In the course of daily business, you often receive a request to update or replace electrical systems in a building. Have you ever proactively asked customers to allow you to review and audit their fire alarm systems?


I often speak with building owners who regularly budget for computer and electrical systems replacement, and I find it interesting to learn they do not do the same for their fire alarm systems. Maybe the adage, “out of sight, out of mind,” applies, especially if the system has not produced false alarms in its recent history.


Given that most fire alarm systems use a microprocessor to process signals (i.e., a computer), you might expect a facilities manager would consider placing the system on a schedule for future replacement. 


The decision becomes easier, of course, if the decision-maker has the responsibility for the inspection, testing and maintenance (ITM) of the fire alarm system. Such a person would have first-hand knowledge of the fire alarm system’s overall condition. With that knowledge, he or she could advise the owner of the life safety/fire alarm system’s declining reliability.


Typically, all electronic systems follow a so-called reliability “bathtub curve” during their life cycle. In the early stages of a system’s existence, a predictable number of “burn-in” failures will likely occur. After the burn-in period, the system failures drop to almost zero—the bottom of the “bathtub”—for a significant period of time, typically called its “life cycle.” At the end of the system’s life cycle, failures begin to occur regularly, and the curve rises.


Age of the system and amount of daily use both affect its life cycle. For example, the components of a fire alarm system that fail most often include the power supplies. This is because they are the most active part of a system, even when the system operates in a standby or “nonalarm” state.


A contractor who actively performs fire alarm system ITM is keenly aware that devices that consume power and devices that supply power will tend to fail most often during a system’s life cycle. By properly tracking the component replacement activity, you will have a good idea of when to advise the owner to plan for a complete system upgrade.


However, if you do not provide ITM services to the owner, you need to investigate a number of factors that will direct your recommendations for system replacement.


In taking the first step, review the system installation to determine if it is working properly. Begin by asking for any system test records. If the owner admits that the system has not produced any signals and that no one has performed ITM on the system since he or she has owned it, you will likely discover that the system is not working properly.


A thorough investigation and audit will answer that question and allow you to form an opinion regarding the system’s reliability. Investigate the fire alarm control equipment manufacturer to determine if the system has become obsolete or will soon become obsolete.


When manufacturers discontinue a product line, they generally will support replacement parts for a period of time. If you find that the equipment in the system under review has already been discontinued, a failure will likely force the owner to make an emergency replacement of the system because the manufacturer no longer supplies replacement parts. As a responsible contractor, you must know these facts and help the owner avoid potential surprises.


Exercise caution if an owner wants you to replace the fire alarm system control unit without changing anything else in the system. In some cases, the manufacturer’s salesperson has already advised the owner that there is an easy component replacement. First determine if the existing system complies with the current codes and standards. Next, recognize that, if the fire alarm system control unit has become obsolete, other components—such as smoke detectors and notification appliances—may also have become obsolete or have reached the end of their life cycle. You may find that a system installed some time ago does not provide sufficient audibility, intelligibility or visibility of notification appliances to meet the current code requirements. In addition, you may discover that the wiring method used for the existing system no longer meets the requirements of the code.


You must also understand that, even if the other components that connect to the fire alarm system control unit do not bear a listing mark for use with the new fire alarm control unit, connecting them to the new unit may violate the code or make the system prone to failure.


Determining all of the issues that might affect the fire alarm system installation offers the best path to knowing when you should recommend that an owner replace a fire alarm system. Then, present a comprehensive plan to the owner as to how to best upgrade and replace this important life safety system.