Category Archives: Fire Alarm Systems

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What do people do when the fire alarm goes off at a school or business?

What do you do in the event of a fire alarm at a restaurant or hotel?  It seems like a simple answer.

YOU EVACUATE THE BUILDING!

Well okay, that’s what you’re supposed to do, but that’s not what happens in real life.  I was in a restaurant when the fire alarm went off and nobody left their table to exit the building.  Alright, neither did I.  I observed the behavior of the people and no one even seemed to be bothered, not even annoyed.  I asked the waiter if the alarm was false and he mentioned that the alarm had been going off regularly and was probably false.

I must admit I was not surprised by the study conducted by IHASCO to observe human behavior during a fire alarm.  They brought in unsuspecting subjects and set them on a task to fill out paper work during which the fire alarm went off.  After five minutes of alarm a lady got up and went out into the hallway to see what was going on.  They brought in another group and they did not respond until a fire warden came in and told them to leave the building. So their study concluded that the fire alarm alone will not get people to respond appropriately, the human interaction is best.

Mass notification and voice evacuation are a solution to the problem.  When the system is in alarm human interaction through speakers announcing what the situation is helps people understand the why.  Why do people need to know the why?  They just do.  They perform better when they know the why.  One lady commented that she was used to alarms because the building she worked in had fire alarm tests all the time.  With a voice system, the testing of the alarm system can be announced and people can be conditioned to reactive to the alarm when it was not announced the system was being tested.  This kind of reminds me of Pavlov and his studies on conditioned behavior or would that be behavior modification! lol.

Who is the best at evacuating a building?  Nursing homes, schools, hospitals and places that really practice fire drills.  Why are they good at them?  Probably because of the human interaction.  They have been told what to do in the event of an alarm, and they practice it often.  As a matter of fact, many of them time the response to see how fast they can evacuate the building.  Then administrators, or fire personnel check the building to ensure that all occupants were in fact evacuated.  I believe, the majority of people want to do the right thing, or the safe thing.  They just don’t know what to do.

I am sure that if one table at that restaurant or the waiters had got up to leave and made sure the people around them knew they were evacuating due to the fire alarm, more people would have followed.  People are social animals and tend to follow others when lead in the right direction, and sometimes in the wrong direction.

If you are interested in viewing the study I have provided the link to the video.  Enjoy!

fire evacuation

What people do during a fire alarm click the icon to see the video.

The Fire Alarm Lady

 

How fast can a Christmas Tree Burn? Watch this video to see.

Happy Holidays…

This is just a reminder that dry Christmas trees burn just as fast today as they did back in 2007 when the National Fire Protection Association created their you tube video of the burning Christmas trees.  It is always fascinating to see how fast those darn things can burn.  Watch your clock and time this burn.

Fire Alarm, Life Safety and Liability Exposure

Gamewell Masterbox Blair

Dealing with life safety systems for the past 14 years, we have found there is a fine line between meeting the clients needs and staying within code compliancy.  When dealing with destination hotels, resorts, commercial retail spaces, private condos and homes in locations such as Vail and Aspen Colorado, aesthetics is a critical consideration.  The desire to cover that red pull station that has to be placed by the front door, or the life safety notification appliance that hangs on the wall above a beautiful display, is driven by home interior decorators, architects, business and homeowners.  NFPA 72 and the International Fire Code are the standards most often used in the fire alarm industry, which determines the most effective device placement.

I came across an interesting article where the US Department of Labor is proposing to fine a high end fashion designer in Manhatten, $77,000 “for ‘willful and serious violations of workplace safety standards.’”  The proposed fine is the maximum allowed and is being imposed because ‘”Management knew of the hazard of compromised emergency exit access, yet allowed the hazard to continue.”‘ OSHA, was the inspecting government agency.  In the world of the fire alarm company, the authority having jurisdiction is usually the fire department’s fire prevention team.  While inspecting fire alarm systems, we frequently find field devices that are covered by curtains, displays, boxes, new walls or dropped ceilings.  Our clients are trying to hide those obnoxious eye sores from view.

Notification appliances are installed to alert people visually and audibly of a life safety situation and are not effective if covered.  The decibel level of the notification appliances is set at a specific level.  The candela rating is determined by the placement of the device, size of room and cannot be compromised by obstacles. A silent fire alarm is ineffective.  Notification appliances that have both audible and visual are designed to be seen and heard, not covered and muffled.  “Kay Gee, OSHA’s area director in Manhattan, said, ‘Workers may have only seconds to escape in the event of a fire or other emergency.  It’s critical to maintain swift, clear access to emergency exits, and it is a requirement under the law.’  The fire alarm industry also, has its laws that it is required to abide by.

The annual test and inspection of the fire alarm system, i.e. the life safety system, provides an opportunity to functionally test the system and visually inspect the devices to ensure they work and are clear of clutter, and visually available in the event of an emergency.  Knowledge of failed devices is passed on to maintenance, management or others in the position of authority at each facility.  The message here is that knowledge of a problem, is a liability exposure that is not acceptable and must be corrected for the life safety of employees and clients.

 

 

This pull station is outdated and needs to be replaced: BG-10.

BG-10 Pull Stations Need to be Removed due to Failure

Honeywell Fire Systems has identified an issue that could affect the normal operation of BG-10 series pull stations manufactured from 1992-2010 and distributed under multiple brands including ADT, Fire-Lite Alarm, Johnson Control Inc, and NOTIFIER.  The majority of the pull stations were manufactured from 1992-2000.  For a list of potentially affected pull station model numbers and the recommended BG-12 series replacement model numbers, please review the table at the following website. http://www.pullstationsafety.com/en-US/Documents/HFS%20BG-10%20Series%20Letter%20April%202013.pdf The issue is related to the seal installed around the alarm switch, which can deteriorate over time preventing the switch from signaling an alarm when the pull station is activated. All products have a finite service life and while there is no industry standard for replacement intervals for pull stations, mechanical devices are not intended to be in service indefinitely.  Replacement of BG-10 series pull stations is highly recommended.  Please contact Acme Alarm Company if you are in our service area for assistance with determining if your pull stations are affected, 970-625-5535.                                     www.pullstationsafety.com

E3 Series Recertification for Gamewell/FCI

Acme Alarm Company sent two technicians to Gamewell/FCI to recertify on the E3 Series.  This is a five day intensive training where technicians are required to put systems together and program them as if it were an existing system.  Baron Ferguson and Clint Bartels both passed this training with excellent scores, rated at the top of their class.  Students from Colorado, Texas, Wyoming, and New Mexico attended.

These certifications are required to maintain a professional status with the manufacturer and keep our technicians up to date on the latest changes. The electronic industry is very dynamic and changes occur at a faster rate than they did ten years ago.  Fire alarm technician’s no longer work with hand tools, the most important tool today is the field computer.