Cody MacDonald’s Post

A Day in the Life of a Fire Alarm Technician The shrill ring of the fire alarm jolted me awake at 5 a.m. – not a building evacuation, but my personal wake-up call. A quick shower, a grab-and-go breakfast, and I was in my truck, coffee in hand, navigating the pre-dawn streets. First stop: a service call for a battery trouble. "How did these pass inspection two months ago?" I muttered, swapping out the depleted batteries. No power outages, charging circuit fine... a mystery for another day. Service ticket signed, and I was back on the road. Downtown, I met the inspection team, dB meter in hand. The fire alarm sound test was a symphony of horns and strobes. A few locked offices meant a return visit, but overall, things looked good. Next: a clean agent system inspection at a financial firm. This would take the rest of the day. Meticulous checks, ensuring everything was in order to protect this high-stakes environment. Around 3 p.m., with the inspection complete, I was finally heading home. But just as I envisioned a relaxing evening, the shop called. A school's fire alarm wouldn't silence. Dinner out would have to wait. At the school, the culprit was a latched waterflow switch. A quick adjustment, a test, and the system was back to normal. Finally, I could head home, another day done. Tomorrow would bring new alarms, new challenges. But for now, it was time to rest, ready to answer the call again when it came. Because in the world of fire alarm technicians, every day is a little bit different, and every alarm is a chance to make a difference. #firealarm #fireprotection #technician

#ULCERTIFICATION Carelessly misguided verbiage can confuse field techs and customers. Some territories demand UL certifications from fire alarm systems installers. However they do not specify what certification they need to acquire. It’s up to vendors for properly addressing the matter. The Central Station UL certification is the most commonly requested one. It’s issued by the signal monitoring station and it acknowledges the signal is been taken over by a service provider that adheres to strict requirements and demonstrate compliance on an annual basis. On the other hand, The fire alarm system UL certificate is an alarm company's declaration that the alarm system equipment, installation, maintenance and service meet, and often exceed, minimum standard requirements, giving AHJs and alarm system subscribers confidence in alarm system performance. Next time you go out to the field make sure customers are 100% certain the UL certificate they need.

I don't know what kind of work you're used to doing. I don't know what kind of standards you're holding yourself to. But I do know this: if you're looking for a pass on this substandard installation, I can tell you it's not going to happen. What I do have are a very particular set of skills, skills I've acquired over years of working on fire alarm systems. Skills that make me a nightmare for technicians who cut corners. If you fix these deficiencies now and ensure this system meets code, that'll be the end of it. I won't report you to the authority having jurisdiction, I won't pursue further action. But if you don't, I will find every violation, I will document every mistake, and I will make sure you're held accountable.

If there is a place where the noise is very high, and you need to install a fire alarm system, there is a nice and useful information that you should know not condition that the bell/alarm device that will be placed is louder than the sum of the sounds in the surrounding environment, it may be equal to or even less and you can also distinguish it How? This will happen when the bell and the noise around it have different frequencies When you measure noise anywhere, the value will be shown in dBA, but you need to geta device that analyzes the frequencies of sounds and produces the 1/3 Octave band and accordingly you have an analysis of the frequencies of all sounds like the one in the picture in Figure A And to hear the alarm sound not need it to be higher than all of them, but you need it to be higher than one band but, even if it is less than the sum, you will also be able to distinguish it You can know the frequency distribution and sound intensity that comes out in each frequency from the manufacturer's catalog, such as the table below this B, and from it you know if this will work for you or not. #Safety #Fire #hse

Electrifying advice

Electrifying advice

The outer jacked of the cable feels solid, but in reality, the insulation on power limited wire is designed for ease of install. Essentially, making it light work.   The softer insulation means that sharp metal corners, conduit burrs, and pipe/rod threads over time bite into the insulation, consequently causing many of the annoying ground faults.   In the case of the threaded rods, it usually takes years, but eventually, the sharp threads penetrate the soft, fire alarm cable insulation. Once the copper conductor (originally protected by the insulation) contacts one of the threads, the electrical leakage, or ground fault, starts. (INEXPERIENCE INSTALLS)   When the electrical leakage (ground fault) starts, the owner of the building or the building’s management calls for service.   Then, the arriving fire alarm technician sometimes spends many hours looking all over the building for the ground fault to rectify it.

🔑 Passing the Torch: The Quirky World of Fire Alarm Keys Ever been handed a fire alarm key and felt like you were receiving a badge of honor? In the world of fire safety, getting that old, trusty key from a senior technician is almost a rite of passage. Here’s to those special moments when you’re handed a key with a wink and a nudge, as if to say, "Welcome to the club!" It's more than just a piece of metal; it’s a symbol of trust and responsibility. Admit it, we all have a few keys that we’ve inherited but have absolutely no idea what they do. They might open a portal to another dimension, or maybe just the janitor's closet. Then there are those keys that have seen better days. Their edges are worn, their labels are long gone, but they still get the job done. Each key tells a story – from the harrowing fire alarm tests in the middle of the night, to the routine maintenance checks carried out with military precision. So, to all the technicians out there holding onto those old warn out keys and passing them down with a smile – here’s to you! 🚨🔑 #FireSafety #TechnicianLife #KeyKeepers #SafetyFirst #WorkHumor