Grandfathered Fire Alarm Systems are systems installed before the code requirements were in place or systems that were installed before the code was enforced.

1. Often a grandfathered Fire Alarm system is not installed to code making it less effective to do what a fire alarm system should do. Some examples we have seen are fire alarm systems that are not UL listed, fire alarm systems without 2 analog phone lines, fire alarm system that are not commercially UL listed but being used anyway like residential equipment used in businesses.

2. Whenever you do a remodel to the building or change the fire alarm system in any way you are supposed to notify the fire marshal to get permission to make changes and sometimes he or she will allow those changes and other times they may require that you bring the system and the building up to current code.

3. Most Grandfathered fire alarm systems are outdated and if your smoke detectors are over 10 years old they need to be replaced. If you do not change the panel or add or delete devices or appliances you can replace devices and appliances as part of maintenance without getting the fire marshal involved.

4. We went to a factory last week and the fire sprinkler system was not monitored and the smoke detectors that were installed were part of the security system and they were not listed for commercial fire alarm. What happens in this case is interesting because insurance companies look for any reason not to pay claims. When there is a fire they have an insurance investigator find out when the UL listed Central station got the alarm and when they dispatched the fire department and if the fire alarm was not kept in good functioning condition by being inspected once a year as per state law or if the system did not send an alarm then many times they will not pay the claim even through you have been paying your insurance premiums.

5. In the case above if the sprinkler system activates and dumps water all over the place there will be water damage and even if it puts out the fire all the factory machinery will be ruined and since there is not an electrical device monitoring the flow of water thousands of gallons of water may be dumped before the water gets shut off. This happened at OC Tanner many years ago and their flow switch was not tied to the fire alarm system and it was a terrible setback for OC Tanner because it dumped water in their gold refinery and their CAD department causing many thousands of dollars damage.

6. So if you have a fire alarm in your facility that is grandfathered you may not want to upgrade because you don’t want to replace the system with an expensive new system just understand that fire alarm systems protect property and lives and it is worth the upgrade and the investment that you will make.

Call Larry Love at 801 898 6003 for a Fire Alarm site visit and quote at no charge. Larry.Love@JCI.com Johnson Controls Fire Protection