I highly doubt it. In most cases they don’t save the old alarms, and they can’t re-sell them (not even on eBay) due to a state law. So I am sorrry 
Today my brother and I went over to the Edgar B. Davis K-8 school. As I’ve said, we went here for kindergarten, as well as for a summer camp in 2000. Naturally, the school wasn’t open (it was summer vacation, plus it was Saturday!), so we just peeked in through the windows at the various rooms and corridors.
The old 6-inch Simplex bells and grilles are still there today, and so are the three 10-inch bells outside. The fourth bell was never replaced; it was still plated over. One of the grilles for the bell looked pretty beat up.
As for the fire alarms, the old Simplex fire alarm system is still there as of today, complete with the Simplex 4051 horns on 4050-80 light plates, the 4251-30 break-glass pulls, and the Simplex graphic annunciator in the main entrance. I also found out what the ceiling devices are: they’re metal Chemtronics heat detectors, just like at my college and high school! Didn’t see the gyms though, so I can’t comment on the SAE-Simplex horn/lights if anybody asks. And I couldn’t see the control panel so I still don’t know what the control panel is, but I’m betting it’s still a Simplex 2001 or similar model. The old Simplex bell and 4051/4050-80 that was in my kindergarten classroom are still there.
However, at one exit I saw a VERY strange install job: there was a Simplex 4050-80 retrofit plate, but the 4051 horn was on TWO silver backboxes, with the third mounted into the light plate. And in the middle of one backbox was a metal electrical pipe tube leading to a Simplex 4251-30 break-glass pull, which I think was also on a backbox. I didn’t take any pics, because I didn’t bring my camera, and it was kinda dark in the school and the pics wouldn’t show up well through the window I saw. I wonder if that was always like that since 1974, or they did some kind of renovation or fixing up there resulting that “mutant” alarm there.
But it’s good to see a classic Simplex fire alarm system like that still in service. Any comments?
That “metal electrical tubing” is known commonly as conduit, or EMT (electrical metallic tubing). Of course, you can’t simply staple fire alarm cable to a wall, because it might get damaged, so they put it in conduit. This makes it practically fireproof, and very resistant to cutting.
Whatever the case, I can’t believe I forgot all about that bizzare install job! I guess it all comes from not setting foot inside that school for eight years. Hopefully next time I visit, if I bring my camera and if they let me take pictures (hopefully when school is not in session), I can take a picture of this “mutant” 4051/4050-80 to show you guys!
Hmm… come to think of it, I wonder if any of the old Simplex 4051/4050-80s at my college were ever installed this way?
that reminds me… I visited my ES for the first time in 5 years a couple months ago, and I saw how poorly everything was actually put together. The projector cones over the MA sounders obviously didn’t fit right, and one was even hanging by a thread! (a screw thread.) I did them a favor and tightened the projector back down when nobody was around. Most of them were not even on weatherproof boxes, and they were outside. The one that was on a weatherproof box was almost falling down, it was held in by only one screw anchor.
And, there was one setup where an MA was mounted on two non-WP backboxes… I honestly don’t think it’s gonna be fixed.
commanders
I went to another school (middle school, that’s in the same school district that my ES, MS, and HS is in) with my grandmother to pick up my brother from police academy so here are the alarm components.
When I walked in, I saw a Simplex 4251-20 T-Bar with “Zone 4” marked on it like this,
except it said “ZONE” on the left (diagonally), not “Z”.
Simplex 2901-9333 (or similar, not quite sure) bells.
Oddly enough, there were these kind of strobes…
Edwards Triangular Strobes (model 802-2B-001) similar to the strobes seen on the 892 series. At first, I thought they were some kind of 2903 style remote strobe but I looked carefully at it and it wasn’t. Kind of weird but some Simplex systems would use Edwards heats, and Edwards pulls, but in this school they use Edwards notification appliances!
I’m assuming it’s a Simplex system but I’m not exactly sure because we went to the cafeteria or gym to pick my brother up.
Way back when my dad when my dad worked for The Mills Corporation, he worked in an office close to DC. In fact, he saw the Pentagon on the day of 9/11 he was that close. I can’t remember every single component I actually only know what the alarms were. I’m willing to bet that building had a Simplex 4100 w/ Voice Evacuation because it had ceiling mount Speakers and 4903 Rectangular Strobes. I even forget what the pull stations were. I haven’t been in that building since I was like 7 though.
Unfortunately, the Mills Corp got bought out by Simon Malls and he lost his job. But he’s now working at The BonTon which is a store chain in the Northeast. He works in their corporate office which really isn’t much. It’s basically a two story building. The main lobby had Wheelock AS’s and Fire-Lite BG12 LX’s. Downstairs is most of the meeting rooms. Then upstairs is really not much because it’s the upstairs (storage area) of a store but they rent out some space for offices. It doesn’t really have much I only saw like one MASS Horn on the ceiling then one MASS back in the offices where my dad works.
I know I have posted my school system before but I wanted to update some model numbers.
Starting with Elementary School (Bennett Elementary in Northern, VA):
Notifier AFP-300
Fire Lite MP-12/24 (believed to be used for elevator recall)
Graphic Annunciator of school (Features: System Reset, and Lamp Test)
Wheelock MT-24-LSM in hallways, cafetorium, gym, and office areas.
Wheelock MIZ-24-LSM (model number?) in classrooms and story room
Wheelock RS strobes on 2nd floor stairwells and small offices
BG-10 Pull Stations in most areas except classrooms
Unknown Smokes
2003 Addition to school:
Wheelock NS in downstairs hallway and all classrooms
Wheelock RSS in new bathrooms and upstairs hallway and in 2 classrooms (hard to explain)
BG 10 by downstairs exit.
Middle/High School*
Simplex 4100
2 Graphic Annunciators and each have a 4603-0001 LCD Annunciator built in (1 in high school, 1 in middle school)
Simplex 4903-9236s (15Cd) in hallways, and stairwell exits
Simplex 4903-9237s (30Cd) in classrooms, office area, guidance office, tech ed rooms (4 alarms), and FACS Rooms
Simplex 4903-9238s (110Cd) in gym, cafeteria, auditorium
Simplex 4904-9176 (15Cd) in restrooms, and small offices
Simplex 4098-9714 TrueAlarm Photoelectric Smoke Detector on 4098-9792 Base in stairwells, some classrooms including science and computer labs, and restrooms
Simplex 4098-9733 Heat Sensor with 4098-9792 Base in Tech Ed rooms and probably kitchens
Simplex 4099-0003 Dual Action Pull Stations
WPMT-24-LSM in pool area
2 MT-24-LSM in each of the pool locker rooms (shivers…)
1 RSS Remote Strobe in each of the pool locker rooms in restroom area
And I believe that is everything…
*-This section is based off the middle school area, I will update this area of anymore alarms I see.
Today my brother and I checked out the Oscar F. Raymond elementary school, where one of my brother’s friends went for grades 1-6. This school is virtually almost identical to the Edgar B. Davis K-8 school, which I’ve mentioned numerous times on this website and took pics of here:
<URL url="Fire alarm pics from my elementary school! (Updated 9/15!)
Differences between the two schools are the size and location of the blacktops and ball fields, the playground equipment, the walls outside are bright yellow instead of dark brown, the sides of the roof are mainly blue and green instead of blue and red like the Davis, the carpeting in many of the places are blue and not red, and many of the doors are mainly either solid light blue or green with a red or blue stripe (instead of dark blue doors with red or light blue stripes), and the way the bells and fire alarms are arranged/installed is a little different too.
But the bell, clock and fire alarm systems at the Raymond school use the exact same components as the Davis school. The bells are 6-inch gray Simplex bells behind grilles inside, and the outdoor bells are 10-inch Simplex bells behind grilles. The fire alarm system features a Simplex 4208 or similar system, Simplex 4051 horns on 4050-80 light plates with no “FIRE” lettering (I’m not sure if they are 4050s or 4051s, but since the Davis has 4051s, I assume that the Raymond has 4051s too), Simplex 4251-30 break-glass pulls and a graphic annunciator similar to the one at the Davis in the main entrance. I didn’t see any ceiling-mount initiating devices, but I’m willing to bet they have Chemtronics heat detectors like the Davis school does. And I’m not sure if the hallways that had Edwards 270-SPO pulls at the Davis have 270-SPOs at the Raymond either, and I don’t know if the Raymond has an SAE horn/light in the small gym like the Davis. However, the way the 4051 horns are installed into the light plates is kinda interesting; they are mounted deeply into the light plates and almost look like they are flush-mounted, unlike at the Davis where the 4051s stick out a bit like most install jobs like this are. Not only that, but that area at the Davis school that has that awkward 4051/4050-80 install job…
This type of install job does not exist at that section of the Raymond; the 4051 is installed into the 4050-80 light plate like all the others are.
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I never told you guys about the alarms from kindergarten and preschool. I lived in Cambridge so it was different from my ES for grades 1-4. The alarms at my kindergarten school were Gentex speaker/strobes that were the square kind. The classrooms either had remote strobes or speaker/strobes, but I was too young to notice. The pulls were either single action FCI pulls or Fire-Lite/Notifier BG-8s. They all had Stopper covers over them. I had pulled the false alarm at the building in downtown boston and originally thought the pulls at my kindergarten school used keys to set off the alarm. I know now that this isn’t the case. I don’t know what pannel it had.
P.S. One more thing about my ES. I am assuming the alarms are 9806s since I remember they sounded at the pitch the 9806s sound at. I also remember the horns under the grilles looked slightly different from others (which were 9833s and 9838s) so maybe the alarms are 9806s. I doubt they are 4050s or 4051s since those sounded lower. If I go back to visit my ES (which I might do since I need community service hours for HS) I will let you guys know the official alarms there. I didn’t notice the difference between the horns back then.
The West Junior High School, where my parents went for junior high, apparently originally had an old Gamewell fire alarm system similar to the one at East Junior High. It has the old coded-style Gamewell pull boxes (like the one Dan D. and willbill here have), which are in the hallways and cafeteria and I believe the gym as well. The signals are these old large gray single-projector horns. I don’t know what they are. They might be Faraday or Benjamin horns. In the hallways those are the signals. However they apparently had a system upgrade recently. At the stairwells and exits are Notifier NBG-12LX pulls, and in each classroom is a SpectrAlert Advance strobe, and in some rooms and the cafeteria are SpectrAlert speaker/strobes. I didn’t see the current panel, but I DID see an older-style fire alarm panel in the main office. The new panel must be hidden. If the surviving projector-horns are still connected, then they must have one heck of a fire alarm system! Cause I saw in the cafeteria there was a Spectra speaker/strobe over an older Gamewell pull. There are also FATP-851 smoke detectors painted over with white!
The school bells still appear to be intact in most places. Some unknown 8-inch white bells. Outside are a mix of 6-inch Edwards Adaptabels, 10-inch IBM bells, and a 10-inch Adaptabel.
With the fire alarm upgrades going on at West Junior High (either this summer or the past summer) and South Junior High (summer 2003, they completely replaced all the old Edwards fire alarm components there with a Simplex 4100U voice-evac system), I wonder what fire alarm upgrades they might’ve done at East Junior High?
I went on a tour of Belmont High School today. This is where I will be going to High School. The fire alarm system here is a VERY OLD Simplex System. I haven’t seen the panel, but the pulls are Simplex Chevron pulls, like I thought I remembered. There is one Fire Lite or Maybe Notifier BG-6 near the Math department though. I think I also remember seeing a T-Bar (not sure which kind) in one of the locker rooms a long time ago. The alarms I am afraid to say are probably the oldest alarms I have ever seen. They are not Federal 450es behind grilles, they are either Simplex 4040, 4050, or 4051s. There are no light or strobes in the building. I am afraid fire drills may be torture for me since these Simplex alarms are some of the loudest there are. THANK GOD there are no alarms in any of the classrooms I have seen. I would be very startled to have to hear those loud alarms right from the rooms. There are very few alarms. For example, Chenery Middle School, where I went to middle school, auditorium had six 4903 rectangular speaker/strobes. Belmont High School’s auditorium has only two alarms. Most alarms are wall mounted except the Cafeteria’s are ceiling mounted. All the alarms are red. The only things that are newer are some of the smokes. I have actually seen some TrueAlarm smokes. The older smokes probably are the ones used around the time the old Simplex alarms were used. Overall, I am not a big fan of this system. One positive of an old system is you never know when the building will upgrade. I am hoping maybe within the next few years I will start seeing newer alarms. Maybe there will be Simplex TrueAlerts. That is what I am excited about. Belmont High School’s current building was built in the 70s, and the alarms are definitely no longer ADA compliant. Please give me your advice about this system.
Oh man, I had to suffer through a fire alarm system like that in MY high school. They had an old Simplex system (actually three old identical Simplex systems, since the school had three buildings). They all had Simplex 4246-1 systems or something similar (though the main building had a newer (1990s-era) FCI panel). Most of the signals were Simplex 4040s behind flush-mount grilles. They were VERY VERY VERY VERY LOUD!!! Even louder than the VA4s at my college, and louder than Simplex 4051s at the Davis K-8 school! One horn in the swimming pool was a Simplex 2901-9806 behind one of the grilles, probably a later replacement. Many of the pulls were Edwards 270-SPOs (remember, Simplex liked using Edwards products quite a bit throughout the 1970s), with a few Simplex 4251-20s as well (probably replacing broken 270-SPOs). On the ceiling, we had the old metal Chemtronics heat detectors. But three hallways (one above the other) in the core section of the main building have System Sensor 2451 smokes, and one hallway in the Yellow building has a 9-volt First Alert smoke! The Fine Arts building had a new TV studio added onto in 2003, built in an older classroom (which originally had no alarms), which now features two SpectrAlert horn/strobes, and an FCI MS-2 pull. I recall the fire alarm system in the Fine Arts building always had difficulties in being silenced and reset. I doubt the system will be replaced for some time even though it is no way up to code (they’re probably grandfathering it). They will probably only replace the systems if they break down. Heck, the Simplex fire alarm system at the Davis K-8 school (Simplex 2001 or 4002 with 4051+80s and 4251-30 pulls) seems to be in better condition than my high school’s!
However, with my public school system, they seem to only replace the old fire alarm systems if the building gets renovated or the old system breaks down. For example, the South Junior High School and Huntington K-5 school both used to have Edwards systems (South Junior High had 360-L adaptahorns, I don’t know what the Huntington had), but then they were renovated and had them replaced with Simplex systems. South Junior High now has a Simplex 4100U voice-evac system (installed in 2003) with TrueAlert speaker/strobes, TrueAlarm smokes and 4099-9003 pulls (as well as at least one 4099-9001 pull, Wheelock E70s in the locker rooms, and TrueAlarm heat detectors in the kitchen). The Huntington school now has a Simplex 4208 system (installed in 1979) with either 4050 or 4051 horns on 4050-80 light plates (unlike the Davis, these had “FIRE” in black on the lens), 4251-30 break-glass pulls and Edwards heat detectors; there also used to be some kind of SAE horn/light outside, but it was replaced a few years ago with a Wheelock A-MT horn/strobe. And the West Junior High school is slowly having the old Gamewell horn system replaced with a Notifier voice-evac system with SpectrAlert speaker/strobes, SpectrAlert Advance remote strobes, Fire-Lite smokes (same kinds as being installed at my college) and NBG-12LX pulls, but the old Gamewell pulls are still intact, so are a couple of the old projector horns.
Some schools had the old panel break down, and had to have only that replaced. Examples include my high school’s main building, and the Davis K-8 school, which used to have either a Simplex 4207 or 4208 panel (since it was built in 1974), but it was probably replaced with a newer Simplex panel sometime in the 1980s or early 1990s (I think the new panel is either a Simplex 2001 or a Simplex 4002; it’s set on 20BPM March Time, while the 4208 might’ve been on Continuous). They also replaced the old annunciator (probably the “block-style” annunciator seen on 4208 and early 2001 systems) with a newer Simplex graphic annunciator, and I think this was also when they installed the 2098-9806 test stations.
But if Brockton High School were to have the system upgraded, I’m willing to bet they’d go with FCI or Notifier instead of Simplex, due to the FCI panel in the main building, the Spectras and MS-2 in the new TV studio, and the System Sensor 2451 smokes in one section. But if they have to upgrade the fire alarms at the Davis K-8 school, I certainly hope the new system would be a Simplex system too. Judging by the size of that school, they’d probably replace it with a 4100U voice-evac system (most likely with TrueAlert speaker/strobes, which would easily hide the holes the 4050-80s used to be).
And as for the Simplex 4251-113 Chevron pulls, the only places I’ve seen them in Brockton so far are at some church, which has these pulls and gray flush-mount Simplex 4040 or 4050 horns, and the Suprerior Courthouse, which has these pulls and Simplex 4050 or 4051 horns on 4050-80 light plates (this install job was most likely done in the early 1970s)
I’d like to edit that the website says that the school was established in 1865. What Simplex alarms were around then, 4040s?
Simplex did not have a fire alarm division until 1957-1958. The alarms were probably installed during a renovation in the late 1960s or early 1970s. The Huntington school was built in 1896, but the Simplex 4208 fire alarm system (4051+80 horn/lights and 4251-30 pulls) was installed during a renovation in 1979. And the courthouse I mentioned was built around the 19th century, but the Simplex fire alarm system was probably installed there in the early 1970s
I’m guessing the fire alarm system at my high school was installed when the school was built. It’s about as old as the building is.
If the building was built in the 1960s or early 1970s, then this was probably the original system. If it was built sometime before that, then the system was put in around the late 1960s or early 1970s to replace an older system.
What alarms was Simplex producing back then? 4040s, 4050s, or 4051s?
I think they’ve been making the 4040s starting in the early 1960s, and the 4050s came out around 1967, and I assume the 4051s did too. Once you get there, try to look in the horn:
The 4040’s sounder plate is round, and the 4050 and 4051’s sounder plates are square. If it has a square sounder plate, then you won’t be able to know what it is until it goes off:
4050s:
4051s:
Incidentally, if the 4251-30s in that vid still had the break-glass mechanisms and the system was programmed to 20BPM March Time, you’d have the fire alarm system at the Davis K-8 school!
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