Inspection & Testing of Common Fire Alarm Devices

I ran across the following videos on fire alarm testing and inspection and thought I'd add them to this article on the ESC website. ESC believes it's important that our clients fully understand what must be done and why we do it. These videos will give you a good idea about both. Sometimes it may see redundant that we have to do this on such a regular basis, but your fire alarm system is an important part of your safety program. Without a working system, lives could be lost.

The second video is a training video on a specific fire alarm panel, a Notifier 3030 system. The value of this video is the general explanation of how fire alarms work, what the various devices are called, and what to do under certain conditions. It's a good, general training video that I believe can make a huge difference in your understanding of fire alarm systems and the issues surrounding testing and inspections.

The remainder of this article pertains to frequency of testing and inspection:

As most facility managers know, there are fire codes at the local, state, and national level that require the testing and inspection of all fire alarm systems installed in commercial and government settings. The following test and inspection frequency chart comes from information contained in the National Training Center (NTC) Chuck Notes publication. For more information on NTC, go to: http://www.nationaltrainingcenter.net/index.xml.

Remember, only qualified, licensed fire alarm technicians are authorized to test fire alarm devices and systems. Inspections can be performed by end users, but you must adhere to strict guidelines set forth by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) of Quincy, Mass. per NFPA Chapter 10.

 

Testing & Inspection of Common Fire Alarm Devices Device Inspection Testing Audible Devices Semi-Annually Annually Visual Devices Semi-Annually Annually Manual Pull Stations Semi-Annually Annually Heat Detectors Quarterly Annually Smoke Detectors Semi-Annually Annually Testing & Inspection of Common Fire Systems System Inspection Testing Monitored Fire Alarm Control Panel Annually Annually Non-monitored Fire Alarm Control Panel Weekly Quarterly Voice Evacuation Systems Semi-Annually Annually Primary Power Supplies Annually Annually Secondary Power Batteries Annually Annually Secondary Power Chargers Quarterly Quarterly

 

Copyright©2015
TpromoCom

ESC Newsletter, April 2, 2015

Good morning!

It's another fine day in Columbus, Ohio, and it's obvious that spring has finally sprung. I'd like to take a few moments of your time to share with you some news as well as valuable take-aways.

First, the Cleveland operation we established some months ago is growing and doing well. If you know of someone in business or government in the Cleveland, Ohio market, please forward the email that brought you this newsletter to them. The more help we have in growing this new branch, the stronger ESC becomes and the better able we are to accommodate all our clients.

I also want our facility manager clients to take advantage of two white papers that we're offering. The first is a white paper on fire code compliance with regards to your access control systems, and the second is the use of smartphones in security and beyond.

As always, I encourage you to contact me if I can be of assistance. ESC's aim is to assist and please our clients above all else. Thank you for reading this newsletter and have a great day!

John Larkin, ESC Senior Partner

---

Fire Code and Means of Egress
Access control is an important part of facility security, but it also can become a liability when an access system fails to meet fire code. Means of Egress compliance is an extremely important part of any facility manager's job and it doesn't just happen--you must know the particulars that apply in fire code.

Electronic Systems Consultants LLC is offering a free white paper entitled ‘Means of Egress’ Summary of NFPA Code Requirements, published by Camden Door Controls, Canada. This white paper provides an inside view of fire code with regards to access control technology. It provides code references and advice based on NFPA 72, 2010, which is the code of choice in Ohio at this time.

To obtain your own copy of this valuable white paper, click here!

---

Smartphones in Security
The second white paper that ESC is giving away, entitled 5 Unexpected Ways Businesses Can Use Smartphones to Drive Profit, offers five valuable ideas on ways to capitalize on smartphone technology with profit in mind. Part of this white paper focuses on the use of smartphone technology to monitor video systems from afar, something that ESC can assist you with.

To obtain this free white paper, click here.

---

NFPA 72: Inspection & Testing
Another valuable take-away, entitled Inspection & Testing of Common Fire Alarm Devices,. provides the inspection and testing frequencies associated with most popular fire alarm detection devices as well as the systems that you find in most facilities.

Included are manual fire pulls, audible and visual devices, smoke detectors, heat detectors. The systems included in this free offering include fire alarm panels, primary and secondary power supplies, and voice evacuation systems.

To review this valuable information on inspection and testing, click here.

Copyright©2015
TpromoCom

Replace Your Home Smoke Alarms Every 10 Years

Home smoke alarms, also called single- and multiple-station smoke alarms, should be, by National Fire Code (NFC), replaced every 10 years.

“According to NFPA, aging smoke alarms don't operate as efficiently and often are the source for nuisance alarms. Older smoke alarms are estimated to have a 30% probability of failure within the first 10 years. Newer smoke alarms do better, but should be replaced after 10 years. Unless you know that the smoke alarms are new, replacing them when moving into a new residence is also recommended by NFPA” (NFPA urges replacing home smoke alarms after 10, National Fire Prevention Association, Quincy, Mass.)

The important point to know is which type of sensor fits the definitions set forth in NFPA 72, NFC, assembled by the consensus of fire professionals and experts and published by NFPA. For example, a single-station smoke alarm, whether used in stand-alone or multi-mode format, is that of the common, ordinary battery-operated detector found in most homes. This includes the 120VAC detector that often comes with a 9-V backup battery. In many locales, for good or bad, the latter has become the detector of choice among code enforcement officials, although recent changes in the NFC allows the use of smoke detectors (read on)’

Photo Caption: This is a combination fire/burglar alarm panel with a supervised power supply in the top panel.

In contrast, the other type of smoke detection device that fire technicians commonly work with is the smoke detector, which connects to a fire alarm system in the home or business. This type of detector derives its operating power from an approved and listed power supply, usually part of a compliant fire alarm control panel. Thus, a smoke detector is able to report alarms and possible trouble conditions to a central monitoring station, as well as locally in the home by sounders placed throughout.

The reason why smoke alarms must be replaced every 10 years primarily relates to the fact that residential smoke alarms are rarely inspected and cared for in the same manner as smoke detectors. In addition, there are safeguards built into a fire alarm system that are designed to detect sensitivity and operational issues that smoke alarms cannot perform in a proactive manner.

If you should have questions pertaining to the smoke alarms in your home and you need the advice of a professional, ESC stands ready to assist you in any and every way possible. If you have a fire alarm system and you’re having issues, also feel free to call on ESC. We offer the finest in service and installation in the state of Ohio.

Give us an opportunity to prove ourselves to you by calling me today. Use our quick response form on the right or visit our Contact Page.

John Larkin, Senior Partner

Copyright©2015

ESC Meets the Integration Challenge

Never before has the need for integrated systems in both private and public sectors been so great. In fact, system integration is the glue that gives today’s high-tech security the ability to do so much more with far less than in the past. And, because of network technology, a fully integrated building can save you money because it more often includes energy management.

In a word, the digital age has made it possible to marry a number of building subsystems together in order to enhance and extend the capability of each one beyond their traditional limits. Not only does this allow them to perform faster, it enables them to do so with greater capability than was individually possible in years past.

A good example of this is realized when video cameras, intrusion detection devices, fire alarm sensors, access control, and building management subsystems are connected together. When someone enters a room or a hallway, for example, lights are automatically activated. After a period of time, without motion, they then are extinguished.

Heating and cooling systems are now an integral part of today’s integrated systems. Temperature set points can automatically be adjusted on a floor-by-floor and office-by-office based on who has entered the building. when using an access control system capable of monitoring who enters and leaves the facility. Access to individual floors through an integrated elevator control also makes it possible to limit access to only those individuals who require it.

Another systems integration example is that of a fire alarm system integrated with a quality video camera surveillance system. When a smoke detector, heat sensor, or manual fire pull is involved in an alarm, for example, nearby video cameras can be made to pan, tilt, and zoom, allowing on- and off-premises operators to quickly determine if there’s a fire or not on the premises. Special camera systems also are available to can turn a video surveillance system into a fire detection system, per fire code. Integration has long made it possible to close internal doors in a building when a fire is detected.

ESC offers the latest and greatest in integration technology, thus offering you tomorrow’s technology today. For a free, no-obligation quote, call 614-754-1393 today, email us at electronicsystemsconsultants@gmail.com, visit us on the Web at http://www.electronicsystemsconsultants.com, or fill out our “Get a Free Quote” form at http://esc-security.blogspot.com/#quotation.

Copyright©2015

Fire Code and Fire Alarm Testing and Inspections

It's natural for our customers to have questions about the sophisticated electronic systems they use everyday and I consider it the responsibility of Electronic Systems Consultants to answer them for you. The following question concerns fire alarm testing and inspections. If you have questions of your own, please send them to ESC using our Contact Us page.

Question:
We have a fire alarm system and the local fire inspector says we have to have it inspected. Can we inspect it ourselves? What's involved in doing an inspection?

Answer:
No, you cannot perform your own fire alarm inspection, unless you have an employee on staff that has a State of Ohio fire alarm license.

"Personnel, either individually or through their affiliation with an organization that is registered, licensed, or certified by a state or local authority, shall be recognized as qualified and experi4endced in the inspection, testintg, and maintenance of systgems address within the scope of this code." (NFPA 72, Section 10.5.3)

Per the fire code, all fire alarm systems must have an annual inspection of the system to ensure all field devices (smoke, heat and duct-type smoke detectors, manual pull stations, and audible/visual notification devices) are in good working order and can respond in case of emergencies.

An inspection also must be performed on the fire alarm panel to ensure all wiring is in good working condition and back-up batteries are ready to support the fire alarm system in case of loss of primary power. All of these inspections must be done by a state certified technician that holds a state alarm license to perform inspection, testing, and maintenance.

You can find additional information on our website on the ESC Inspection Services page. If you have additional questions, please call the office at 614-754-1393 or feel free to contact me at any time using the Contact Us page. I and the ESC staff are at your disposal.

John Larkin, Senior Partner
Electronic Systems Consultants

Copyright©2014