Interesting system evolution. (Off topic, but the World Dryer AirForce is cool too)
nice shots with the strobes
That picture with the cage over the MA horn but not the Gentex strobe below it seems odd as it seems like the strobe would be much more fragile than the horn.
Well so a fun fact about this area! Up until 1999, this area was actually two gyms. In 1999, it was converted into a library, and a fourth cafeteria space. This device is in a large, unusual storage closet that at one point would’ve been one of the exits to the old auxiliary gym. This is why those doors are open, and there’s a very old exit sign that doesn’t appear to be functioning anymore. This storage closet also has the original, gym-height ceilings, making it all that’s left of the old gym. At one point, you can tell where covers were over the strobe and pull station, however they were removed over the years. I don’t know why the horn one hasn’t been removed though.
My school has a very interesting old system, but a normal current system:
Old System:
- Panel: Some sort of a 60s Edwards panel
- Pulls: “LOCAL ALARM” 270-SPOs (they are still there)*
- Horns: Vintage gray Adaptahorns (still there)*
New System:
- Panel: Fire-Lite MS-5UD
- Pulls: BG-12s and one lone BG-10
- Detectors: i3s
- Signals: Advances
*- they are now disconnected
That seems kind of risky to leave disconnected pulls on the wall. In a fire, someone may try to pull one of them and nothing will happen.
At the very least, disconnected pull stations should be painted/covered/posted with signage reading “No longer in use” - but this should be a temporary band-aid pending their removal. This is especially important if the new pulls are in different locations from the old ones.
That being said, in older buildings, they shouldn’t just rush to rip stuff out, especially if it’s flush-mounted.
The reason? Asbestos.
It’s in the wall, it’s in the ceiling, it’s all over the place in older buildings.
Asbestos is serious! It can cause lung scarring (asbestosis) which can lead to death. It can also cause cancer (such as mesothelioma), and the symptoms may not manifest for years or even decades after exposure.
Because of how dangerous it is, there are a lot of laws and regulations about asbestos, particularly in schools.
https://www.epa.gov/asbestos/asbestos-laws-and-regulations
https://www.osha.gov/asbestos
try and salvage the original system and put it in a fire museum. (are the signaling devices flush mounted? If they are, you should salvage the wall housing (back box) that comes with it as many collectors do not often salvage it when they remove it.)
1 Like
The Edwards old fire horns are not flush mounted (disconnected) and the 270-SPOs may be connected.
ask the maintenance staff if you could have the old system.
I’ve never heard of this at all. Well, I know asbestos can be dangerous, but it is usually found in building materials like insulation or certain ceiling tiles. Removing an old alarm won’t expose any asbestos. Maybe more if it is ceiling mounted, but not wall mounted.
I know we had to deal with it once in a hospital we service. The old wing still has asbestos ceiling tiles.
For the most part, FSP and FST 851s. There are some 951s that replaced some dead detectors.
Updated version!!
I have posted on this topic previously, but now that I have started at a new school that has multiple buildings, I wanted to remake this post…
So, my new school has multiple separate buildings of varying ages. Two are brand-new buildings, while a couple of the others have been around for decades now, and have been renovated over time. So, here is the updated alarm info:
Building 1 (the oldest building, refurbished in early 2000s)
- Notifier addressable Panel of some sort
- Notifier NBG-12LX pull stations protected by stoppers throughout
- Gentex Commander 3 Horn Strobes (even in the bathrooms #firealarmfail)
- Fire-Lite SD355 Smoke Detectors
Building 2 (newest building, built in the 2010s)
- EST3 Panel
- EST SIGA-278 Pull Stations (protected by stoppers)
- EST Genesis Wall-Mount Speaker Strobes, which make the default EST3 Fast Code 3.
- I haven’t seen smoke detectors
Building 3 (built early 2000s)
- Simplex Panel of some sort (4603 annunciator in lobby)
- Dual-Action Simplex 2099 pull stations
- and TrueAlert Horn Strobes
And that’s all I know of! It’s also worth mentioning that they use a Simplex synchronized clock system throughout the campus.