Should a fire department in any given municipality be able to tell remotely if a master box (that monitors a specific fire alarm system) is switched to "disabled"? Reason for this question is that a few weeks ago one of the techs I work with thought he forgot to re-enable the master box at a sight he was testing. He called the fire department upon disarming and again upon rearming the system and when he called to rearm the system, they told him it was all set and had a clear reading. I told him that he's all set because if it was disarmed, they would have a trouble or a fault reading on there system. He didn't agree and got him self all worked up and weeks later, he still thinks he's correct. Can anyone confirm who's right? Also, you should know that this is not a "long/short arm" setup, it is a simple disable/enable type disconnect.
Fire Alarm Systems Connected to Town Master Box
- Thread starter JRK277480
- Start date
- Status
- Location
- Massachusetts
No one answer, as many answers as there are FDs and types of municipal connections.
Where you working with a modern radio box or an old style telegraph type system?
Where you working with a modern radio box or an old style telegraph type system?
- Location
- Massachusetts
Most of the Radio Boxes I have worked with have a transmitter disconnect switch that if you place on disconnect the fire dept will not know about it until the receiving station tries to contact that box. How often the receiving station 'polls' each box is set up in the programing and at least some of the towns only poll each box once a day.
However as long as the transmitter switch is in the normal position all other troubles can be sent to the receiving station, again that depends on the programing.
Some local FDs want to receive panel troubles and supervisories and some only want to receive alarms.
However as long as the transmitter switch is in the normal position all other troubles can be sent to the receiving station, again that depends on the programing.
Some local FDs want to receive panel troubles and supervisories and some only want to receive alarms.
Not entirely sure what brand or model to be honest. Perhaps my wording/intent in/of the initial post was unclear. My argument with him was that if the fire department's control center was not reading/communicating with the system as its program dictates it should (regardless of polling or comm. checks) they would know (that's why they made him call before and after disarming). Right? The point of all this, is that the guy I work with is an excellent electrician, (intelligent, knowledgable, talented) but his lack of condfidence in his own work is unfounded. He was worried, for days, that the fire department would not be able to monitor the panel. I guess it was one of those things that we all do on the ride home at night....(oh crap, did i remember to do this.....) 9out of ten times we did remember to do this......My point to him is that if there was a true blue alarm, the fire department would know regardless. Maybe, i'm wrong, but the majority of modern alarm systems that I have installed or serviced, have multiple safe guards in place to ensure proper personal and property protection. I guess my question should have been....He didn't need to worry so much? or did he?
- Location
- Massachusetts
It really depends on the set up.
The radio systems I work with do not stay in constant communication with the receiving staion, they connect only when the Master box or receiving station sends a signal.
So if I call the receiving station and they actually take the time to connect to the box they should know if there are any troubles and if they try to connect and can't they can tell that as well.
However if the transmitter switch is off and the receiving station does not really take the time to connect to that master box they would not know if there is an issue or not.
In other words the person at the station can just look at the equipment and if there are no troubles indicated the transmitter switch could still be off.
The radio systems I work with do not stay in constant communication with the receiving staion, they connect only when the Master box or receiving station sends a signal.
So if I call the receiving station and they actually take the time to connect to the box they should know if there are any troubles and if they try to connect and can't they can tell that as well.
However if the transmitter switch is off and the receiving station does not really take the time to connect to that master box they would not know if there is an issue or not.
In other words the person at the station can just look at the equipment and if there are no troubles indicated the transmitter switch could still be off.
- Location
- Massachusetts
All that said .......... within 24 hours or less they would get a communications failure notice at the receiving station.
- Status