THE PITFALLS OF THE “CHEAP FIRE ALARM” ROUTE

In these difficult economic times, every business dollar spent must be justified and bring in some kind of return.  Many times the services and equipment that don’t show immediate revenue returns get pushed aside or the lowest cost option is chosen.  In regards to your fire alarm system, this action can be even more costly in the future.  

I can’t tell you how many times that property managers and building owners have made the decision to delay repairs to their fire alarm system, or opted to take a less expensive option, only to have the original issue reoccur with an even more expensive fix.  Fire alarm wiring repairs that are done by a non-C10 licensed contractor often times end up creating more issues with that renders the fire alarm system disabled.  Delaying or not replacing initiating devices (smoke & heat detectors) that are past their life expectancy can result in reduced detection capacity or numerous false alarms, which can incur costly fines from the responding fire department. Not replacing the backup batteries can cause a failure of the system to operate during a power outage, which is when many buildings are at their most vulnerable to fire. 

The best practice the building owner can take is to make the investment to have their fire alarm system tested and inspected on a regular basis, as per the national fire code.  This will insure that the system functions as designed, when needed.  It also keeps repair and maintenance costs to a minimum, and prolongs the life of the fire alarm system.  It is better to spend a few hundred dollars a year, protect your property and reduce your liability, than to have to spend thousands upgrading a system because of out-of-date devices, or in repairing a fire damaged building.

Lori Lumbattis