Automatic resetting fire panel :(

[James]

Today i was installing a communicator on a notifier fire panel. This panel
is in one of many buildings that a manufacturing company had owned. The
building I was working in is going to be a "Tech School" vocational college.
Once I was done installing the communicator I ran a test on the fire alarm
panel to check the reporting. I pulled a pull statoin and the fire alarm
went into alarm, a few seconds later it silenced and reset "by itself". I
tried running several more tests all with the same results. After about an
hour of locating devices and tracing wires I figured out the panel has a
remote annunciator in another building about 7 buildings away. This
building was still in posession of the manufacturing firm and they had "24
hour security". The security personell were silencing and resetting the
fire alarm withought verrifying what was going on. I would have thought
they would have dispatched the fire department and sent a runner to check
the building before they silence the horns, let alone reset everything

James.

 

[Jackcsg]

Today i was installing a communicator on a notifier fire panel. This panel
is in one of many buildings that a manufacturing company had owned. The
building I was working in is going to be a "Tech School" vocational college.
Once I was done installing the communicator I ran a test on the fire alarm
panel to check the reporting. I pulled a pull statoin and the fire alarm
went into alarm, a few seconds later it silenced and reset "by itself". I
tried running several more tests all with the same results. After about an
hour of locating devices and tracing wires I figured out the panel has a
remote annunciator in another building about 7 buildings away. This
building was still in posession of the manufacturing firm and they had "24
hour security". The security personell were silencing and resetting the
fire alarm withought verrifying what was going on. I would have thought
they would have dispatched the fire department and sent a runner to check
the building before they silence the horns, let alone reset everything

James.

That's a nice feature...There is no way in hell I can picture an AHJ
allowing a fire panel to be remotely reset in this manner, let alone a
dealer that would install it that way. I'd be disconnecting that annunciator
ASAP. Makes you wonder how many times they've actually done this? And what
would happen if a real fire had happen. Just more proof that you can't pay
someone $6.75 an hour and expect that person to use his own common sense, or
have any. Good story. I make a living around replacing Guards, and this is
just another example of why it's so lucrative.

Jack

 

[J. Sloud]

Today i was installing a communicator on a notifier fire panel. This panel
is in one of many buildings that a manufacturing company had owned. The
building I was working in is going to be a "Tech School" vocational college.
Once I was done installing the communicator I ran a test on the fire alarm
panel to check the reporting. I pulled a pull statoin and the fire alarm
went into alarm, a few seconds later it silenced and reset "by itself". I
tried running several more tests all with the same results. After about an
hour of locating devices and tracing wires I figured out the panel has a
remote annunciator in another building about 7 buildings away. This
building was still in posession of the manufacturing firm and they had "24
hour security". The security personell were silencing and resetting the
fire alarm withought verrifying what was going on. I would have thought
they would have dispatched the fire department and sent a runner to check
the building before they silence the horns, let alone reset everything

James.

You may want to have your contact at the vocational school ask his
insurance co and local AHJ how they feel about a guard at an unrelated
business randomly resetting legitimate alarm signals without
investigating. Now that you know it's wrong, if you do nothing about
it, and something happens, you may be setting yourself up for some
liability.

 

[Michael B. Baker]

NFPA 72-2002 6.8.2.7 Protected premises fire alarm control units shall be
capable of being reset or silenced only from the control unit at the
protected premises unless otherwise permitted by 6.8.2.8.
6.8.2.8 Remote resetting and silencing of a fire alarm control unit from
other than the protected premises shall be permitted with the approval of
the authority having jurisdiction.

 

[Robert L. Bass]

Now that you know it's wrong, if

you do nothing about it, and
something happens, you may be
setting yourself up for some
liability.

Good point. IIRC it's required that remote "silence" buttons not be able to
reset the whole system. They're only supposed to be able to silence the
remote annunciator itself. I don't remember if this is a UL or NFPA72
issue. We discussed it during one of the round table meetings on the design
of the FireShield system.

--

Regards,
Robert L Bass

=============================>
Bass Home Electronics
2291 Pine View Circle
Sarasota · Florida · 34231
877-722-8900 Sales & Tech Support
http://www.bassburglaralarms.com
=============================>

 

[Jackcsg]

Gotta love the NFPA....Shall be...Shall be...blah blah blah,....other than
approval from the AHJ.
AHJ, AHJ, AHJ. I could have shortened the book by several hundred pages.
What do you think Mike. (I'm kidding of course) :^)-Happy face off ;^(

 

[James]

The Remote Annunciator is now DEAD... I notified the AHJ and remved the
wire going to the remote building. Problem Solved

James

 

[Michael B. Baker]

Loosen up and tell us how you really feel!

Gotta love the NFPA....Shall be...Shall be...blah blah blah,....other than
approval from the AHJ.
AHJ, AHJ, AHJ. I could have shortened the book by several hundred pages.
What do you think Mike. (I'm kidding of course) :^)-Happy face off ;^(

 

[James]

Loosen up and tell us how you really feel!

 

[Jackcsg]

Everytime I do a Commercial Fire Installation I get such a warm fuzzy
feeling.
I've even had a Fire Marshall tell me he didn't care about ADA, nor does the
City enforce it.
He even had the balls to say this to me in front of a customer (and building
owner)
You know the drill Mike. Everything is just a reference. Problem is
everywhere you go, figuring out which book the AHJ's are following at the
time. If you don't have a good relationship, you won't go far. I couldn't
get any looser.....

 

[Jackcsg]

Just curious. Did he have any knowledge of it? Or did the conversation not
get into it?

 

[J. Sloud]

A building which is protected by 24-7 private security, security is
responsible for investigating and dispatching the fire department. My
question is home many fire alarm installers or technicians have started
to drink?

Started drinking about 1979 or so... or was is '78? Screw it, where's
my flask?

Whether or not a private guard service can monitor and dispatch really
depends on the requirements of the AHJ, the type of facility, type of
system, etc. In some cases, a UL Listed central may be required for
monitoring regardless of 24/7 guards. Would you trust a $7 per hour
contract security guard to make the right dispatch decisions in an
emergency situation?

The o.p. described a situation where the alarm was being reset from a
different location run by a private business in a different building.
That's a bad idea.

 

[Michael B. Baker]

You're right on. Until you find out what will blow the AHJ's skirt up, it's
all guess work.