The newest development coming out of the various fire alarm manufacturers is wireless smoke detectors and control/monitor devices. These UL 268 and UL 864 approved devices can be programmed to act like a stand alone, battery powered smoke detector with the added benefit of being supervised for proper operation and without having to replace the batteries every [Read More]
If an elevator lobby detector activates, can I selectively exclude that lobby and have the cars still run?
Generally, an elevator’s FEO doesn’t allow the cabs to run once activated, so a selective application usually isn’t an option. I say usually because hospitals employ a Code Blue elevator control system to override the elevator FEO in life saving situations. That’s an extra cost on a more robust elevator controller and obviously doesn’t apply [Read More]
Testing & Inspecting Fire Alarm & Emergency Voice Systems
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A fire alarm system is required to be tested regularly, the results of which are reviewed by the fire department. When scheduling a test of a facility’s fire alarm system, property managers have a vested interest in maintaining safety compliance and limiting their liability exposure while keeping an eye on operating costs. Operating cost reduction might seem [Read More]
Smoke Detector Testing
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At Affiliated Fire Systems, we often get asked about a smoke detector’s lifespan . Specifically, when should a building manager replace smoke detectors? There is no hard and fast lifespan for a commercial smoke detector. To be clear, commercial smoke detectors are connected to a fire alarm panel, not the battery operated devices you can [Read More]
Elevator Recall Activation
I recently had a question asked about whether two smoke detectors are required to activate simultaneously in a single elevator lobby in order for cab recall to be initiated. The answer is there is no current national code that requires two detectors to activate before recall occurs. The two detector activation is what we call ‘cross zoning’, and [Read More]
Fire Alarm System Testing & Inspection, Part II
In our last post, we discussed why regular testing and inspection of a facility’s life safe system is both required and in a property manager’s best interest. What, then, should a proper test and inspection consist of? In this post, we’ll address proper smoke detector testing. A true test of a fire alarm system ensures the system will [Read More]
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