FAST?

Saw this on eBay. It’s an FCI MS-6 pull station relabeled by a company called FAST, which stands for “Fire Alarm & Systems Technology”. The logo looks hilariously similar to EST.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/FAST-Fire-Alarms-Systems-Technology-MS-6-Non-Coded-Fire-Alarm-Box-Pull-Station/391949117556?_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D41375%26meid%3D4931273d335842f8a88d2fab26ac16f1%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D6%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D322949250350&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851

FAST merged with Edwards in 1993 to create EST.

Pull fire alarm fast! Don’t pull it slowly.

Seen a few MS-2’s from the same company. Never thought they sold anything else with their logo on it, such as this MS-6. Cool find.

FAST is also a name I’ve heard used with EST’s version of System Sensor CLIP addressable protocol used in systems like the IRC-3. Of course this has long ago been phased out as EST developed their own Signature protocol. I am curious about the original company and where they came from. I’ve never seen that name outside of this context, although I did once see that exact FAST-branded pull station in a small building with a Mirtone branded Edwards “shoebox” panel.

That is a very cool find! You don’t often get to find rare devices from a company before it merged with another company around.

Fast and Edwards merged in the early 90’s that’s why est’s old logo looks like that

Edwards purchased FAST around 1992 apparently because of how unsuccessful and disastrous the ESA-2000 R&D and release ended up being. The 8500/ESA era of the mid 80s to early 90s seemed to be a strange and rather dark time for Edwards. The GS buyout apparently didn’t help matters much either according to former employees. ESA-2000 from what I’ve heard was a conglomerate of different ideas and sources put together. Mirtone was apparently the initial developer and designer of the panel until they were bought out as well by GS in 88’, coupled with some elements of the 8500 being brought over, and one source I’ve heard even claims that the ESA was originally designed to be a fan control panel and later converted to fire alarm. The ESA was supposed to be the flagship panel for Edwards, as well as the first display programmable large scale addressable panel in the industry. It was planned to be installed and promoted for the New Ottawa City hall, but R&D was not able to get the networking capabilities ready in time, so the IRC/FCC ended up going in instead once the EST badge was put on it. Its interesting to think that the IRC-3 itself didn’t really have a lot of controversy directly, but rather it being sort of like in the centre of a tornado where around it is a bunch of chaos.

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