Re: An ethical conundrum... Opinions welcome!

[G. Morgan <usenet_abuse@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Fri, 27 Nov 2009 23:04:12 -0800, Frank Olson
<use_the_email_links@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

>We're hip deep in a major fire alarm system upgrade on two residential
>high-rise towers with an interconnected parkade.  The old fire alarm
>systems are being monitored by a company that obviously cares more for
>the RMR than they do for the safety of their customer.  There are no
>test signals programmed!  The service manager stated to me that test
>signals are an additional cost which the customer opted not to send.
>The company is charging the customer $22.00 a month for "basic" service.
>  The communicators haven't been transmitting for over two years (that's
>when the electrician removed them from the wall and placed them neatly
>in the corner of the electrical room).  The alarm company's invoice
>supposedly has a reminder to "test your system monthly" and this is all
>they're relying on!  The customer started refusing the invoices within
>three months of the panel's disconnection.  Granted, he didn't send the
>company a proper notice.  The company suspended service on both accounts
>last year (November).  Are they entitled to two years billing or just
>one?  Should any professional alarm dealer even offer to monitor a fire
>alarm system without a daily test signal?  I shudder to think of the
>possible liability issues involved.


I don't think they are entitled to any monitoring fees, and may need to issue
a refund.

Unless exempted from the AHJ, they were never doing any (legal) monitoring IMO
without the test signals programmed.



(NFPA 72, 1999)

5-5.3.2.1.10 Each DACT shall automatically initiate and com-
plete a test signal transmission sequence to its associated
DACR at least once every 24 hours. A successful signal trans-
mission sequence of any other type within the same 24-hour
period shall fulfill the requirement to verify the integrity of the reporting
system, provided signal processing is automated so
that 24-hour delinquencies are individually acknowledged by
supervising station personnel.

5-2.6.1.5.2* Any test signal not received by the central station
shall be investigated immediately and action shall be taken to
reestablish system integrity.