Your fire alarm system has one mission: to protect people from the dangers of a building-wide disaster. It must alert occupants, notify authorities and activate systems like sprinklers or fire curtains. When choosing a fire protection company, ensure they provide system service, repairs, and 24/7 monitoring services.
Industry Experience
Many fire alarm system companies offer various services, including inspections, testing, and maintenance. These services often provide a significant portion of a company’s recurring revenue and can help increase the longevity of a replacement system. Understanding what each service means and how it differs from other offerings is essential. For example, some companies may only offer integrated testing or commissioning, while others offer services and installation.
Reputation
Fire alarms have a simple job: to increase emergency preparedness by alerting inhabitants of a possible fire and help save lives. Unfortunately, fire alarms sometimes “cry wolf” and go off in non-emergency situations. This ruins their reputation and can cause people to distrust the system and not take future alerts seriously. The best fire alarm systems are UL certified and offer a variety of equipment and services, including ADA area of rescue intercoms, smoke and flame detection, and fire suppression systems. They also come with building management systems and central station monitoring. Look for a company that offers a non-proprietary fire alarm system, which gives you more flexibility with upgrades and maintenance. Proprietary systems limit your options and can lead to costly complications.
Certifications
A fire alarm system company must have the proper certifications to operate in the field. This is important because it provides physical proof to Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) and insurance companies that a highly qualified technician is servicing your alarm system. This certification process includes both a written exam and an on-site practical exam. It tests a technician’s knowledge of fire alarm systems, including their components and installation requirements, inspection procedures, and methods. A false alarm is an event that occurs when a wire to an input device (magnetic door contacts, glass break detectors, motion sensors, photoelectric beams, or smoke detectors) becomes pinched, irritated, or skinned during the installation process, exposing bare conductors and generating a signal to the central station. Various factors, such as environmental conditions or equipment malfunction, cause this.
Comprehensive Services
When emergencies occur, communicating with occupants and alerting emergency responders is crucial. Notification devices include visual signals such as strobes and sirens and can also broadcast prerecorded messages for evacuation guidance. Fire alarm detection systems are designed to discover a fire in its early stages and buy time for a safe evacuation. They can also monitor for other hazards, including hazardous materials, transportation accidents, active shooters, and tornado warnings. Your fire protection system must be inspected, maintained, and monitored. A company that offers comprehensive services will handle all aspects of the inspection, repair, maintenance, and central station monitoring process to help you maintain code compliance. They can also manage your critical documentation, maintenance schedules, repairs, and activity logs online. This helps streamline your operations and provides greater visibility into your life safety systems.
Pricing
A fire alarm system offers extra security for everyone on your property, ensuring they have enough time to escape if a fire occurs. This prevents panic and ensures the evacuation process goes smoothly and efficiently, minimizing business disruptions. When choosing a fire alarm company, you also want to ensure they offer comprehensive services like inspections. A price breakdown of each service’s costs is essential to understand your overall investment. Fire alarm monitoring also helps minimize false alarms, which waste the fire department’s time and lead people to take real emergencies less seriously. Look for a system that accurately detects routine interferences and only activates when there’s a valid emergency. This can reduce your annual maintenance expenses and ensure the integrity of your system over time.
