Comparing bids for fire alarm systems
Items to remember when comparing fire alarm proposals:
Did the fire alarm company point out possible issues with the PE design for the fire alarm that bid out? Often engineers miss items and do not design projects to current code. Here at JCFP we can help you navigate these code questions even before the bid so you don’t get surprises later on.
How many years has the fire alarm company been in business? Johnson Controls has been in business for over one hundred years and we are in every state in the US.
How many years have they sold that specific brand of fire alarm and are they certified and NICET certified? JCFP sells and services Simplex Fire Alarm systems which are high end systems that traditionally last much longer than many other brands.
Have they don’t projects of that same size before? Here at JCI we are currently doing the Salt Lake Airport with networked panels. Johnson Controls Fire Protection also does Hospitals and large projects such as college campus fire alarms, data centers and hotels.
Often smaller companies will give you a lower bid although if one of their techs gets sick and another one is on vacation your project may not be top priority and service is the same way. Here at Johnson Controls Fire Protection we are large enough to handle very large projects and we have project managers that assist in scheduling your project and they will work with you when challenges arise.
My name is Larry Love and I have the NICET level 2 certification for fire alarm. Most sales people are not NICET certified so right from the start I can help you with over 20 years of experience in the fire alarm industry. I can answer your questions and even visit the job site as needed. We have a large team of NICET certified people for design, CAD, reviews and installation. Our Installation manager Nate Johnson is NICET level 3 and one of our project managers Jeremy Johnson ( not related and not owners of the company) is also a NICET level 3 in fire alarm. Another one of our project managers is Frankie Huff and he is an expert in Fire Sprinkler Systems. Here at JCI in Utah we do not install new Fire Sprinkler systems although we do fire sprinkler inspections and repairs.
Does the fire alarm company you work with have their own monitoring center? Most don’t, they sub it out so the customer has to deal with one company for the fire alarm warranty, another company for inspections, another company for fire sprinkler inspections and fire extinguisher inspections and another company for HVAC and Security.
Here at Johnson Controls we have a division for HVAC, another division for Security and one for fire alarm so we can do all the systems in the building and we can inspect them as well.
Contact Larry Love Larry.Love@JCI.com 801 898 6003 for new construction projects, TIs /Remodels for Simplex brand fire alarm.
Contact Shandie.a.gorney@jci.com 801 214 5668 for all of your service, fire alarm test & inspection, fire sprinkler test & inspections, TIs and Fire extinguisher tests and certification tags.
Matthew.bingham@jci.com 801 419 1379 for new construction projects and owner direct as well has panel upgrades and remodels. Matt does all the projects at the Salt Lake City Airport so if you have a bid at the airport call Matt Bingham.
Jackson Jones Jackson.Jones@jci.com cell 801 403 3461 for service