Recent changes to commercial fire alarm system codes have driven changes to fire panels, impacting how the panels communicate with the central station. Although some authorities have not yet adopted the latest codes, it’s a good idea for security integrators to be familiar with the latest requirements.

The Illinois Electronic Security Association (IESA) wants security industry professionals to be aware that the Illinois alarm industry is facing its most significant threat ever — even more so than in 2011 — because Senate Bill 1495 has advanced to the Local Government Committee in the Illinois Senate, chaired by the bill’s sponsor, Thomas Cullerton, who is a cousin of Senate President John Cullerton.

An interesting case involving disclosures required by a manufacturer was recently decided in the State of California. The plaintiff in the action against the defendant, a manufacturer and seller of fire safety products, claimed that the defendant failed to disclose the hazards of ionized and photoelectric smoke alarms (smoke detectors) that they manufactured and sold.

Delaware Technical and Community College offers educational opportunities for the community, including career/general development, transfer education, workforce training, and lifelong learning. Life safety is a priority for the 147-acre Owens Campus in Georgetown, which spans 10 different buildings and educates over 5,000 students. In order to maintain a high standard of safety, the college decided to install new fire alarm systems with emergency communications (ECS) and mass notification (MNS) capabilities.

Gamewell-FCI by Honeywell added to its FAAST series of aspirating smoke detectors from System Sensor – FAAST XT.

The WFDN Series Waterflow Detector is fully redesigned to meet the needs of modern fire sprinklers.

 Honeywell announced the Smart Wireless Integrated Fire Technology (SWIFT) detectors and modules, capable of seamlessly integrating with new and existing fire alarm systems from Fire-Lite Alarms, Gamewell-FCI and NOTIFIER.