The “Great Resignation” has been all over the news, and many electrical contractors are blindsided by experienced employees retiring. Many face the challenge of hiring new journeymen and helpers educated enough to enter the...
In the 2018 edition of the International Building Code, the documentation information in paragraph 907.1.2 on fire alarm shop drawings was deleted. A statement was added telling users to prepare the shop drawings per NFPA 72...
Two issues always seem to cause the most headaches when installing fire alarm systems. One has to do with duct detectors. The other has to do with installing fire alarm devices to interface with elevator controllers. There is...
The National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET) lists various Occupational Safety and Health Administration documents as reference material for all levels in the Fire Alarm Systems certification...
Installing a code-compliant fire alarm system requires you to follow more than one code. Each code relating to cable has specific requirements based on the system performance desired by the owner. Both NFPA 70, National...
Most contractors feel confident that they have the qualifications to install any fire alarm system, regardless of size or complexity. You likely already know that only an unfinished fire alarm system can delay the occupancy...
Are you certified in the fire alarm or life safety field? If you are, why did you do it? If not, why not? I have heard many claims about the benefits and drawbacks of getting certified. I’d like to share some of my...
If you provide fire alarm system inspection, testing and maintenance (ITM), you already know that everyone of your potential customers will be an easy sale. Why, you ask, is that premise true? The answer is simple, you don’t...
COSCO Fire Protection operates out of 10 locations in California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. The Brea, Calif., company offers services in two general areas. The first is fire suppression systems that includes wet and dry...
How do you sell fire alarm and emergency communications systems and services? If you have been doing something for a while without any change, it might be time to examine that process and whether it still works, is relevant...
Are there only three systems that can be integrated? Of course, the answer is no. In fact, there is no technological limit to the number of building systems that could be integrated. But is total building systems integration...
As a member of the NFPA 72 Protected Premises Technical Committee during the past few code cycles, I have found it very interesting to discuss proposed changes to fire alarms of the future. Technology is improving the...
Depending on where you live, you may either have only one or two historical or cultural properties, or you may have a much larger group that will need your services. Regardless of the number of historical or cultural...
One of your goals as a professional contractor should be to become a trusted advisor to your customers. This goal doesn’t require you to be the low bidder on every project, but it does require you to show your customer why...
You sit in your office estimating a fire alarm system installation project. The design calls for a large number of smoke detectors. You received bids from your fire alarm equipment suppliers, and their numbers appear high—way...
Some of the greatest changes in NFPA 72 over the last couple of code cycles have been the changes in ways to transmit signals from the fire alarm control unit to the monitoring facility. I’d like to take this opportunity to...
Every January, many of us make New Year’s resolutions. However, sometimes we can’t get through February before we have forgotten about them or we have little internal motivation to follow through. One resolution we should all...
Happy New Year! Now that there is a lot of new construction going on, it is easy to put testing and servicing of fire alarms on the back burner. Since a number of companies will do just that, now is the best time for...
One of your business’ primary goals is to ensure the work is done right the first time, everything is code-compliant and that the installation will reliably operate well into the future. To meet your profit and reliability...
What will fire alarm systems of the future be like? Technology is changing rapidly, and historically, fire alarm systems have not kept up with these modifications. That is starting to change. In the 2016 NFPA 72, National...
