Electical Contractor

Last month, I discussed one of the most important tools in the fiber tech’s toolbox: the fiber optic power meter. This month, let’s examine the other tool that is equally important: the test source used with the power meter to measure the loss of the cable plant.

Fiber Optics

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Because I Said So 

I recently realized that our failure to properly train fire alarm system technicians has created a group of workers who simply do not understand the reasons they do what they do. When a technician asks for the rationale behind a procedure, we often respond, “Because the code requires it.” 

Fire/Life Safety, Codes, NFPA 70E, NFPA 72, NFPA 101, IBC

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Upon Further Inspection … 

Richard P. Bingham

Simple power quality problems often evolve into tangled webs that take a long time to unravel.

Power Quality

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Days Gone By

Fire Focus, Industry Trends

The fire alarm systems industry has changed considerably over the years. Many old-timers can remember a fire alarm system that only detected a fire and sounded an alarm. Nonfire alarm systems did not interface with these fire alarm systems.

More on Systems

Stay True: False Alarms

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Systems

In the January 2012 issue of Campus Safety Magazine, Robin Hattersley-Gray reported from a 2011 survey stating that “more than half of university, hospital and K–12 school district fire protection professionals rate system maintenance (57 percent) and false alarms (53 percent) as two of their top fo

System Maintenance

Darlene Bremer

Manufactured Wiring Systems

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Systems

In response to the crime waves of the 1920s and 1930s in the United States, the security system service industry began with the simple installation of burglar alarms in banks, jewelry stores and warehouses.

Darlene Bremer

Help Your Customer Help You

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Systems

Known by names such as prefab wiring, prebuilt wiring and modular wiring, manufactured wiring systems (MWSs) have been in existence for about 25 years.

Thomas P. Hammerberg

What We Have Here Is a Failure to Communicate!

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Systems

Good companies focus on providing a quality installation of life safety systems, but great companies build relationships to strengthen their bottom line. Life safety systems must be maintained and tested to ensure continued reliability, and someone has to do it. It might as well be you!

Up for Discussion

Jim Hayes

| July 2012

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Systems

Before the last meeting of the TIA TR-42 committees that write cabling standards, a major fiber optic test equipment company asked if I would petition one of the committees to reconsider OFSTP-14, a new standard for testing installed multimode cable plants.