Fire Alarms in Buildings (2.0)

Okay, this is in favor of the popular topic of http://community.schuminweb.info/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1671 Just gave it a new name and stickied it. Same “rules” apply. It can be a system in any building besides work or school (doesn’t really matter.)

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My grandmas retirement home does not have chime strobes surprisingly. They have a “Spectronics” system. Anyone heard of them?

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Ardsley Service area on NYS I-87 Northbound (Thruway): Classic Simplex 4100 voice evac system (didn’t see panel, but the annunciator was the classic version - no priority 2 indicator), LifeAlarm speakers on 4903-9105 plates, 1st generation TrueAlarm smokes.

Malden Service Area on NYS I-87 Southbound (Thruway): CP MXL, Wheelock NSs and RSSs. I forget the pulls, I think they’re single-action.

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The company I work for used to sell Spectronics up until recently. The only Spectronics system I helped to install was one of their networkable addressable systems. It uses a DOS type interface for programming, and the system itself is not technically UL listed as a fire alarm system, more of a building control and monitor system. The reason we installed it is because it was a federal institution exempt from state and city codes. The peripherals were all system sensor equipment.

Patrick

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I want to reply to something from TrueAlert Speaker/Strobe…

[quote] Here is an overview of manufacturers and what systems of those are located in Belmont:

Simplex:
-The Burbank, Chenery, High School, and probably the Butler all have Simplex systems. The Butler most likely has Simplex 4251-30s and 4050/4050-80s since the building was renovated in 1979. The Burbank has Simplex 4251-30s and Simplex 9806s behind 2903 light plates. The school was renovated in 1989. The Chenery has Simplex 4099-9003s and a mix of Federal Signal SelecTones and Simplex 4903 Speaker/Strobes. When the alarms go on the ceiling, they put a 4904 remote strobe next to a SelecTone speaker. The High School has Simplex 4251-113s and Simplex 4040s, but also has Edwards 270-SPOs in the field house and several other replacement pulls.
-The only other building I know of with a Simplex system is Belmont Country Club. My grandparents are members there. The building has Simplex 2099-9756s or 4099-9003s with vertical Simplex 4903 alarms. They also have an Edwards 270-SPO and a Gamewell Century.

Siemens:
-I have never seen a Siemens system in Belmont. In general, I don’t see Siemens systems around the Boston area that often, with the excepting of the convention center in the waterfront area, Lowes Boston Common, and a store complex on Newbury Street.

Edwards:
-There are a few Edwards systems in some stores. The Starbucks in Belmont Center has Edwards 270-SPOs and Gentex GMS/SHGs. The newer Starbucks in Cushing Square has Edwards 270-SPOs and SpectrAlerts. The most modern Edwards system is at the Citizens Bank in Belmont Center. New Asia, before it closed, had Edwards 270-SPOs and Gentex GMS/SHGs. There are Edwards 278 pulls there and Genesis horn/strobes. Those are the main Edwards systems I have seen.

Honeywell:
-There are two schools with Honeywell systems, the Winnbrook and Wellington. The Butler also might have one, if it doesn’t have a Simplex system. The Winnbrook has FCI-MS2 pulls and Federal Signal 450es or 2DCDs behind V33 plates. The Wellington has BG-6s with those old Fire-Lite “wedge” alarms. If the Butler doesn’t have a Simplex system, it probably has SAE AV32 alarms and BG-6s or something like that.
-Temple Beth El has SpectrAlerts and BG-12s, they used to have BG-10s.
-Almost every store in Belmont has a Honeywell system. Most with BG-12s and SpectrAlerts. There aren’t that many Wheelock Alarms.
-The only Wheelock alarms I can think of are the weatherproof alarms in the public library, Kabloom, and Chocolate Dream. Also, Brueggers has a vertical AS and Shaws has 7002ts. I have also seen several whetherproof 7002ts that are in horrible shape located on the outside of some buildings in the Waverly Square area. There aren’t many modern Wheelock alarms.
-On the other hand, there are TONS of SpectrAlert Classics. WAY too many to list every store. Most stores in Belmont have them. The only Advances I know of are in the Dunkin Donuts I mentioned earlier.
-As for pulls, most pulls are BG-12s. The only BG-10s were the ones at Temple Beth El and the one that is still at Brueggers. There are FCI pulls at the Winnbrook and Shaws. There are also Gamewell Centuries in Kabloom and Chocolate Dream.
-Overall, there are TONS of Honeywell systems

[/quote]

Um, just because a system has Edwards 270-SPO pulls doesn’t mean it’s an Edwards system. Fire-Lite often used Edwards 270-SPOs too. There’s a building downtown in my city that has an old Fire-Lite panel, and Edwards 270-SPO pulls. The only signal I saw was a Wheelock 34 horn outside. I think inside they might have Wheelock 7002 horn/strobes or Wheelock 34 horns behind SAE AV32 light plates. There’s also a CVS Pharmacy in my town with Gentex SHG horn/strobes, and originally they had an Edwards 270-SPO pull (though the system was clearly a Honeywell subsidiary like Silent Knight or something), but recently the 270-SPO was replaced with a Fire-Lite BG-12. And there used to be a Blockbuster store nearby that had Wheelock 7002T-24 horn/strobes and Edwards 270-SPO pulls. Originally only the 270-SPO near the emergency exit had a Stopper II over it. But later the 270-SPO at the main entrance/exit was replaced with a Silent Knight T-bar, which then later had a Stopper II installed over it. And the Company Theater where I saw the play “Bat Boy” has Wheelock 7002 horn/strobes and Edwards 270-SPO pulls with Adaemco-branded Stopper IIs over them; again I’m pretty sure the panel is a Fire-Lite model. If a system has Genesis or Integrity horn/strobes or speaker/strobes combined with Edwards 270-SPOs or 278 pulls, then there’s a high chance it is an Edwards/EST system, but you might also wanna check the smokes to be sure if you see a system with Edwards pulls and Wheelock signals, because if they are Edwards/EST smokes, chances are it’s an Edwards system too. The retirement center my mom and brother work at in Stoughton MA has some kind of Edwards system with 278B-1110 pulls and Edwards smokes, but the signals are SAE VA4 speaker/strobes that do slow-whoop.

And here in Brockton, many stores and restaurants DO have Honeywell-subsidiary systems. Even the Westgate Mall is as well; they mostly have Notifier systems (with Wheelock horn/strobes), but the Sears has a Fire-Lite system, and the Macy’s has a Siemens system, the only non-Honeywell system in the mall).

As for SpectrAlert Advances, THOSE are actually quite increasingly common around my city. Not as common as the SpectrAlert “Classics”, but I see them around quite a bit these days. Almost every new Fire-Lite or Notifier system I’ve seen since 2007 has SpectrAlert Advance horn/strobes and BG-12 pulls. And the Baker elementary school that was recently opened has a SpectrAlert Advance weatherproof strobe outside, yet inside they have an EST 3 voice-evac system with Genesis speaker/strobes. But now I will list what certain alarm companies are common in my area in the style like you listed:

Simplex:
-The Brockton High School, Brookfield School, Gilmore Middle School, South Junior High School, Davis K-8 School, Hancock School, Howard School, Huntington School, Keith School and Raymond School all have Simplex systems. BHS has Simplex 4040s and Edwards 270-SPOs but has an FCI panel in the core building. The Brookfield School and Hancock School have Simplex 4030-2 horns and probably 4251-113 pulls, but the Hancock also has a few Gamewell Centures replacing older pulls. The Gilmore has Simplex 2901-9806+2903s, and Gamewell Century pulls from the older system that the Simplex system replaced. The South Junior High School has a Simplex 4100U voice-evac system with TrueAlert speaker/strobes and 4099-9003 pulls. The Davis and Raymond have Simplex 2001 systems with Simplex 4051+4050-80s and 4251-30 pulls (the 2001 panels were later installations replacing older panels sometime during the 1980s, the 4051+4050-80s and 4251-30 pulls are from the original system). The Howard, Huntington and Keith have Simplex 4208 systems also with Simplex 4051+4050-80s and 4251-30s. They were built back in the late 19th-early 20th century, and were renovated in the late 1970s.
-The Brockton Hospital (owned by Signature Healthcare) has a Simplex voice-evac system of some kind, with older LifeAlarm speakers on 2903 retrofit plates and 4903-9150 speaker/strobes, a few other Simplex speaker or speaker/strobe alarms, 4251-20 and 4099-9003 pulls, and the Radiology lab has SAE 2DCD+AV32s. I think the panel was originally either a Simplex 2001 or 2120, and is now most likely a 4120 or a 4100U.
-The Signature Healthcare Womens’ Health Affiliates building has a Simplex 4001 system with 2901-9838+4903-9001s and 4251-20s.
-Another nearby medical center has a Simplex 4020 system with TrueAlert horn/strobes and 4099-9003 pulls.
-The Brockton Public Library has a Simplex 4010 voice-evac system with Simplex 4903-9356 (TrueAlert) speaker/strobes and 4099-9003 pulls.
-The Superior Courthouse has Simplex 4051+4050-80s and 4251-113 pulls.
-The newer Plymouth County Courthouse has Simplex 4903 horn/strobes or speaker/strobes and 4099-9003 pulls (some of them without the Simplex logo on them).
-The Bridgewater Goddard Medical Center (also owned by Signature Healthcare) has a Simplex 4020 system withSimplex 4903 horn/strobes and the pulls are 4099-9001s and -9003s.
-The David E. Crosby school administration building has a Simplex 4208 system with 4051+4050-80s and 4251-30 pulls.
-The Brockton Area Transit bus transfer depot has a Simplex 4005 system with Simplex 4903-9236 horn/strobes and 2099-9756 pulls; the parking garage there has Wheelock AS horn/strobes and Simplex-rebranded Sigcom pulls.
-The Brockton Day Nursery has Simplex TrueAlert horn/strobes (originally 4051+4050-80s and 2903+2901- horns), and the pulls are 4251-30s and 4251-20s.
-The Shaw’s supermarket on the east side of town has a Simplex 2001 system with unknown horns behind SAE V33 strobe plates, an SAE VA4 horn/strobe, and at least one Wheelock MT horn/strobe, and an Edwards 270-SPO pull.
-The Payless Shoe Source next door has Simplex 2903+2901-9833s and Edwards 270-SPO pulls.
-The Fashion Bug now mostly has Gentex GMS horn/strobes slapped onto Simplex 2903 light plates, but one 2903 still has a 2901-9833 in it, and the pulls are Simplex 4251-20s.
-The Expression shoestore has Simplex 2903+2901-9833s and 4251-20 pulls.
-The Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church has a Simplex 2001 system with Simplex 2903+2901-9806s and 4251-20 pulls.

Siemens:
-The Shaw’s supermarket on the south side of town has Siemens U-MMT horn/strobes and MS-501 pulls.
-The Wendy’s nearby has Cerberus Pyrotronics MS-501 pulls and Gentex SHG horn/strobes.
-The Brockton Neighborhood Health Center has a Siemens FireFinder XLS system with U-MMT horn/strobes and metal RSG dual-action pulls (rebranded as Siemens, when I mention these RSG T-bars in a Siemens system, then this means they are rebranded by Siemens).
-The Holiday Inn has Siemens U-MMT horn/strobes and RSG dual-action pulls.
-The Macy’s at Westgate Mall has Siemens U-MMT horn/strobes and RSG dual-action pulls.

Faraday:S
-80% of Massasoit Community College’s systems are these: mostly with SAE VA4 horn/strobes, newer pulls installed are Faraday Chevrons, but three of the five buildings that had Simplex 4208 systems still have the 4251-20 pulls intact; the Student Center has a few U-HNH-MCS horn/strobes, and Faraday MTL ADA strobes on the old Standard retrofit plates containing Standard 450 horns.

Edwards/EST:
-North Junior High School, the Plouffe School, Angelo School, Arnone School and Baker School all have Edwards/EST systems. North Junior High School has Edwards 360-L fire horns and 270-SPO pulls. The four other schools have EST voice-evac systems with SIGA-278 pulls. The Baker has an EST 3 panel, and the other three mentioned have EST 2s. The Plouffe, Arnone and Angelo Schools have Integrity speaker/strobes, and the Baker School has Genesis speaker/strobes.
-The Chapel Of Our Savior Friars has OLD Edwards fire bells and 270-SPO pulls.
-The Home Depot has an EST system with 278B-1110 pulls, but the signals are Wheelock NH horns and ceiling-mount Wheelock remote strobes.
-The GameStop and a few other stores nearby have Edwards 892 horn/strobes and 270-SPO pulls, but a dentist’s office there has the Edwards 892s and older Autocall pulls.

I won’t list the Honeywell systems right now.

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I’ve even seen Edwards pulls on Simplex systems (a friend’s old dorm has a 4208 system, -9833s, wiffle-ball smokes (hotel-style ones in the rooms along w/ heats), and Edwards classic pulls).

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Ah, have you seen the panel or a 4208-style annunciator?

So I guess this proves that 2901-9833s existed back in 1978; my college used to have a Simplex 2901-9833 horn on a 4050-80 light plate in the Fine Arts building which had a Simplex 4208 system (the other signals were Simplex 4051+4050-80s), but last year it was replaced with a VA4 horn/strobe, the only evidence I have left of it’s existence are a couple of photos I took.

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Yes, I saw the panel (that’s how I know what it is, lol).

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I am very disturbed to notice the nursing home she moved into has the Wheelock AS. Seriously?

I can’t imagine how many people have died at that place because of a stroke. I’m going to take it up with the custodian.

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Uhh???

Patrick

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My mom’s work has a Notifier System 5000 with BG-10 pulls and Wheelock AS horn/strobes. Not sure on the smokes but I’m pretty sure they are System Sensor.
A lot of places seem to use combination burglar/fire panels, often Ademco or Napco.
A customer of mine moved into a building that had an older Silent Knight fire alarm system. At first they just replaced all the devices and rewired the whole building, but then the city made them put a new FACP in. I have a whole box of beam clamps I saved from the trash when they removed the smoke detectors from the warehouse ceilings.
Here is a picture of part of the old system. They kept this panel. I think it is a NAC extender.

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A Friendly’s in Hanover, MA has this system:

Some kind of Mircom annunciator in the main lobby, Wheelock ZNS ceiling-mount horn/strobes, Mircom “PUSH BAR, PULL HANDLE” T-bars, and Fire-Lite/Notifier smokes.

The Hanover Mall has the following systems:

Main system consists of an EST voice-evac system of some kind (saw the panel, it had an emergency mic on it). The signals are EST Integrities, probably speaker/strobes. They also have System Sensor 2400 smokes and I also saw an FCI MS-1 pull at an exit.
The JC Penny’s has System Sensor SpectrAlert horn/strobes; at one entrance there is a Fire-Lite BG-10 pull, at another entrance there is an ADT BG-12 pull, and at yet another entrance is an Autocall pull!
The Macy’s has ceiling-mount Wheelock AS horn/strobes and Fire-Lite smokes.
The Sear’s has Simplex 4903 horn/strobes or speaker/strobes, they are the ones you mount horizontally with the strobe on the right, but these were installed vertically and had “FIRE” sideways! NewAgeServer’s middle school had an alarm like this replacing a 4051+80. The pulls are Simplex 4099-9001s.
In a restroom they had an EST Genesis horn/strobe!

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As I mentioned before, according to pictures, many of the buildings at MIT have Simplex systems. I will admit I am a bit jealous of their systems since a lot of their modern buildings such as the Stata Center and Simmons Hall have TrueAlert Speaker/Strobes, my all time favorite alarm. The current system I am around most often at BHS isn’t that interesting to me (since I like modern alarms). It may interest people who like Simplex classic alarms though. The good news is, if I continue to get good grades, I will have a chance of being accepted at MIT, which is where I hope to go for college since I want to be an architect. This means, if I end up going there, not only will I enjoy taking architecture classes and being at a good college with a nice campus, I will also be around more FA systems I enjoy.

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It seems quite a few large college campuses often use Simplex systems (typically modern ones)…

UAlbany (where Dan M. has college) is FULL of Simplex systems, mostly 4120 voice-evac systems with Wheelock E70 speaker/strobes or 4120 systems with Wheelock AS horn/strobes, with TrueAlarm smokes and 4099-9001 pulls.
Bridgewater State College (where one of my friends goes) also has Simplex systems for virtually all the academic buildings, mainly with TrueAlert horn/strobes, but there are some voice-evac systems as well. The only building there I know with TrueAlert speaker/strobes is the Kelly Gymnasium, which was built in 1957 (originally had Edwards projector Fire Horns) but the old Edwards fire alarm system was replaced in 2007-2008 with a Simplex 4100U voice-evac system. The other two buildings I’ve seen with voice-evac have 4903 rectangular speaker/strobes.
I’ve only been in one building at Stonehill College (a Catholic college located in Easton, MA; I went here once for a videography event), but in this building they had Simplex horns behind 2903 light plates (I believe they were 2901-9838s), and they had 4251-20 pulls. I don’t know if any of the other buildings have Simplex systems, but I assume some of them do.

Too bad Massasoit Community College is doing away with Simplex now. The buildings built in 1977-1978 originally had Simplex 4208 systems with 4051+4050-80s and 4251-20s, but were upgraded since early this decade. They are now mostly using Faraday and Notifier/Fire-Lite systems and equipment with Space Age Electronics signals.

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I also might be visiting the Stata Center this weekend with my dad (who went to Harvard for college and MIT for graduate school) to take pictures of the building. I am dong a report on the architect, Frank Gehry. If I go, I will report the full details on the system.

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That’s an SK distributed power mod (can’t thing of the model number off the top of my head). I have one, and I believe it’s a power booster/NAC excender. I’m still trying to figure it out. only thing I’ve learned is, you can power an NA on the battery terminals, except for a 4050-85, which only will do a few flashes than stop.

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Okay, I was at the only school in my county that has voice evacuation that I know of. It’s a newer school and a nice school! In the pool lobby there is a Simplex annunciator and Wheelock ET70 Speaker/Strobes. In the pool I could see Wheelock ET70WPs and then throughout the rest of the building there are Simplex TrueAlert Speaker Strobes. Now this is weird because in the gym it’s just TrueAlert Strobes and no where on the ceiling can I see Speakers of any sort. There are loud speakers there though so maybe they are used for the fire alarm… :?

The pulls are Simplex 4099-9001s

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The Shops At Royal Waters (Grand Cayman): unknown inside, outside Amseco SHB24-75 weatherproof horn/strobes (with “FIRE” labeling) and Fire-Lite BG-12LOs.

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My dad told me how to get pictures directly off my phone’s memory card, so (hopefully) I’ll be getting the adapter thing for that over the weekend and I’ll be able to post the pictures I took from the hospital (the one in the old topic), including that giant smoke detector (note: there aren’t many pictures, I didn’t think to get the panel (didn’t think it would be such a rare find and didn’t want the secretary questioning me), and I accidentally deleted one (it was just one of the regular ion detectors).

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I got to visit the Stata Center at MIT today since I am doing a project on the architect, Frank Gehry. The building has a modern Simplex system. Alarms are TrueAlert Speaker/Strobes with a few remote strobes and remote speakers. Some of the strobes are white wall mount strobes on the ceiling. I hate it when Simplex installers do that since TrueAlerts look horrible on the ceiling unless they are ceiling mount models. There are some Wheelock ET70WPs on the outside. Pull Stations are 4099-9003s with a few 4099-9001s. I also saw what looked like a panel or giant annunciator labeled “2500”. What is the Simplex 2500? Smokes are TrueAlarms.

Also, because the Stata Center is very modern, many walls are slanted. There was a TrueAlert Speaker/Strobe and 4099-9003 mounted on a slanted wall. Another slanted post with a combo had the pull misaligned with the alarm since the post was slanted. Most pull/alarm combos have the pull directly under the alarm. Also, one TrueAlert Speaker/Strobe was mounted at eye-level. Think about it…one of the pulls at BHS is mounted at eye level to me. It’s as high as some alarms are mounted. That pull at BHS has no alarm over it. The pulls at the Stata Center are mounted slightly lower than the light switches, but not too low. Overall, it’s a cool system and a cool building.

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