I am a Real Vampire
Hunter?
Electrical Energy
Wasting Vampires that is
By Nick Markowitz Jr.
I have been actively engaged in the hunting down and killing
of Energy Wasting Vampires for many years now you find them everyday in almost
ever business I go into and service there equipment. There tricky to find
because the steal power with little sips at a time. A few watts here and there
but in the long run they can add up to hundreds of dollars in wasted electrical
usage for absolutely no purpose.
Take the Telephone room in a building how many times have I
found plugged in and still drawing electrical power Old style Telephone Power
Supplies and Key System Units
That where no longer being used and wiring disconnected many
years ago some as far back as the 1980’s I have even found old telephone
automated attendant units plugged in as well and not being used. All these
years these units have been drawing power and wasting valuable resources into
the air.
But telephone rooms are just one area I find these vampires
lurking. Often times you find them hiding in electrical and utility rooms and
even above suspended ceilings.
Where remodeling has been done. I often find old Emergency lighting units above ceilings’
and no longer being used but sill active and drawing power the same goes with
burglar alarms and old weather station
and other energy saving devices as well ,which never really worked right and
where cut off but the main controls are still powered up and
Stealing Power. In one case I found an entire computer
server setup in a closet sitting and using power and hooked up to nothing. It
happens all too often because contractors come in and replace phones etc but
never remove the old equipment which is something by National Electrical Code
they should be doing. The average customer I go looking for these vampires save $10.00 to $50.00 a month
which adds up to hundreds of dollars in the long run every year.
How many old homes have I worked in there basements and
found a small gray transformer plugged in drawing power for old style Princess
Telephones which where thrown out and replaced in the 1980’s yet the little
transformer is still there stealing power .Sure its only 5 watts but over 30
years it has stolen half a kilowatt of electricity.
You too can be a vampire hunter too with a little
investigation and it can often payoff when you scrap items for all the copper
etc in them and hard to find adapters etc which are hard and expensive to get
.I stripped out an old mainframe computer system the other day and made over
$300.00 in scrap for half a days work plus there are many parts I can reuse and
sell plus I got paid by the owner of the junk to remove it what a deal.
Are there vampires lurking in your customers structures I be
willing to bet so and when you find them and unplug and kill them you not only
look like a hero to your customer who you are saving money, but your helping
the environment as well.
IP This
Are we really going
Backward instead of Forward?
When it comes to the
use of Digital Technology
By: Nick Markowitz Jr.
Fire Investigator and Researcher
As new and emerging technologies come out almost daily we
have to now ask ourselves are we really benefitting from them or are they going
to lead to our demise. Are we advancing civilization or hurting it. Are we getting smarter or more stupid with
technology?
Look at the latest Toyota Automotive fiasco with cars
automatically accelerating and many experts pointing at the electronics and
computers being used in the cars as the problem a problem not found nearly as
often with mechanical systems which worked fine for hundreds of years in all
types of technology till electronics came around.
Take this as a typical example Anti Lock Braking Systems.
They were billed as an end to rear end collision and other
accidents being avoided and instead Anti Lock brakes have been blamed for the
cause of many accidents and deaths because the driver did not use them
properly.
Why because when properly applied you must put your foot
down and hold it in place when you do this the anti lock system comes on but
then it makes horrendous noises and some times shakes the vehicle when applied
people think something is wrong and let up from the brake pedal and vehicle
fails to stop or the driver instead of pushing down and holding mistakenly pump
the brakes making them useless.
Before this technology was released drivers should have been
mandated to attend classes where they put a vehicle into a simulated crash so
they would know how there going to respond no written word or video is going to
do it you must actually experience it so
you know what to expect.
But did we do this no and hundreds have died as a result
over last 20+ years it has been available.
Lets then look at Photography. We almost all have used a
digital cameras there great no more film to play with but what about storing
all this digital media .We are finding out there are problems with digital cameras
unlike Film negatives and prints which can last for ever if properly handled
and stored we are already finding out digital storage media is deteriorating
and many pictures are now lost to history. The other problem 30 years from now
will you still be able to view the stored media on a CD/DVD or thumb drive will
these types of readers still be around. With a print or negative you can put it
over or under a light and there it is no technology involved. Again are we
going forward or backward are we benefitting from short term gains for long
term losses.
The same can be said with
Vinyl Record Vs. CD or MP3 file
again records will last forever but not CD’s and mp3 files there is now
an on going revolution that is bringing vinyl back some music groups are
actually cutting new albums on vinyl.
Also do not forget high fidelity and other music
technologies now all being replaced by digital but any real audiophile can tell
you nothing replaces the true sound vacuum tubes produced. In fact there are
various digital music production software programs which try to reproduce the
sound for commercials and movies etc.
Again are we going forward or backward.
What sounds better that scratchy old 50’s rock and roll
vinyl record that was recorded in mono or a newly re-mastered version in CD quality?
I vote for the old record.
Again when scholars research what Elvis actually sounded
like a 100 years from now and there are no more vinyl records will they truly
know what he sounded like and why the entire buzz about him I doubt it. Again
are we going forward or backward.
How about those old Red Gamewell Fire Boxes that you could
find on the phone poles.
They always worked even when all power was out even if the
phones where out even if there’s a line break on the red boxes they still worked.
That’s why San Francisco
still maintains them there the only thing working some times after an earthquake.
Yet every town has gotten rid of them but for a handful and
as we found out after the big snowstorm of 2010 cell phones ,digital phones etc
where useless because digital does not have the back up non fail design analog
technology like those old red boxes did.
Again what have we gained from digital other than lower
cost? Nothing we have actually put the population at greater danger. Of course
had all the dangers digital phones pose been told to those getting them they
probably would have thought twice before getting rid of that old reliable ma
bell phone?
How about the new code all new homes must have arc fault
breakers in them to prevent fires great but new homes do not need them as much
as old homes and 20-30 years from now when the breakers need to work will the
electronics function I wonder or will it be like GFCI- Ground fault outlets
which there have been several revisions because of technology short comings.
How about all the new homes must now have fire protection
sprinklers but already a fatal fire and explosion has been attributed to a fire
sprinkler system because the antifreeze in the pipes to protect them was mixed
improperly and exploded when the sprinklers came on to put out the fire are you
still now in favor of sprinklers for homes?
Or how about Elevator shafts which they require fire
protection sprinkler heads in and which they require the power to be shut off
before the water flows. Unfortunately they have failed to design into elevator
codes a sure fire way to know an elevator has safely gotten to a landing before
the power goes off and sprinkler comes on and as a result some day some one is
going to be trapped and die of smoke inhalation or electrical shock in an
elevator car because engineers have failed to properly design elevator codes.
Why do we even need sprinklers in elevator shafts the pit area yes but the
shafts are fire proof designed.
But that’s the problem designers of technology they do not
want to admit its short comings they emphasize only the good points not the bad
and society is suckered into it with out asking all the questions which need to
be answered. Yes I love technology and I install and repair it but I also know
its dangers and respect it and try to educate those who I put it in for that’s
the difference. I try to back up technology properly so it will work during
power failures and disasters something many others do not do. I design back ups
to the back ups but even they can fail. But how many systems are out there with
no back up at all and they could very well imperial your life one of these
days.
Some days you have to wonder was The Uni-Bomber really on to
something when he railed against technology? Was he trying to tech us about the
dangers we now face but in a vastly perverted criminal way. I bet he is
laughing in his cell right now.
Dear
Commissioner Mann
You
where recently contacted by KDKA TV and ACFM
About
Ion Vs Photo electric smoke detectors and thought you may want my 2 cents worth
of input
I
have over 30 + years experience installing various type of smoke detectors and
Fire detection systems and the photo electric smoke is far superior when
it comes to detecting
fires
in residences.
I
have Fire alarm systems in many apartment buildings
Installed
and I only use photo units which produce less false alarms and are more dependable.
The only time i use ion are for certain applications like computer rooms etc
which need cross zoning, or where flammable chemicals are present.
Among
the many systems I have taken over and rebuilt over the years are many which
are in apartment buildings and residential adjudicated youth treatment programs.
The Ion detectors which where on the original systems never worked or sounded
properly and were a constant source of false alarms, when replaced with Photo
Electric detectors they worked every time.
I
have had many fires in apartment buildings which where caused by the residents
and every time the Photo Electric Detectors in the hall went off before the
battery ion units in the individual units ever went off.
This
Ion vs. Photo problem has been known for many years
and
many jurisdictions are gun shy on passing laws to ban Ion units outright becuse
they do serve a purpose for certain types of fires but you have way more smoky
type fires than open flame ones.
I
have both types of detectors in my own house. Because they both have a purpose.
But
the problem is currently they do not to my knowledge make a dual chambered
ion/photo 120 volt smoke with battery back
And
most smoke alarms in new residence are the 120 volt with 9 volt battery
back up
type.
The
only dual chambered units I have seen so far are the battery only type which
brings with it
Problems
Many
fire experts I have spoken to in person and online groups including the Pa.
Association of Arson Investigators which I belong to worry that mandating which
type of smoke detector to be used could be opening a Pandora’s Box.
However
I can tell you everywhere I have used Photo Electric Units over the last 30+
years in Residential, Commercial, Industrial and Institutional there have been
fires the units have worked VS. Ion units which where late to activate or did
not activate at all.
For
my own peace of mind that’s why I almost always specify Photo Electric Units.
For
my customers.
This
is not going to be an easy issue as you can already see all the opposition to
sprinklers for residential structures. Because of cost and Photo Electric and
combo Photo Ion units run 2-3 times what Ion units run and I can already hear
the opposition from the home builders.
Best
of luck in you endeavors
Nick
Markowitz Jr.
Markowitz
Electric Protection
Verona pa.
Monitoring of Fire
alarm Systems
As the digital age
dawns it’s causing many problems.
And there’s no easy
answers.
By Nick Markowitz Jr.
In the old days to get a Fire Alarm monitored it was fairly simple you called your local Ma Bell
office and ordered a phone line which had copper pairs which ran from the Telco
central office to the protected premise
also known as POTS or Plain Old Telephone Service , it was a very
reliable service with few interruptions and best of all it worked even when the
power was out. But then along came the Internet and telephone service has never
been the same. Now telephone service can be delivered by way of . FIOS ,T1, Digital Cable, VoIP and even
Internet. And thou these new services save a considerable amount of money they
all have one big vulnerability they require power on both ends to work. Where a
POTS line is powered up and controlled from the Telco central Office by a large
battery bank all of the modern digital and internet based services require a
small wall wart transformer or otherwise
must be plugged in to keep
operating and while some systems like
FIOS and Digital Cable have a back up battery to keep customers connection up
for several hours the big problem is out along the street because all of the
digital services require some type of repeater or amplification to keep working
and it only takes one repeater to go down to loose an entire niehborhood or
street.
Which when a major natural disaster hits can create chaos.
When a 90 mph straight wind hit my community several years ago myself and only
4 other neighbors had phone service and everyone else was out becuse they
switched to digital cable and the amplifiers where damaged. No big deal right
will just use our cell phones wrong again they were out for 24 hrs too. The
other problem digital services create is the digital Hash or noise on the lines
can confuse a fire systems dialer and make it think it has communicated its
message when it has not. This can be overcome using Contact ID or other modern
communication format but even this does not work with certain VOIP phone
carriers which use an Internet connection. So now Fire Manufacturers have come
out with a IP based communicator which
allows signals to go over the internet to a central station and it even monitors
itself every 90 minutes compared to the once a day digital dialer but as many
central stations have found out Internet services like new modern Digital phone
lines have a tendency to go down overnight when maintenance etc is being done
causing trouble conditions and headaches every where and any one working on the
buildings network could accidentally disconnect the dialer as well if there
working on the main switch or router and again all the internet components
including router modem and switch need battery back up for at least 24 hrs.. So
the IP Communicators as they are known are back up by being tied to a pots line
which in realty is still some type of digital service in most business and if
the internet is out so is the phone line.
There are a couple of other ways to assure a signal gets out
many fire systems use a back up cellular phone connection but these are still
not fully 100% supervised so the best way is Via a private 2 way fully
supervised radio system like AES which also has its coverage drawbacks and
costs
But when the signal must get thru this is the way to do it.
So what is the answer. At this point there is not one
Telco’s want to get rid of copper all together but hopefully as the digital age
evolves systems will become more reliable.
And there will be less dropped calls as modems ,routers and
switches are hardened battery backed up
and assured .Till then vigilance in making sure systems are properly maintained
and watched are the only available remedy.
So Ok you the AHJ are sitting there saying to your self wait
a minute doesn’t the NFPA 72 in essence
Require copper POTS lines to a fire system. Well the short
answer is no.
The code requires being connected to the Public Switched
Telephone Network.
Which is guess what ,FIOS ,Digital cable phone ,T1 etc there
all recognized by the FCC as Phone Carriers .
So would it be wise to require a protected premise to pay
the cost of putting in and maintaining copper wires for a fire system I think so knowing what
goes wrong in the digital age but unless your a trained Telco person like I am
how would you ever be able to tell it was done that way .Also you could well
expect the back lash coming from the people who have to pay for those lines as
well .Of course these all digital business find out the hard way when utilities
go down and they can not call for help or tech support. There are no easy
answers and probably will not be for at least another 10 years or so before we
have a viable option. That’s the way I see what do you think.
NFPA 730 and 731
If your community is
enforcing them
and are they putting
the AHJ and communities neck on the chopping block.
By Nick Markowitz Jr.
A bank in your community gets robbed a teller is dead 4
others including customers are shot and not one alarm has been activated or
video image of the crime has been obtained.
But all you know before the crime is fully investigated you
have been served notice to appear at a hearing as the community AHJ becuse of
what has happened becuse of a wrongful death lawsuit which has been filed.
What’s going on thank NFPA 730 and 731 for helping to create
the perfect unsolvable crime and sticking you and your community clearly in the
bulls eye of the wrongful death attorneys.
NFPA 730 and 731 deal with the design and installation of
Security systems they were developed over the past few years and many in the
security community want them to go away and want nothing to do with them. In
fact the popular acronym for NFPA in the security community stands for Not For
Practical Application.
The problem starts because 730-31 requires that information
regarding where security devices and cameras are located must be shown on plans
submitted to the AHJ the same plans any one can walk into your office and
request a copy of because the are public record. By setting such specific
standards any criminal now knows exactly how a system is to be designed and
implemented and in our above nightmare scenario it could happen some day and an
AHJ in particular a 3rd Party AHJ which does not have all the Tariff
protections a normal AHJ has could find them selves involved in a massive
lawsuit for
Damages resulting from a major robbery assault or burglary.
Now it is true UL already has a standard in place for Burglar alarms etc. but
they are much different than 730-731
Which requires very specific locations where to install
something and be on a set of plans.
Where UL says you must have a motion sensor protecting an
area it does not say exactly where to mount it like the NFPA standards do.
Now I am all for standards and codes do not get me wrong but
when it comes to security the only advantage we have over criminals is secrecy
in how we do and place things and putting it out there for display is totally
nuts ,Luckily most communities want nothing to do with 730-731 becuse they are
already overworked and are worried about the potential liability but if you are
enforcing it or thinking about it you really need to take a hard look at the
potential liabilities you could be exposing your self to. Even if you are
exempt
From a lawsuit just having to live with the fact your
actions may have caused a serious incident to happen should make any one
ponder.
Ok there are those on the other side who think I am nuts and
blowing the whole thing out of proportion. But with all of the major crimes
which have happened in the last few years
Am I really doing so? You just have to look at what happened
on 9-11-2001 too see all the conspiracy rumors about inside job that the city
of NY has had to put up with to appreciate what 730-31 could do to your
community.
No On Star*
For me?
And many other
technology as well
Yes I think On Star is a fantastic use of technology.
It can notify authorities if you crash help you find your
way, diagnose car problems, provide a high power cell phone connection help
locate where you are .Even slow down and stop your vehicle when it has been
stolen all of this great technology which can and has been turned against
citizens completely unknown to them.
On Star has admitted several years ago it allowed law
enforcement to listen into On Star equipped cars in which conversations were
recorded in essence a wire tap with out notifying car owners they had this
technology available.
Now if your a law abiding citizen OK so you have nothing to
say criminal but what about your political views .If one group could get this
info what’s to stop some one else from getting it. For that matter what’s to
stop them from slowing down your car and stranding you some where, based on
your political views. Or even following you and hurting you.
What protections and guarantees do you have from this type
of electronic surveillance and harassment the answer is you have none.
Same with your cell phone but you can leave it behind or
disable it not so easy with On Star.
The electronic surveillance which goes on in this country
from just simple gathering of data to complex profiling is prolific and getting
out of hand.
RFID chips are being put in many items and again it helps
with inventory and helps stop theft but in the same breath leaves open easy
evil temptations to those up to no good.
Imagine traveling overseas with your RFID chip in all
passports now being issued.
Some terrorist with a reader could easily find Americans or
Israeli Jews in a crowd and attack.
Nothing but Lies and
deception
From the BSA
Headquarters
By Nick Markowitz Jr.
Eagle Scout Class of 1976
In the Boy Scout Oath
a scout is to be Trustworthy, Honest and Truthful
However when it comes to how the boy scouts is run at the
top it is a different story
And why I will have nothing more to do with them along with
many others who are completely and totally disgusted with the BSA organization.
Here are just of the few incidents which have happened over
the years and cover stories
Which went with them instead of telling the truth ,
which is something the scout council in Pittsburgh can not do.
Take the case of the Heritage Camping facility in Farmington Pa.
On Property which was donated by Lumber Baron Henry
Hillman to the then Allegheny Trails Council.
Before Heritage was donated the council had several great
camps which included.
Semiconon, Little Con, Tionesta , Baker and Anawana.
Tionesta was on property leased from the Federal Government
in the Allegheny National Forrest ,which is part of the Tionesta Dam and
Reservoir.
The camp was closed in 1977 because the stated purpose was
that the Government would not renew the lease. Then the story was the
government would only do a year to year
Lease , not a long term and they did not want to invest in
the camp to possibly loose it. Again more and more stories as the lies were
discovered.
The real reason Tionesta, Anawana, Semiconon , little con
and baker is no more was that they wanted all the money in a super camp with
all the amenities so well healed BSA members could stay on the property with
there families close to Allegheny County.
Where there was not the 2-3 hour trip to get to the other
camps all older and in need of many repairs and most camps where very rugged
too much for the well healed kids to endure.
This came out in the spring of 1975 when a BSA icon Green
Bar Bill came to town
To announce a super training program to develop new leaders
from the young scout ranks.
They deliberately set up the 2 week camp so that the
parochial and Pittsburgh
students
Would still be in school and not attend while the upper
class suburb kids where able to attend ,as there schools let out earlier for
summer.
Yes it seems class was everything at Allegheny trails
council and still is.
And talking about camp lets talk about the new camp When
heritage opened they where given the ice machines from the old Carlton House
Hotel in Down town Pittsburgh and I spent an entire day of donating my time and
materials including Freon , getting the machines ready for the camp only to be
told a month later by a friend that the staff was laughing after I left and how
they conned me into fixing the machines because they were to be sold and
replaced.
Also one weekend we went to camp Anawana for a camporee to discover no water at the
campsites we had to walk a ¼ mile with 5 gallon jugs to get it at the pump
house because some one had stolen the 10 hp pump used to get water to the sites
,the ranger told us.
The adults figured that some farmer in the area stole it and
several of us wanted to go looking for it the council told us not to because
they were worried trouble would develop from it. While the whole truth of the matter was the pump
had been removed and sent to camp heritage. Then what actually happened and who
bought the camp properties has been lies and deception. We were told Semiconon
was sold to a hunting organization.
Which everyone thought was a good deal but in fact it was
sold to a single family who converted the large mess hall into residence .No
hunting group was ever involved.
So more lies and deception. The whole council leadership is
nothing more than a corrupt organization. Then lets talk about the burglary and
theft from the Allegheny Trails Council
in early 80’s the alarm was supposedly bypassed and many expensive stamp
and coin collections and medallions were stolen or where they. Myself and at
least 2 other scout leaders who are alarm experts offered to look everything
over to see what happened and were
turned away . all these years non of the stuff supposedly taken has ever turned
up Except when you go into certain corporate VIP’s homes to work and you find
very similar looking displays hanging on there walls. Again was there ever a
theft I would really like to know I never found a police report of the theft and
none of the times ever turned up in Hoc shop etc. so you have to wonder.
So what other lies and deceptions have taken place over the
years it will be interesting to find out as people get older and start talking
about things to get it off there chests.
Yes the well healed got there cabins at heritage and the
everyday boy scouts got screwed as usual. It is a shame when I call old scout
members and they have nothing good to say about the scout council old name and
new. All of it happening under a national office which sat by and did nothing
despite numerous complaints being filed.
Protecting Rail Cars
on sidings
With 27,000 gallons of lubrication oil a major environmental
disaster is always a worry
Away at Oil Service Inc located on Neville
Island Pa. in the middle of the
Ohio River just outside of the city of Pittsburgh.
They specialize in custom blended oils and recycling of used oil for industry
Having a rail siding built and utilizing it took many months
of planning along with meeting rigid standards of the Federal Rail Transportation Act. To insure that while
the tank car is sitting on the sidings that no problems develop.
First off once the car is brought into the siding several
safety and security items must be activated to insure the car does not move .
A blue metal flag is raised which reads “ Tank Car attached “ which warns rail crews to not
attempt to move the car as the off load hoses are attached to the car next
a yellow painted derail / Re-rail device is activated this derail device will automatically
derail any engine or car attempt to
attach to and move the car. Next a set of track locks are secured on either
side of one of the tank cars wheels which act like wheel chocks to keep the car
from moving then a critical safety device a grounding wire is
attached to the car to prevent the build up of static electricity while the oil
is off loaded.
Next there are 2 day/ night
cameras always watching and recording 24/7 along with being remotely watchable thru the
internet. One watches the entire side
while a second camera watches the hose and valve attachment at bottom of the
car so that worker emptying the car can watch to make sure a fitting has not
blown off.
Additionally at both ends of the unloading process there are
yellow safety spill buttons which set off alarms in the plant and notify the
central station if the worker activates them to warn personnel in plant and
authorities a spill is in progress and help is needed.
Additionally the tank farm where the oil is held also has
warning float switches should a tank start leaking and filling the dike around
the tanks which is monitored 24/7
Emptying the car can take up to 12 or more hours depending
on how fully it is loaded.
Residential Security
Providers in
Pa.
will now have to register in new Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act.
By Nick Markowitz Jr.
If you are a Security company doing residential
installations in Pa you will soon have to do an annual registration with the Pa
State Attorney Generals Office Bureau of
consumer Protection.
The act Pa 2008-132
which was signed into law on November 17th by Governor Edward
Rendell requires
any Home improvement contractor doing
$500.00 or more in business
With a home owner to register which also requires contractors to carry a certain amount of
insurance along with using proper contract documents which spell out consumers
rights etc and must use the new registration number on all advertising along
with several other new requirements such as revealing if they have had previous
enforcement actions taken against them. Unfortunately Pa has had the reputation
of being a wild west show when it comes to rules and regulations enforcing against bad contractors and swindlers with an ever increasing elderly
population which is estimated to be the 2nd oldest in the country
the need was definitely there for some type of regulation.
Although this is seen as a step in the right direction it
is an indictment of the Security Industry for not policing it self that
it had to be included in this legislation.
The fact Pa has also finally gotten a state wide Uniform
Construction Code in place which enforces ICC
and NFPA regulations is also helping to weed out bad and just outright
rip off contractors who have for years pried on Pa’s residential and commercial
Consumers.
Resolving False Fire-Burglar
alarm Issues
In National Retail
Stores
What you should know.
By Nick Markowitz Jr.
There’s that new dollar store which opened up last year and
you have just been called
By the communities fire dept there to check out a fire alarm
signal which proves to be false . A pull station has been smacked into by a
stocking cart and broken and needs replaced . You talk to the store manager who
puts in a request to there district office to get a tech on site ASAP.
That afternoon or next morning a tech shows up and replaces
the station and resets the system.
Well that’s at least how it is suppose to work.
The realty is more like this 3-7 days later or longer a tech
finally shows up while system kept false alarming or had to be kept on hold.
So what’s going on is the store manager being a jerk or
upper management or the company coming to fix the system being lax.
Most times it goes back to how a work order is handled as it
goes up the food chain to be completed. The store manager calls and notifies
there district manager who is then to notify either the regional or corporate
office of the problem. Typically it is the Loss Prevention Dept who actually
then gets the request and contacts the national accounts alarm company who
arranges to get a contractor on site.
Now no one alarm company can have a technician in every city
so what they do is contract smaller alarm companies to do there service and
installation work for them when it is out of the area they normally
handle. Again a work order is issued and
a dispatcher prioritizes the order and gets a technician on site as soon as
possible. The technician repairs the problem gets it signed off by store
manager and is on his way problem solved.
Most times ,but if there is still problems the whole process
needs repeated.
So how do you get a retailers attention. Ask for the
district managers office number if that does not work get out your citation
book and start writing every time a false costs $500.00 that will get there
attention sooner or later .Worse case scenario shut them down
If a hazard exists when there pocket gets hit they usually
pay attention.
No fire jurisdiction should ever have to get that drastic
but this is some times what is needed. Most retailers try to be good neighbors
and get a tech on site ASAP while others can care less. With as bad as the
economy has gotten you can believe maintenance and security are two areas
seeing cut back in stores as they are not seen as profit making centers with in
the business unfortunately though most bean counters never take into fact that
security and maintenance make sure profits come in the door and should be a
first priority. I recently talked with a store manager around Christmas
who needed there cash register check out monitors
repaired to be able to make sales flow better. After all you want to keep
customers happy with fast service and instead of getting a new monitor they let them all go bad to point she brought
one from home and on top of this they cut staff hours as well at what is normally
there biggest sales time of the year. Result long lines do to one register open
instead of 4 and mad consumers and profit fall.
Some times you just have to wonder who has control of the
switch at these stores and it is no wonder we are seeing so many fold up do to
string of bad decisions which ultimately effect first responders .Which also
includes all the garbage ,shut off sprinklers, un repaired and inoperable fire
alarms etc and other hazards they leave
behind when the go out of business.
Taking Over a Factory
Authorized Fire System
Are you leaving your
self open to legal exposure.
By Nick Markowitz Jr.
Fire Investigator /Alarm Installer
There’s that customer out there with an Addressable Simplex
,Notifier ,FCI ,Gamewell EST etc. Proprietary
Fire system who has called you to come and service it because they are fed up
with the company they are using who currently services it. You agree because
most times it simply needs cleaned or a smoke etc needs replaced. But then
comes the day the customer either wants to add to or delete part of the system
and this is when you need to go into the systems software and change it.
And this is when the system goes from just maintaining it to
actually servicing it and many questions start coming to mind. First off the
software you have is more than likely not an authorized copy and has been
illegally booted by an employee and since you are not authorized by the factory
to service and program there system are you leaving your self open to possible
problems if for some reason the system would fail?
Unlike the over the counter type systems, Fire-Lite, Silent
Knight etc. any alarm dealer
can purchase with out questions.
This is where things can easily become very sticky. First
off since you are not authorized.
You may not be aware of all technical bulletins issued by
the company and there could have been a
flaw discovered you missed and are now responsible for because you are not
Authorized for to work on this system. Well this may be true with Simplex
because it is its own stand alone manufacturer but what about Notifier it is
basically a beefed up Fire-Lite system after all isn’t and you went to the
various Fire-Lite schools and knowing one very well it should be no problem
working on the other. Well again not so fast you are still not authorized by
the factory and again could be sticking your neck out.
I can tell you that working for insurance companies etc.
they take a very dim view when it comes to individuals working on products they
are not authorized for. In fact the way some insurance polices are written by
performing unauthorized work on a proprietary system could result in not having
insurance coverage.
So lets say that system you worked on failed and is not your
problem but the insurance investigator pins it on you. Are you prepared to go
into court and justify your actions as to why you are not to blame and the
minute it comes up your not authorized what will be your defense.
You can cite the other guys are overpriced , monopolistic
,poor techs etc. etc. but it still does not matter You are unauthorized. Now
what.
Better be ready to shell out big bucks for a defense and be
able to show the proprietary guys are so bad the customer had no choice but to
seek you out ,and be able to clearly show you are not responsible despite what
the factory is going to say.
Good luck on that one.
So what can we do to encourage people from using proprietary systems is education
and it starts with the engineers and architects by letting them know there are
other systems out there with all the bells and whistles and A&E specs etc
that can help with the customers bottom line .It also takes talking to and
convincing the end users and contractors to allow comparable bids. I have been
able to do it several times when it comes to the bottom line
And you can answer all questions and fears they might have .
It takes selling your self.
And when it comes to taking systems over when a proprietary
system panel does finally die you can
usually pull out and replace that overpriced proprietary system for what many
want for just the new board.
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