Fire alarm servicing and test mode option

[Benzerari]

Fire alarm servicing in test mode or silent mode is really helpful option to disable outputs while testing, but when servicing a big area such as an entire compus, a lot of zones have to be set in test mode, and it takes you probably the whole day to finish..., so imagine your are in one end and a genuine fire occurs in the other end, no one can be notified because all outputs are disabled, this case always comes to my mind when I am servicing. Also it has never ever happened to me but it does not mean it will never happen, my quiry is that how a fire alarm engineer can be protected from serious precedures through the court in these cases?

Benzerari

[chris.]

I very rarely service the fire alarm using global walk test or alarm outputs disabled with modern addressable systems, cant be avoided with some conventional ones though.
Always best to put the zone or node your testing into test mode and not the whole system, at the very least if thats not possible and your on a large campus usually made up of other building - disconnect the panel your working on from the network, it will generate a fault but at least other areas are covered.

 just to add to the last bit about protecting yourself from court cases - that shouldnt be your worry, id be more concered about the 'what if a fire broke out and someone died', that would be on your concience forever.

[Benzerari]

Thanks Chris

That's seems logic really, but in some cases even a single zone can be a huge area on its own with say 60 detectors, and there is no way to put in test mode just part of this zone.

[chris.]

at least with putting just one zone into test, you will be in that zone - gives the possibility of you being able to smell smoke etc. when putting the whole building into test, if theres a fire in the roof space, you wouldnt know unless you were testing that zone

in high risk areas, i have had to work in 2's.. one engineer tests, the other stands at the panel accepting all the alarms.. if anythings not as it should be, they can make the choice as to sounding the alarms from the panel - or phoning the other enginner to double check first