Re: Fire Alarms Certification

[Frank Kurz <tech@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On 11/05/2011 8:28 PM, James B wrote:
> On May 11, 12:01 pm, G. Morgan<usenet_ab...@xxxxxxxxx>  wrote:
>> James B Wrote:
>>
>>> Do you need to be certified on every brand of fire alarm panel you
>>> work on?  With so many different brands out their how does this
>>> work?
>>
>> If one is licensed in Texas, they can work on any FACP legally.  The
>> issue with manufacturer certs. comes in on individual jobs, where the
>> customer has specified the equipment.  It applies with security too, for
>> example many moons ago; I helped install cctv/access control at the new
>> Federal Reserve Bank in Houston.  The customer (feds in this case),
>> required at least one factory trained Lennell and one Pelco certified
>> tech to always be on-site.
>>
>> --
>>
>> "We completely understand that he's not able to come, but that the invitation was made in that spirit,"
>> --White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, on Obama inviting Bush to the World Trade Center site.
>
>
> We have a specific job that has an old notifier fire alarm panel.  The
> panel is zoned and not addressable.  They are adding on to the
> building and we have been asked to add about 5 smoke detectors to the
> system.  The additions were designed by an engineer but he has
> sugested we cannot do the work because we dont have a certified
> Notifier tech on our staff.  The 5 smokes that need to be added have
> been spec'd as system sensor, and so are the horn strobes.  The panel
> has 1 unused zone that will handle up to 25 of these paticular smokes.
>
> Our customer is the end user, and they prefer us to do the work.  We
> will still do the work, and just sub out our local Notifier dealer to
> inspect it.  It just seems silly that we cant add 5 smokes to an
> existing system.
>
> James B

With tongue firmly planted in your cheek, you should "suggest" to the
engineer that if he's designing an addition to a Notifier system that he
should be "Notifier Certified" as well.

Seriously.  This is a conventional panel.  Certification by the
manufacturer for conventional panels isn't even available.
"Certification training" involves learning the programming software on
their addressable stuff and that's about it.

Potter tried pulling the same shit here.  They "suggested" that the only
individuals capable of commissioning, installing, servicing, testing,
programming, and verifying (Canadian term) the Potter PFC-9000 has to
have received the "face-to-face" factory training.  Patently ridiculous
when you consider what the supposed "factory trained" technicians passed
for properly installed fire alarm panels on four jobs that I know of.
One of them is featured at:
http://www.firetechs.net/Burning_Brick_Awards/AFS/Active_Fire_Botched_Surrey_Verification.asp.

Another involving a Notifier panel is at:
http://www.firetechs.net/Burning_Brick_Awards/Acme/Acme_Fire_&_Safety_Botched_Burnaby_Verification.asp.

Enjoy!

--
Frank Kurz
www.firetechs.net