Fire Systems Installation
NFPA bundles fire door, damper and door locking training
July 17, 2019SSN Staff
QUINCY, Mass.—The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has developed a training bundle to help facility managers, building owners, engineers, designers and code officials address essential safety and security features in the buildings that they are charged with keeping safe and functional.
The Balancing Safety and Security with Fire Doors, Dampers and Door Locking Online Training Series provides an introduction to NFPA 80, Standard for Fire Doors and Other Opening Protectives (2016),...
New 'bigger picture' vision for NFPA
April 28, 2015Amy Canfield
QUINCY, Mass.—The National Fire Protection Association's new vision and mission statement will include pursuing a deeper understanding of stakeholders and how the NFPA can help them do their jobs better, according to president Jim Pauley.
It was time for NFPA to “look at the bigger picture” and what its role should be for the future and the new statements reflect that, Pauley told Security Systems News. NFPA is nearly 120 years old, but he said he views it as a “120-year-old...
Revisiting fire alarms for children with special needs
April 20, 2015Amy Canfield
STILLWATER, Okla.—Current fire alarms work fine for the general population, but they can cause big problems for students with special needs and for teachers who are charged with safely evacuating them.Alternative methods would work better, according to Bryan Hoskins, assistant professor in the Department of Fire Protection and Safety Engineering at Oklahoma State University. Hoskins has been studying the issue. His report, “Fire Alarms and At-Risk Populations: Information from Literature...
Chubb Edwards becomes exclusive Edwards provider in Canada
December 17, 2014Amy Canfield
MISSISSAGUA, Ontario—Chubb Edwards will become the exclusive provider of the Edwards EST fire and life safety product line and the Edwards signaling product range throughout Canada as of Jan. 1.The deal expands Chubb Edwards' distribution and services into Atlantic Canada, eastern and northern Ontario, Saskatchewan, British Columbia's southern interior and Vancouver Islands. It allows distributors, general contractors, electrical contractors and customers across the country to work with a single...
United Systems buys test-inspection company
October 27, 2014Amy Canfield
DENVER—Full-service security company United Systems, based here, has acquired Absolute Fire and Safety to expand commercial fire and safety services throughout Colorado.Absolute Fire and Safety brings its test and inspection work to the company, Williamson said. The addition of Absolute's five employees “and their expertise allows us to tell the story that we are the total solution for (our customers.) It allows us to present a really great package,” Jeff Williamson, United Systems'...
Silent Knight creates online resource for industry
October 7, 2014SSN Staff
NORTHFORD, Conn.—Building a fire alarm system from the ground up; when to use IP or cellular or both in alternative communication systems; and customizing emergency messages for mass notification systems. Silent Knight's new blog covers those topics and more.
Silent Knight by Honeywell on Sept. 2 announced the creation of the new online resource for industry. The blog, which the company's marketing director likened to “a library of mini-white papers” stands out for its...
Benchmark report on fire/life safety device inspection data released
October 7, 2014SSN Staff
SUWANEE, Ga.— BuildingReports, an inspection reporting services company, recently released its first benchmark report based on inspection data from more than 120 million fire and life safety devices. And the company plans to follow up with additional reports that provide a more detailed look at the data.“The inaugural report is a 30,000-foot view of the inspection data and provides a solid foundation, but it's a foundation we'll build upon in quarterly addendums and annual reports moving...
Siemens recalls audible fire alarm bases
September 24, 2014Tess Nacelewicz
BUFFALO GROVE, Ill.— Siemens Building Technologies, based here, is recalling about 9,000 audible fire alarm bases because they can fail to sound an alarm, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced Sept. 18.The name of the product is the SBGA-34 Audible Fire Alarm Base, typically used in commercial facilities, not homes, company spokeswoman Allison Britt said in an email interview. It “is part of a professionally installed fire alarm system, not a self-contained product...
Chinese fire manufacturer's new $30m plant in Quebec to target U.S. market
September 22, 2014Tess Nacelewicz
SAINT-BRUNO-DE-MONTARVILLE, Quebec—A Chinese fire manufacturer plans to build a $30 million new plant in this city near Montreal next year. However, its plan to eventually target the U.S. market could face challenges, according to an industry analyst.“I think it could be hard for them to set up distribution,” Justin Siller, manager, security and building technologies, for IHS, a Colorado-based market research company.He noted that the fire alarm manufacturer, Maple Armor, would...
PE firm buys back distributor it previously sold
September 17, 2014Tess Nacelewicz
CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Private equity firm Behrman Capital likes BECO Holding Company, a wholesale distributor of fire equipment based here, so much that it recently bought the company back after selling it four years ago.“They really like the company, the team and the market that it was in,” David Kennedy, a director at Harris Williams & Co., a middle market investment bank that advised BHC on the deal, told Security Systems News.He added, “I think there's a lot that Behrman thinks...