Republic Fire - Fire Alarm Overview

Automatic Fire Alarm Systems

An automatic fire alarm system is designed to detect the unwanted presence of fire by monitoring environmental changes associated with combustion. In general, a fire alarm system is classified as either automatically actuated, manually actuated, or both. Automatic fire alarm systems are intended to notify the building occupants to evacuate in the event of a fire or other emergency, report the event to an off-premises location in order to summon emergency services, and to prepare the structure and associated systems to control the spread of fire and smoke.

The fire protection industry encompasses many manufactures of Automatic Fire Alarm Systems. Selecting the proper fire alarm system configuration can be confusing. Before choosing a fire panel system for your organization Republic Fire recommends procurement managers, management teams and facility staff read and follow the below guidelines:

Are all fire alarm systems alike? No, there are several different types of fire alarm system, depending on the type of building, the type of occupant and the type of contents inside the building.

What are  “proprietary” system? Historically, a proprietary system has been defined as a system that is only available from one supplier. A proprietary system is one that is only available from a single supplier or only available from a close knit group of suppliers that cooperate to control the market for that system. In the fire alarm/life safety industry, like in many technical supply industries, a popular business model for system providers has been to be the exclusive supplier or, if that is not possible, to collaborate with fellow dealers to form a de facto exclusive supply network. By controlling the access of the end user to new systems, parts, programming and service, the “proprietary” supplier or contractor can charge premium prices, and certainly have done so in the past.

What is an “open source” or non-proprietary system? An “open source” fire alarm life safety system, or other electronic system, is one where the parts, supplies, programming, and all other portions and aspects of the system are available from multiple independent, competitive dealers. We believe that using open source systems takes a lot of advantages away from the supplier and gives it back to the end user.

Selecting a Product

Select a product that is non-proprietary in nature. This is a critical point to protect your organization by not selecting products that are manufactured by your service provider.

Select an independent fire alarm company that can provide the most effective product with a competitive price point.

Does the local AHJ or fire marshal require drawings and engineering submittals for the replacement of an existing system?

Does the system need replacement or repaired? In many scenarios fire alarm companies will provide inspection reports stating that fire panel systems needs complete replacement.

Republic Fire recommends customers get a second opinion prior to replacing entire systems. As described above your current inspection company may not be trained properly on the currently installed systems and troubleshooting repairs are non-existent. In many cases a simple board replacement or repair, resolution of ground-fault wiring issues or resetting the system from a trained technician. Proper troubleshooting can save retail organizations of tens of thousands of dollars by reducing in advised installation and improper troubleshooting.

Development of a long term plan to standardize on non-propriety systems that provide for backward compatibility of systems, parts availability, ordering time for new parts, repair timelines, manufactures support center and multiple service providers to provide experienced inspections and repairs.

For more information regarding fire alarm installation or inspection services please contact our service department at (877) 749.FIRE (3473) or email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .