Commercial fire alarm systems is a utility rarely considered in the mindset of, “what do we need to have and what is the most cost effective way to meet that requirement”. The good news is because of the industry standards and code requirements you are likely to get a system that works when you need it so long as you are contracting with a reputable and licensed company. Knowing the pros and cons of the system you select, the installing company i to protect lives and property and who is installing it can significantly impact your operating costs and flexibility down the road. Many fire alarm systems are specifically designed to lock customers into a specific company. Not just for the hardware; you also may get locked into a limited number of installation and service companies which can limit your options, increasing costs and possibly compromising service. A locked system is not all bad. Some manufacturers require the companies and technicians working on equipment they installed to meet minimum requirements for training and licensing. This is a benefit to the customer as well as the manufacturer as you can be assured that a “factory authorized” installer knows what they are doing and has a relationship with the manufacturer to get any issues resolved. Green Mountain Alarm is committed to providing a level of service and support to keep our customer satisfied. We do not require long term contracts that lock customers in nor do we install proprietary hardware in order to lock customers into working only with us. We do however select hardware and systems that we feel are appropriate for the project. More complex fire alarm projects, such as those requiring a voice evacuation system or high-rise functionality can be more demanding and require more robust systems than a project with straight forward requirements. Many systems do require a USB key in order to make programming changes. This may be used to lock customer into a single vendor but should be used to limit who can change a panel’s programming. If you have a fire alarm vendor who is responsible for maintaining your fire alarm system you don’t want another, possibly unqualified vendor, making changes to the programming without your approval. Or worse, a nefarious party effectively crippling your system with malicious intent. Informed customers who understand these tradeoffs can make the best decisions and can be the most effective when managing their property costs and service quality in the long term. Commercial Fire Alarm Brands: Proprietary systems that significantly restrict number of vendors in each area. +Siemens +SimplexGrinnell +Honeywell Notifier +Edwards EST +Honeywell Gamewell/FCI +Johnson Controls +Mircom +Fike/Cheetah +Nohmi Bosai/Integlex Dealer installed systems the limit who can install and maintain systems but it liberal about numbers of companies in area: +DMP* +Potter* ( Some Panel Versions ) +Edwards Vigilant* +Radionics / Bosch (no longer made) +Open access systems that may be purchased and installed by any vendor +Honeywell Fire Lite* +Honeywell Silent Night* +Potter* ( Some Panel Versions ) +Interlogix Fireworx +Space Age Electronics +Wheelock +System Sensor +Edwards FSA