Advertisement

Advertisement

Are You a Reliable Contractor? Growth comes from making the right choices

By Wayne D. Moore | Jan 15, 2025
Are You a Reliable Contractor? Growth comes from making the right choices

Charlie Munger, Warren Buffet’s famous partner and close friend, said that “reliability is essential for progress in life.” How do you ensure the reliability of your fire alarm system installations? And why is that important?

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Charlie Munger, Warren Buffet’s famous partner and close friend, said that “reliability is essential for progress in life.” How do you ensure the reliability of your fire alarm system installations? And why is that important?

How to be reliable

The fire alarm market is expected to reach more than $37 billion in the next six years, and it is anticipated to grow at a compound annual growth rate of close to 4%, according to Grand View Research. This presents an opportunity for many to either enter the market or to increase their share and add to their business sales and profits. Moreover, the market predictions do not include testing and maintenance of all existing systems—a lucrative aspect of fire alarm systems growth. 

The reliable systems you provide ensure your future growth in this market. It helps to cement the “trusted partner” relationship with your customers.

How do you make sure your systems are reliable? Ensure your technicians are well trained and that they understand the importance of life safety. All low-­voltage systems are technologically difficult to install unless you pay attention to the suppliers chosen and workers hired. By doing this better than your competitors, you will become the leader the best suppliers will want as a customer and employees will want to work for.

Choosing the right supplier

Choosing the right fire alarm systems supplier is important because a quality supplier will train technicians sufficiently to ensure they know how to install equipment and avoid common mistakes. It means techs will be taught how to program the fire alarm control unit, which will help meet project deadlines and avoid last-minute programming errors that delay the installation acceptance by the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ).

Often, the suppliers will provide NFPA 72, National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code, updates. This keeps you and the techs in the know, avoiding common mistakes. You can use that knowledge to discuss code changes with the AHJ that will either streamline the system operation or allow for a faster acceptance test approval.

For example, most fire alarm systems are monitored off site by a supervising station. This monitoring is usually accomplished using a digital alarm communicator transmitter (DACT) over the telephone lines. However, the telephone companies are eliminating their copper wire telephone circuits (called “plain old telephone service,” or POTS). The 2025 edition of the code does not allow the use of devices that use the internet alone, and many jurisdictions already require something more reliable. 

Today, new communications devices called managed facilities-based voice network (MFVN) devices can take the place of the POTS lines and simulate them to allow uniform and clear communications of the DACT output to the supervising station. These communication devices are not part of the fire alarm system (as the POTS lines were not part of the fire alarm system). This last sentence is the most important thing to know, because the AHJ may not be aware and demand that the MFVN be UL 864 listed. It is not part of a fire alarm control unit so this requirement is not necessary. 

MFVNs are listed communications devices, and they simply allow the connection to the supervising station and DACT to be seamless, just as if the DACT was communicating over traditional POTS lines. Knowing the difference will enable quicker approval and show customers why they should trust you with all their fire alarm system needs.

Obviously, knowing the code and being able to discuss these issues coherently with the AHJ also shows you to be a reliable source of information.

It is important for fire alarm systems technicians to keep learning new technologies. This type of training maintains their interest in the field, and, of course, helps with employee retention.

All these factors make you a reliable partner with stable and useful installations. Benjamin Franklin is quoted as saying, “Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.” Are you a reliable contractor?

stock.adobe.com / EdNal

About The Author

MOORE, a licensed fire protection engineer, was a principal member and chair of NFPA 72, Chapter 24, NFPA 909 and NFPA 914. He is president of the Fire Protection Alliance in Jamestown, R.I. Reach him at [email protected]

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

featured Video

;

Advantages of Advertising with ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR in 2025

Learn about the benefits of advertising with Electrical Contractor Media Group in 2025. 

Advertisement

Related Articles

Advertisement