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comments on NYC Fire
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Ken
Regarding the whole thing with the NY proposed requirement about the electrician:
Lets call a spade a spade. This is politics and job security for the electrical unions in NY. I have no doubt they are behind it in some manor, as the saying goes, follow the money! Where is the money going to have to be spent-Master Electrician! I have a been a general contractor for 26 years (I have been doing AV for the last 7 years as well), I hire as many as 24 subs on anyone project plus the architect (and that is in residential).
My advice; Relax, play the game, find an electrician you can work with, and you will have to adjust your installation rates accordingly (as your supposed competition will too). This will again be what will separate the professional from the hammer and a pickup truck (in the alarm industry, a minivan and a box of wire), use this in your presentation, explain the new requirements (if passed) and how you follow it to protect your client, add it in your contracts to show what a wonderful business professional you are.
Finally, follow what is going on in your industry so you can be involved in the changes.
Larry Heuvelman, CR, CGR, ROI, President
OneHomeCinema
Antioch, IL 60002
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Ken
Does all this mean that we pay licensing fee for license that is no good? Isn't this time to sue the City, Department of Labor, Buildings Department, Dept of State and all other entities preventing alarm license holders from getting LEGAL work? There is probably lot of money to be made from lawsuits - forget dragging ladder and pulling wires.
Dusan
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Ken
I am with Dusan, lets sue NYC
Mike
CSS
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Response
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I got a call from an alarm company asking about suing NYC Fire Dept. My response was its too expensive and he won't win. Best advice - go with the flow - get certified.
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Question re best fire alarm contract
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Ken,
Can you tell me more about the all in one fire alarm contract?
Queen Galamb
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Answer
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There are several fire alarm contracts that address different services. The list is at www.alarmcontracts.com. The most popular is the Fire All in One. This contract combines sale, installation, service, inspection, monitoring and runner service. It's the best contract for commercial fire alarm work.
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comment on putting fire alarms on test
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Ken
Just my two cents,
I think there’s some confusion here since the section of NFPA 72 which is being talked about refers to test signals not accounts being put on test / out of service by a subscriber or service company. NFPA 72 2007 (which is what Miami-Dade County is currently using) states:
8.3.7.5.3 – Any test signal not received by the central station shall be investigated immediately and action shall be taken to reestablish system integrity.
This only seems to refer to the daily 24 hour test signal which is sent from the FACP to ensure communication. It also means the central station only needs to notify (dispatch) the certificate holder (usually the service company) so they can take steps to return the system to a normal state. I do not agree that this means if a system is placed on test and no signals are received that the central station would then need to notify the property to find out what happened as stated below.
Back to the original question of how long a system can be placed on test / out of service there is no clear code reference for this. It is mainly up to the AHJ however 8 hours seems to be correct based on 8.3.7.3 (3) and 8.3.7.4 (3) which basically states that any problem which lasts more than 8 hours which causes the FACP to send a supervisory or trouble signal needs to be reported to the subscriber and/or AHJ. This is in addition to dispatching a runner but does seem to allow for up to 8 hours of a system being out of service/ on test.
Russell Jones
Alarm & Electronics Systems, LLC
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