Annual Fire Alarm Inspections

Fire Alarm Inspection

Annual fire alarm inspections are required by law!

Florida Fire Alarm Prevention Code requires that certain businesses have a fire alarm system installed, maintained and monitored. There is much more than just the initial fire alarm installation. Your chosen fire alarm monitoring company or fire alarm service company must provide you with annual fire alarm inspections. These annual fire alarm inspections are an important process that must be followed in order to protect life and property. Fire alarm systems are installed in hopes that they never have to be used. In the event that a fire alarm system is triggered, it’s important to know that the fire alarm will work and that the proper authorities will respond quickly.

What is done during an annual fire alarm inspection?

A Florida certified Fire Alarm Systems Agent (FASA) fire alarm technician will perform a visual inspection of all fire alarm devices including:

Manual Pull Stations also known as Manual Fire Alarm Boxes

Smoke Detectors

Heat Detectors

Heat Alarms

Supervisory Signal Devices – including Lockboxes

Duct Smoke Detectors

Waterflow Devices

Valve Tamper Switches

Gas Detectors

Strobe Devices

Horn Devices

Horn – Strobes

Speaker Strobes

Voice Evacuation Panel

Fire Alarm Panel

Battery Condition

Battery Installation Date

Remote Fire Alarm Annunciators – Fire Alarm Keypads

A visual fire alarm inspection can help the technician to determine if there is any physical damage to the devices that may cause a malfunction – either in the deliberate initiation of the fire alarm system or if the device may pose the potential for a false alarm trigger.  It’s also important to ensure that no required fire alarm devices have been removed from the property.

After a thorough visual inspection, the fire alarm technician will perform a functionality test to determine that the devices are working as intended and that the fire alarm sequence of events takes place as it’s intended.

The technician will contact the alarm monitoring central station and request that the fire alarm monitoring account be placed on test. This means that while the operators will receive the signal information from the control panel, the fire department will not be dispatched.

Once the system has been placed on test, the technician will begin a functionality test by manually engaging the fire alarm pull stations, smoke detectors, heat detectors and other fire alarm initiating devices. When this action occurs, the technician will observe and document the events that follow – including the initialization of the fire alarm strobes, horn strobes, speaker strobes and other notification appliances.

During the process of the fire alarm sounding in alarm, the technician will verify that the system’s power consumption is appropriate, that the proper signal information is being transmitted to the monitoring center and that the system is able to be reset to normal.

The fire alarm technician will also test the fire alarm panel’s ability to recharge backup batteries and replace depleted back up batteries as needed.

A full fire alarm inspection report is provided to the on site property representative to be placed near the fire alarm panel and a copy is brought back to the Lane Electronics and Alarm Systems office for record keeping.

If there are any deficiencies found during the fire alarm’s visual or functionality tests the deficiencies must be reported to the proper Florida fire alarm jurisdiction along with a plan of action to repair these devices.

If you have a business in Florida that requires fire alarm system monitoring or fire alarm system inspections, reach out to Lane Electronics and Alarm Systems in Winter Park, Florida and trust your fire alarm needs to the experts!

Please use our Contact Us page for instant contact information for Lane Electronics and Alarm Systems – your Florida Fire Alarm Company!

 

 

Brighthouse Home Security Program May End

While the home security business may seem to be a nationwide service as prominent as home internet service or cellular telephone service – the truth is that the alarm business is really a rather small community. Local Orlando, Florida home security providers keep their fingers on the pulse of the national industry health to provide their Central Florida home security customers the best experience possible. When companies like ADT home security alarm services do good, all alarm companies in the same arena do good too. Unlike electricity or cable providers, home security service customers have a freedom of choice for alarm monitoring service providers.

It’s no surprise that cable and internet providers have tried to jump into the home security arena in recent years. Over the last ten years or so we’ve seen Verizon jump into the home security business and back out again. Comcast, AT&T and now even Brighthouse have all tried to get involved in providing home security. Some of these programs were limited to very small test areas around the country but some of these services were launched right here in our home town of Orlando, Florida. We suppose that with the uprising of DIY home security systems, conglomerates like Brighthouse would see the home security business as EASY and attractive. After all, us home security businesses are just raking in huge profits right?

Listen, nobody comes into the home security business for the money. We  come into the home security business because we feel some sense of accomplishment when we protect our neighbors. Life safety is a very serious thing. The alarm systems we install are protecting more than property, we’re protecting lives. Sure, it’s easy to get distracted when you see all of the home automation services your alarm system can control but let us not forget that under all of the shiny widgets, there’s still a very demanding and honorable purpose for your home security system.

Unfortunately, it appears that the executive team at Brighthouse didn’t quite recognize this burden when they decided to dive head first into the home security arena. Their plan was great! Home security monitoring without any contract, free internet communicators for alarm monitoring, unlimited remote interactive arming and disarming of your alarm system, free service calls. My gosh! It’s a homeowner’s dream! This model is not sustainable and as we go into 2017 we see the impact this program has had on Brighthouse’s track record for seemingly booming success. Their home security program has failed. The alarm systems installed by Brighthouse didn’t provide security and they don’t provide profit to the business that eats our paychecks for breakfast.

If you’re a Brighthouse subscriber, you may have seen their recent announcements that Brighthouse was recently purchased by Charter Communications and now all Brighthouse services come under the name Spectrum. Spectrum is a company focused on the things they do best – telephone, internet and cable services over a fiber rich network. Notice anything missing there? Their niche is not home security.

There are rumors running around the home security industry that Charter Communications has decided to discontinue the Brighthouse home security program at the end of 2017. Insiders have told us that Brighthouse will make no offering to their existing home security monitoring customers to transfer their services to another provider. In fact, this may pose to be problematic for those homeowners who paid hefty alarm system installation fees and may have trouble finding new alarm service providers that can utilize the expensive proprietary wireless home security devices. While it’s difficult to confirm these rumors, Lane Electronics and Alarm Systems wants our Orlando, Florida area neighbors to know – we’re here for the long haul.

Lane Electronics and Alarm Systems is a full service home security and alarm system company based in Winter Park, Florida serving central Florida since 1988 – we love this business.

If you have questions about your home security alarm system or your alarm monitoring services – reach out to us, we’re here to help! 407-299-6070