by this school again and was able to see the devices. The pull stations are Notifier N-MPS-SAs and the signals in the hallways are bilingual SpectrAlert Advance horn/strobes. This is exactly what I was expecting.

[quote=randomperson post_id=87829 time=1604124886 user_id=3878]

Some more stuff from school…

A FirePrint on a compact base (DB-11E.)
[/quote]

That’s quite interesting—I didn’t know Siemens offered this type of base for their FirePrint detectors. I prefer the appearance of flangeless bases, but it’s unfortunate that they’re not more common in North America; I understand, however, that they accommodate limited mounting options and that they can’t cover larger gaps between the backbox and ceiling finish.

The only detectors I regularly see with smaller-sized bases are EST models on SIGA-SB bases. Otherwise, the only other instance where I’ve seen compact bases was at the Toronto Zoo, which features Notifier FSP-751As and FSP-851As on B501A bases in certain buildings.

1117

For the local middle school in my Area, There are Ceiling-Mount Wheelock Exceeders Horn Strobes in the classrooms, Wheelock Exceeder Strobes in the bathrooms, Wall-mount Wheelock Exceeder Horn-Strobes in another building connected to the Gymnasium. Sideways-mounted Wheelock MT horns outside, Small simplex 6-inch tan bells in the Gymnasium and one other building, and small Autocall grey bells in the outside hallways, (Yes, my middle school is mostly outside). The small bells dont ring much, I only heard them ring once. I can get pictures soon. But I sadly don’t know the panel. It looks like a grey box.

1118

I went back to my university’s library for the first time since the pandemic forced its closure in March and noticed that its Cerberus Pyrotronics MXL system is being upgraded to an EST3. I thought I’d share the history of this building’s system as it’s one of my favourite setups. I’ve included a few photos of devices from the current system (MXL) below.

The library opened in 1972 and originally had a Simplex 4208 multiplex panel (pictured below), which remains in place despite its fire alarm portion no longer being in use. The signals were 4040 horns, one of which remains intact in a computer lab, and the pull stations were first-generation 4251-20s with bilingual lettering. At some point in the 1970s or 1980s, Fenwal smoke detectors were installed throughout the building. Newer 4251-20 and 4251-30 pull stations were also added during those years.

In 1995, the current system, a Cerberus Pyrotronics MXL, replaced the 4208. White Wheelock MIZ mini horns were installed throughout the building (signal coding is continuous). The Fenwal smoke detectors and Simplex pull stations remained in place, but DI-3 smoke detectors and Cerberus Pyrotronics-branded Notifier MPS-950B pull stations were added in certain areas.

Throughout the years, various devices were added to the building. For instance, I’ve seen a red Siemens SMH-25 mini horn, a white Mircom MH-25 mini horn, a white Siemens U-MHT mini horn, an Edwards 270-SPOB pull station, two Simplex 2099-series “break glass” pull stations (bilingual models) and a few Siemens FirePrint smoke/heat detectors. Between 2010 and 2012, the MXL’s original display was upgraded to an MKB-5; it’s quite interesting to see the newer, larger display in a cabinet featuring the older Cerberus Pyrotronics logo. Additionally, about four years ago, a few Fenwal detectors were replaced with conventional Simplex TrueAlarms.

The MXL is currently being upgraded to an EST3. While I haven’t seen the new panel, I saw a 3-LCDXL1 annunciator in a 10ANN enclosure. The new initiating devices are SIGC-270B (bilingual) pull stations and SIGA-PD smoke detectors, while the new signals are GCAVWF ceiling-mount LED horn strobes (I also saw a single G1ARF wall-mount remote horn). This is my first time seeing LED Genesis devices. The MXL is still active, although it is displaying a few troubles; similarly, the old initiating devices also remain intact for now. I find it interesting that they opted for an EST3 rather than an EST4.

With this MXL being replaced, the campus is down to only two Siemens/Cerberus Pyrotronics systems. These two remaining systems are also MXLs, and both were installed in 2002 in newly-constructed buildings. A fourth building had an MXL (also from 1995 and also replacing a 4208) which was <URL url="What alarm do you have at work/school - #795 by El_Chupacabra]replaced in 2017-2018 with an EST3[/url]. These Siemens/CP systems were outliers on campus as the university has exclusively used EST and Simplex since 2002.

Photos:

The original Simplex multiplex panel; the first cabinet at the left appears to be for the fire alarm system, while the other cabinets appear to control other functions (apologies for the awful picture—I had to take it through wired glass)

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One of the original 4251-20s (first-generation model with metal handle)

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One of the older Fenwal smoke detectors

A Cerberus Pyrotronics remote alarm indicator from the 1995 upgrade

A “Do Not Enter” sign on the concourse level (upon entering the library from the student federation building)

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1119
[quote="El Chupacabra" post_id=87914 time=1606003056 user_id=2572]

The original Simplex multiplex panel; the first cabinet at the left appears to be for the fire alarm system, while the other cabinets appear to control other functions (apologies for the awful picture—I had to take it through wired glass)

550×671 73.3 KB

One of the original 4251-20s (first-generation model with metal handle)

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One of the older Fenwal smoke detectors

A Cerberus Pyrotronics remote alarm indicator from the 1995 upgrade

A “Do Not Enter” sign on the concourse level (upon entering the library from the student federation building)

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Man those are rare as heck! I really like the bilingual 4251-20! Really a one-of-a-kind system!

1120

I have a few new discoveries of note while being at my workplace for over a year now:

  1. There are at least two Wheelock components to the system! The first is a MB-G6-24-R motor bell on the west side of the property that I believe functions as a sprinkler bell. I heard it being tested with some of the sprinkler infrastructure one day at work and it is set to continuous. The other Wheelock device is an E50-24MCW-FR speaker/strobe inside one of the clinics, which I presume replaced a broken-down TrueAlert.

  2. In the basement corridor of the original building, I’ve noticed these metal wall-mounted hooks with triangular holding plates below each Simplex strobe. It makes me curious as to whether there were older devices installed there in the past, but it also makes me curious as to why such wall-mounted hooks would be there in the first place.

1121

Another thing: here’s a System Sensor beam detector which replaced an old Cerberus Pyrotronics one in the gym.

1122

Went back to my elementary school recently- it was renovated along with all of the other schools in the district starting in 2016, and the system was actually partially upgraded, to my surprise. A Simplex 4010 was installed there in 2010 and it was pretty standard- Truealerts, T-bars, all the usual stuff. After the building was renovated, they replaced most of the wall mount Truealerts in the classrooms with ceiling mounted ones… the areas which they completely rebuilt now have Truealert ES’s. I don’t know if the 4010 was upgraded as well, but they do have one newer style annunciator (the two old annunciators were kept, though one of them was moved.)

The system that was there before 2010 was probably my favorite system that I’ve seen. The school was built in 1968, but I don’t know what the original system would’ve been, probably something Simplex since another elementary school that was built around the same time had a Simplex system (on a related note, does anyone know what panel(s) Simplex would’ve used in the 60’s before the 4208 came out?) Anyway, the main alarms were Wheelock 7002T’s with Firelite BG-10’s. There was a small addition in 1993 that had a couple 7002T’s as well as SAE V-33 strobes with clear lenses and Autocall 4050-001 pull stations. There was also a Federal Signal 450D and a Spectralert Classic horn that replaced broken 7002T’s. I have no idea what the panel was, but it was all coded to code-3 and it sounded so odd with the 7002T’s skipping.

1123
[quote="El Chupacabra" post_id=87914 time=1606003056 user_id=2572]

Photos:

The original Simplex multiplex panel; the first cabinet at the left appears to be for the fire alarm system, while the other cabinets appear to control other functions (apologies for the awful picture—I had to take it through wired glass)

550×671 73.3 KB

One of the original 4251-20s (first-generation model with metal handle)

500×587 34.2 KB

[/quote]

Seeing this stuff in Canada is even more rare and interesting to me, considering how popular Edwards was. I know one of my local hospitals had an old Simplex Incandescent annunciator still up, and a school In another town had an Old Simplex system. Didn’t know the panel, but the horns were flush mount gray Simplex 4040s and 4251-20 T-Bars. Now its a Mircom system with MH-25R Mini Horns & MS-401 pulls, there is 1 4040 still in the gym, mounted high up.

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[quote=EdwardsFan post_id=88061 time=1609558453 user_id=85]

Seeing this stuff in Canada is even more rare and interesting to me, considering how popular Edwards was. I know one of my local hospitals had an old Simplex Incandescent annunciator still up, and a school In another town had an Old Simplex system. Didn’t know the panel, but the horns were flush mount gray Simplex 4040s and 4251-20 T-Bars. Now its a Mircom system with MH-25R Mini Horns & MS-401 pulls, there is 1 4040 still in the gym, mounted high up.

[/quote]

I love coming across systems from this era. They’re becoming quite rare in my area, regardless of the brand (even older Edwards setups, despite having been so common in the past, are harder to find).

Like many other campuses, my university underwent a construction boom in the 1970s to accommodate the new generation of students; seven new academic buildings were completed between 1971 and 1978, and all of them appear to have used Simplex 4208 systems. The last of these 4208s was replaced with a 4100ES in 2019. Today, the oldest Simplex systems remaining on campus are 2001s from the 1980s, both of which have 4308-series annunciators with incandescent indicators; I suspect that these two systems’ days are counted.

1125

My high school was built in 1965 with an old what I believe was a 4208 system with 4251 20s and simplex 4040s and 4 inch bells that are still in the walls but not hooked up. Then around 1988 to 1990 a large addition took place and the new parts had simplex 4903 9101s with 2901 9838s on them. Panel most likely a 4002 judging by the 2098 9201s in the gyms media center and a few other places that werent replaced during a recent upgrade. In 1995 the ac horns on the old part and the old 4208 were removed and the 4002 was expanded to cover the old wing. 4903 9219s were installed in the old wing. I assume the alarms were on continuous. The in the early 2000s a small athletic center was added ( just another hallway with the weight room and spin room) the hallway was connected to the school but couldn’t be accessed unless you want through the courtyard or in through the back parking lot. The alarms in there were wheelock ns and nothing in the rooms until recently when they added exceeds in them. Pull stations through out were either 4251 20s or 2099 9754s. Around the same time a new guidance office was added and they put system sensor spectralerts in there. Odd choice but probably the cheapest way to go. Over time the mechanical horns on the gyms would be damaged since the school was too lazy to use protection covers so 4903 9252s were installed to replaced the broken ones. Fast forward to 2010 the school made a few renovations one being a new recital hall which had 4903 9425s installed, another being a cafeteria expansion which had smartsync trualerts in there and a new science wing with smartsync truealerts and strobe on the classrooms as well as waterproof MTs outside ( there were no strobes in the older classrooms just avs in the halls.) 95 percent of the initiating devices were upgraded to adressable and a 4100u or es was installed. The old alarms like the 9838s and the 9219s stayed but the entire system is now on code 3. And that’s about everything.

1126
[quote=cerbpyro post_id=87450 time=1596729237 user_id=3654]

Welp…due to COVID-19, the school district I was supposed to student teach in has dropped all their interns this year. I’ve been reassigned to another high school in a different district.

NWGHS: Opened ~1960. Original system: Probably an old Simplex or Standard Electric Time system. I’m not sure. Clocks are Simplex (I think). PA system is Valcom.

Control Panel
EST2. Main office. Matching EST2 remote annunciators in each building. Installed in the early 2000’s during an addition and renovation (I’m not sure of exact dates)

Initiating Devices
EST SIGA-278 Pull Stations in all the usual spots.
EST SIGA-PS (“traffic cone”) smoke sensors. Again, all the usual spots.

Notification Appliances
EST Genesis EG1R-HOV75 (red) horn/strobes. All the usual spots and all classrooms. Semi-flush mounted in the addition, surface mounted in the original buildings.
EST Genesis EG1R-V75 (red) strobes. Again, all the usual spots. Mounted in the same configurations as the horn/strobes.
Not sure what the mobile units have. If not EST signals, they probably have System Sensor or Wheelock devices.

Again, fire drills are gonna be LOUD…

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UPDATE: I’ve now had time to snoop around the building and get a good feel of the school and the systems. The original system was Standard Electric Time, as there are a few old 4-350 horns still on the walls, semi-flush mount, long disconnected. The addition and renovated portions opened Fall 2000, and the EST2 was installed then. However, the EST2 glitched out, so there’s been an upgrade and it was just completed last Friday. PA system is still Valcom and that won’t change anytime soon, as this district is using Valcom PA systems exclusively.

New Panel
EST4. Yes, the all-new EST4. Red enclosure, installed where the EST2 was in the main office. The remote annunciators were replaced with EST4 annunciators in the metallic bronze annunciator enclosures.

Field Devices
All of the existing SIGA and Genesis devices are still intact, and the Genesis’ WORK :grimacing:. Candela ratings (and model numbers because they’re fixed candela signals) vary based on signal location. There are at least three EG1RF-HDVM horn/strobes replacing defective units. The mobile units all have SIGA-PS smoke detectors and a mixture of Genesis EG1 and Integrity 757 horn/strobes.

1127

So my city, a small community has everything botch standard and the same. New community Buildings, Schools, and any city owned property will have a system of Gentex Commander 3s with National Time metal “T” Bars and Gamewell smoke detectors. The panel and annunciator is also National Time branded as well with the clocks around the buildings if there is the desire for them. So anyways, My elementary school, built in 2003 has the system of said Gentex Commander 3s and National Time Pull Stations and Gamewell Smoke Detectors and National Time Panel. That’s where my fascination grew with Fire Alarms. In Middle School, Built in 1958 and at the time of this post is being demolished, had a system of EST Genesis and Edwards 270SPOs but very little amounts of smoke detectors. The smoke detectors are EST ones and in some places had some really old looking ones. I could not tell what they were but they were really old looking ones like from 70s or 80s. It looked as if it were from that age. There was also an EST Integrity in the outdoor courtyard. Its the only Integrity in the whole building. I’ve never heard it, seen it go off and the colour has faded and the strobe has fogged brown. And obviously, this system replaced an old one beforehand. The School used to have Bells. Not sure about the pull stations as the 270SPOs all had the newer Edwards logo on them. Some of the Bells still remain in the building and on the outside in cages. But they don’t work. As they were building the new school. I did see part of the new system. They had the Metal National Time “T” Bars and surprisingly, One of those Gentex Speaker Strobes implying that they might have Voice Evac? Going into High School, Things aren’t as interesting. Built in 1999, It has a system of Gentex Commander 3s and National Time Metal “T” Bars. But they do have Gentex Commander 4s. There’s one there missing a cover and I see it every time I’m there which is soon to be everyday sometime? I do wanna try if I can snatch some goodies from the old Middle School as they are still keeping part of it and it is not fully gone…Yet. Its always a school that is 50+ years old that has to go. The city let that old building rot away and never did repairs to it. They did not even do asbestos removal when the building was in service all these years. The staff and the people in there were also shady and mean. But they did once let me press the button for the drill once.

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1128

The upgrade at my university’s library is complete. I went back this week and noticed that the MXL has been removed. Surprisingly, the first three cabinets of the 4208 are also gone. This leads me to believe that the 4208 may have remained partially active when the MXL was in service.

I also got a photo of one of the new system’s Genesis horn/strobes. I didn’t know Edwards offers these devices with bilingual lettering (although I miss the “running man” pictogram on the xenon Genesis devices).

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1129

My school has a 4100ES with Addressable dual action and single action T-bars.

The school was added onto in the 80’s and everything was replaced to 2901-9333’s on 4903 horizontal strobes mounted on retrofit plates. Bathrooms had 6 inch Faraday bells on retrofit plates. The older part was renovated in 2014 and the devices were replaced with Newer T-Bars, RSSP’s with 493D’s, and my school has way to many notification appliance spots so the installers ran out of RSSP’s and had to put 6 inch backboxes on the retrofit plates to allow for the 439D’s to be mounted.

Fire Drill: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXcbhhs6aH0&t=101s