Fire Alarm Faux Pas 🚨 Mixed Brands / Incorrectly Wired Sounders

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[@willgrand461]

I personally felt the panic when that siren started outside. I can be working on a system that I know for a fact does not signal, but I still get a jolt of panic when I hear a siren in the distance.

[@UberAlphaSirus]

Had it at a old folks home, 8 fecking engines. With old dears saying they will be coming again then.

[@willgrand461]

@@UberAlphaSirus haha yeah I’ve had them out to a care home before, luckily only a very small site, but still embarrassing. That was the day I learned that the ARC never phone care homes when they receive a signal, they brigade it immediately. So I now have the direct number to my local control room on my phone. Any fuck ups now and I skip the panicked call to the ARC and phone the control room direct.

[@jamesdyas542]

@@UberAlphaSirus deny everything. I did it once at a public swimming pool that was under renovation. ‘No mate I’m a plumber’🤣

[@alexjeffries264]

🤣 I know that panic, when you hear the sirens come closer and closer, “must have been a software glitch officer when I was putting it on test” 😂

[@paulmatthews5470]

I was testing fire alarms at a block of flats with the housing association caretaker on site and we had the system in test, monitoring notified & everything. Everyone had a letter sent and were aware we’d be setting the alarms off. Didn’t stop a passing bystander calling 999 when we were doing a live test though.

[@hannahranga]

Good to see you back. Just what I needed to keep me entertained on a rainy nightshift.

[@Oli_Hudson]

Good to see you back here!

[@simthespark324]

Saw one of your vans with @TomTheSpark on the A406 today. Looked across and waved and the geezers inside just gave me this blank confused stares 😂

[@terrymoore3335]

Nice to have you back

[@garry2115]

Great video Tom! Good to see you back. Very informative! Looking forward to your next upload! 👍

[@entertainmentbydjt]

You’re back!!

[@fst1775]

Brilliant video, I’ve noticed some sounders are different types in the video, some of them are Fulleon flashny (ones with sounder and beacon) and some are Cranford vantage sounders.

[@samuelweightman]

Perfect timeing, just got home coffee and Tom

[@alanjones3873]

Know the fear of fire truck siren. Many years ago working on a large shopping centre. Suddenly alarms start so panic! Check! Cant seee anything. The fire service en route. Security can ring to stand down but they spotted genuine fire in a shop unit. Good job they did not cancel. Another real life video,Thanks

[@Jack-pr9rk]

Great vid Tom👍

[@matelotjim9035]

Nice to see you back. Better video this time.

[@muckychimney]

Once emptied an entire Hotel - thankfully not my fault but the previous engineer. He had lost the cover screws for the Fire panel and secured it with tape, the tape failed the cover swung down and set the alarm off at 6.30am ! think there was something like 150 guests plus the staff that got evacuated. I got the call out to rectify.

[@caluschter]

In Switzerland, we have to inform the emergency dispatch center about the test and the duration of the work. Then they switch the system registration number on „test“. So they don’t dispatch the fire brigade, when an alarm comes in. After the work is done, we recheck the dispatch center and they tell us about the incoming alarms. So we are sure, also the transmission to the fire brigade is ok.

[@leonidasmichael8686]

That's done here if there is red care some systems aren't directly linked to the fire bregaide

[@mjgriff74]

Hey, what do alarms sound like in Switzerland? Some systems here are monitored and you have to place them on test with an automated service or by calling the monitoring company. It depends on the system I think.

[@richardpoulter2146]

Red care in uk

[@peterg.8245]

On industrial systems they had different tones for each type. For emergency flare system we had area alarms, the case may not have been red but it could’ve been the same board inside. Worked a week in a Houston chemical plant and they had like 5 different tones from general fire to tornado to the oh sh*t huge emergency flare that can handle the entire process shunted to it that creates a 200m tall flame.

[@therealdjflip]

i remember my days of fire alarm testing at a local uni the panels we had wee a pain, as they were all linked back a main panel with a romtek (thing that called the fire brigade) so we had to isolate at the main, then go tot he sub and isolate the zones to test, re-enable it at the main > test > isolate main > reset sub > re-enable it at main

[@TYLERCONSTRUCTION]

Excellent video mate

[@davepusey]

I too prefer the sweeping tone sounders.

[@ajsnr1]

time for a company update Tom, ie any news on the cherry picker and what type of work have you got planned for it also any news on a unit yet and hows the staffing going everybody still on board? cheers.

[@adamdavis2068]

They have X amount of setting that aren’t BS due to the fact they are sold worldwide not just in the uk & they are used not only for fire alarms but for other things. Keep up the good work tom. Been there plenty of times when the Fire Service turns up and they don’t look too happy..

[@mjgriff74]

I'm no fire alarm engineer, more an enthusiast but have been responsible for testing company alarms I've worked for. I once worked at a foundry where the sounders where set to continuous. On the foundry floor you could barely hear the tone. I suggested Hi-Lo would be more noticeable (sweep tone was used as a warning on molten tipping). The sounders were high up so the company wouldn't entertain the cost of closing the site to make that change. The site was split into two and one site had a simple strike button attached to a motorised siren as its fire alarm 😑 I find a fire bell is instantly more recognisable than a sounder, especially when different buildings have a different tone. Are there plans to have just one tone in use, like the US have Code-3?

[@dragade101]

Unless the UK is keyed almost alike with the same keyway; likely you can tell keys apart just based on the keyway. Likely there is 2 to 4 common profiles but it means you can sort unknown keys into piles rather than trying 10 keys each time (you are just trying 3 keys).

[@seankelly6336]

The number of sound settings is as so that the manufacturer makes the one sounder for all uses and for multiple countries as it is cheaper to program one rather than 50

[@aidanoconnor3757]

In relation to the fire brigade arriving to the house you were testing the mains fire detectors. It was probably connected to the intruder alarm in the house. Aico I think have a relay base to allow aux equipment to be connected which is commonly used to link the mains fire detectors to an intruder alarm zone which sends a fire signal to the monitoring station of which they call the fire brigade. I normal suggest the customer to have the monitoring station setup to contact key holders first on fire activation so the fire brigade aren't called out unnecessarily. Also there could have been a wireless fire detector connected the intruder alarm adjacent to one of the mains smoke the detectors you were testing. In relation to the fire Sounders I agree with you about the different tones. Not sure why they're can't be a common tone used for fire alarms instead of BS, Germany, etc. I do know that they have different tones settings as there may be other alert Sounders used in some premises like a factory for example where some of the machines may have sounders, so the fire alarm should be set to a different tone and strobes probably used so people can distinguish the difference between the fire alarm and other equipment and strobes used for sure if it's a noisy environment. In any case like your videos. But on your site I would be more worried about the sound level reaching all areas of the building. It's hard to get the same tone when different types/brands are used. Which in some cases is unavoidable but on your site

[@will8579]

Has Naomi left or still isolating with family?

[@gerrym4377]

She left to work with Dave 👍

[@coyote5735]

@@gerrym4377 She's trapped in the revolving door.

[@SwordQuake2]

@@coyote5735 I don't remember than one. Care to link it?

[@harryhall2709]

Obviously the Zone plan fell off the wall as you walked through the door Tom 😉

[@pulsey2001]

Top tip for them ACT Test Meters... Make sure they are at room temperature before testing, if they are too cold they will give a low amp reading. Been using them for years, best on the market 👍

[@paulgatens280]

Top tip on temperature! Only issue is that they don't conform to the requirements of BS5839, that calls for a momentary load (pulse load) - BS5839:1 45.3F. Act testers do an analysis of the electrolyte. As there is now little in the way of pulse load testers on the market, don't have much else in the way of options other than ACT.

[@joeleedham]

What you might find with the domestic is it could be wired into the intruder that is monitored and has a programmed input for fire alarm if not they might have a audible input on some sort of device that is monitored

[@sussexvaleting]

We need a full day in the life video of Thomas Nagy!

[@Walterz930]

Nice video about this what course would I need to look for if I wanted to get into alarm install and testing

[@Rose.Of.Hizaki]

That place looks super familiar... either Hampstead Heath/Highgate or Hornsey/Muswell Hill. Im thinking Muswell Hill

[@paulcivati5986]

Perhaps the non standard sounder tones are for other non fire uses, such as industrial or something.

[@mychannel0743]

Tbh, i like the continuous tone

[@yeety1208]

I hate it lol

[@paulmerchant9015]

hi Tom what course did you go on for the fire alarms been something ive wanted to do but dunno how to go about it

[@BJJJAY985]

No system is connected directly to the emergency services , it would be connected to a dialler which would contact an alarm receiving centre and they would deal with it . Also aico do a relay base which could be used to trigger an input on a dialler direct or through an alarm system

[@tony-yp6qk]

Love the video What happened to nom nom did she move to pastures new

[@jsecret9459]

Reason why the sounders have multiple sounds but only 6 are BS is because the same sounders are sold globally. So the standard in Switzerland for instance is different to the UK. But the manf only need to sell one sounder with the same guts. So its cheaper to manf.

[@gtm0160]

Tbh I did see a few years back the new route master driving alone with the back door open with a guard there

[@Mateoalcovershorts12]

That’s the sound in my school

[@archiehaigh4796]

You defiantly did a drop test 🤣🤣🤣

[@frankskrzypczakskrzypczak3779]

Must have read my mind , thought I have not seen a video recently

[@plattrap]

I hope you labeled those keys, once you found the correct ones?

[@gadgetman36]

I miss Nom Nom.

[@pulsey2001]

I thought she was called Yum Yum 😁

[@stiggyness1976]

What's happened to nom nom? She left the company?.

[@coyote5735]

Is that another new face with him......he gets through them.

[@coyote5735]

@Marc Allan Leslie On another firm? Yeah, could be.

[@madgebishop5409]

@@stiggyness1976 she broke too many microphones, was given the boot.....

[@keithlyons5396]

Please tell us where nom nom is

[@AndyK.1]

There are 3 of us. Me and ur the other 2 🤣

[@fireblaster9961]

I have the same led torch, it is awesome, a lift engineer recommended it to me 🔥🔫

[@Ram-ei5sc]

Looks good what make is it please?

[@seankelly6336]

That was the initial idea behind the new route maters but was stoped by the bus companies as they couldn’t fund a conductor to be on the back fro safety

[@seankelly6336]

As a result busses that had the rear door was bolted shut leaving the sliding door, and busses arfter this were not built with this function. And most recently the original route has been completely removed from service on the tourist services

[@CrazyLogic]

so the 32 sounds and only some being suitable for use - other countries have different requirements and also for larger deployments a different sound for a different warning and also in industrial settings they are often used for machine alarms and door bells ect... ruddy annoying as a standard would be good for aiding in recognition.

[@barrydoherty636]

Can I ask what mains interlinked smoke alarms you would recommend

[@nw5835]

Did you ever due any reviews on your Bosch kit.

[@stefanmeier6763]

Nothing about NomNom :-(((( So sad, hope she is ok.

[@uksds3806]

I tested my fire alarm gent zenex today

[@unknowndomain]

FYI - Pure is a chain of 'healthy' foods, like Leon

[@Double_Vision]

The Leon waffle fries are on point.

[@fatpedro5588]

What are this backpacks you guys have on? Did I miss the video on those?

[@ashvanbro9329]

What is the spray ur using on the alarms

[@the_alex_ellis_channel6923]

Did you test the Manual Call Points? You should have done, but didn't show it on camera.

[@AvroVulcanXH607]

The alarm at 7:25 was so on point. "I was like BEEEEEEP"

[@iaing]

Some neighbours, especially those who've experienced a house fire, call 911 (or 999 or whatever it is there) and ask questions later as soon as they hear an outside or inside alarm going off. Especially if the vans aren't clearly marked or parked right outside the property.. You can't really blame them for being overly cautious, but they are also a pain in the ass :). Safest route, call and let FD know you're testing. (They charge for false alarms here in Canada, and it's not cheap.)

[@edc1569]

Just burnt my toast...

[@garyhood4153]

That remains me of when I was in university. We had four fire alarms in our residence in short succession. 1. Water from a leak caused a short and set off the alarm. 2. A heater that hadn’t been used since the previous spring turned on and burnt enough dust to trigger a smoke alarm. 3. The cleaning lady smoked in an open doorway and set off a smoke alarm. 4. Students burnt some food in the kitchen and set off a smoke alarm. Only one of these was “false”, insomuch as there was real smoke setting off the alarm in the other three cases, but the fire department threatened the university with a fine for future nuisance alarms, and the stove was duly removed from our kitchen to prevent a repeat of incident number 4.

[@frostifiedconquers]

what was the installer thinking?

[@paulmiller2073]

Where is nom nom still working for you when am I getting all the channel again

[@madgebishop5409]

what an odd question...what do you mean all the channel?

[@vintagesimplexfirealarmsof6440]

Simplex panels amazing

[@edknight1982]

We have alarms at work two tone is a shut down alarm. Single tone is the fire alarm.

[@laujovo5368]

Missing your videos so much......

[@Electronics-Rocks]

Lol the fastest I have had the fire brigade out was 3 minutes in social Housing.

[@-chris1965]

Nom Nom been sacked off?

[@YGELLYPIKER]

Where’s the wee Hamilton?

[@ja_adam_]

Was that dave at the end? If so hes back and forth more times than a yo-yo

[@cjkokay]

I am astonished that the fire alarm isn't to what I'd call standard

[@SwordQuake2]

Where's Nom Nom? :(

[@schwarzenegger1983]

I've got keys in tub, thats been there for at least a year,

[@TheEmbeddedHobbyist]

Where is Nom Nom?

[@GretatheEvilGremlin]

Is the Nagysaurus running out of steam? 10 minutes of fire alarm testing is a far cry from the glory days.

[@jasonantigua6825]

Where’s the little darling???

[@handyandy6050]

Mind the spiders in the basement, Tom.

[@tonyford7987]

Where’s nom nom?

[@neilstokescvwshrewsbury7939]

Yeah, people do crazy things when fire alarms go off, normally don’t bother evacuating !!

[@ljmike1204]

Yea i like the slow whoop sound more at school it ment free outside time as the fire alarm went of so manny times as we had an indoor carwash spot in the car garage class .. it was or the steam or som dumb ass smoking

[@crazyboy2006cashier]

nice video. Cheap electrical distributers panel. Rip it out put a decent one in.

[@willford8475]

A friend of mine had a BnB in Yorkshire and one Saturday night an amarous couple decided on a night of llluuurrrvv and set candles all around the room. Anyway the bedding caught light and the fire alarms went off and turned all the guests out. The interesting thing was next morning half of his guests (ie C*nts) were demanding a reduction on the bill complaining they had been woken up because of the alarm. F*cking unbelievable! He did point out it was there for their own safety and it was the law to have an alarm. They didn't get any money off. ps Did I mention they were C*nts? 😂

[@iandlv6835]

Days without bookings, and if nothing comes in you do office work, accounts, marketing etc.

[@jyvben1520]

read the new regs ..., dream about the next vacation ...

[@dragade101]

Namoi is mia?

[@stephencoulthard1718]

Drop test batteries...takes cover off..yep sorted! I am in favour of voice and tone Sounders, kids don't wake up to tone, and would give time to work out what ya doing.

[@ghita.herdean.1979]

Maybe the different sounds is intentional, so you know by the sound at what level the fire is.

[@hj-installations.3838]

Nah doesn't work like that, especially as this system is "one out all out"

[@leighspeck5260]

Fire truck?

[@michaeljane6141]

Sorry Tom but I have to ask when's the new van tour

[@coyote5735]

The electric van, the one being pulled around CL by a horse? It's called the Super Green Bio powered van, even supplies manure for the roses for the little lady at home. Gretta is a big fan.

[@JACKATTACKED]

👍

[@keithbrueton]

Nom Nom has left

[@TheXsheeple]

Tom stated she has left on his last video.

[@marklivingstone3121]

Houdini is back again

[@ajfaccini]

Headphone warning would have been nice 🤣🤣

[@tncorgi92]

Well, the title gave a good hint.

[@jonathangibson9047]

Come on Tom ..where’s nom nom we miss her

[@nrg-5003]

4:59-5:00 such as ignore it and carrying on as if nothing has happened🙄

[@100SteveB]

God I am so lucky to have survived past my teens. In my childhood and my teens i spent countless hours travelling around London on the old buses with open backs. How I was not killed I don't know........ oh wait, yes I do, I used common sense! Modern health and safety seems to lean towards protecting you from your own stupidity, are people so stupid these days that they would be in danger of using an open backed bus? Guess they must be, or at least the health and safety gurus think they are. But being serious, I think the only reason they were stopped is because of the 'I'm going to sue you' culture we now live in. Unscrupulous people will be chucking themselves off the back of them every 5 minutes in order to make a claim.

[@jasonantigua6825]

A basement is the worst place to die

[@samd2660]

Constant tone alarms cause confusion, both times I've heard one have been "real" (as in not a drill, although thankfully no fire) - One at uni where everyone in my group including my lecturer wondered what it was until we poked our head in the corrider and heard the whooping of the other sirens, and once at work (in a call center) where our manager told us to, basically, gtfo 😂 I think a whooping is more recognisable It also makes me think back to school when we used to have traditional fire bells that did double duty as the school bell and ocasionally would ring for long enough to make you doubt which it was.

[@garyhood4153]

We had constantly sounding mechanical bells at each of my schools for the fire alarm. They were different from the electronic tone over the PA system used for the school bells. At university, we had a similar mechanical bell called the house bell to summon students in residence, which always made me jump, but the fire alarms in most of the buildings used electronic sounders with intermittent tones, which seems to be the trend in Canada. Newer installations also have white strobe lights.

[@vacexpert2020]

Over here in North America the most common signaling devices are piezo electric like the Simplex TrueAlert series or electromechanical like the Simplex 4903 series, usually they run code 3, 4-4, or march time where I am, continuous used to be the standard, but now march time has taken over, Simplex isn't the only company here, though IMO they're superior to the others, there's Gentex, System Sensor, EST, and at one point Federal Signal was in the fire signaling business, a Simplex system in fast march which is 2 pulses per second and 1 flash per second is most effective from my experience

[@mjgriff74]

We had grey Friedland bells at the school I attended and they were so loud you wanted to get out the building. Most buildings I visited had bells or mechanical sirens until around 93 when I spotted with wonderment, the odd sounder. They were the big black Protec ones which made a warble sound. I've been in many buildings where sounders are the alarm and it's not until recent years people have immediately recognised what the noise has been, many asking if it's a burglar alarm. We should have a standard tone across the board for the UK, like the US have Code 3. I notice a lot of schools now use the hi-lo tone. We have a mix of sounders where I work. I haven't heard the alarm yet but there are so many sounders in the corridors, one area has one on each corner of the wall! I dread the din lol

[@InvadersDie]

Will farts set them off?

[@jyvben1520]

label the keys, labelers are mobile, and he has a mobile 220V power system, so no excuse

[@james-5560]

I hope the routemasters get their pole back, heath and safety has gone too far with things like that.

[@edc1569]

I believe the problem was/is paying an additional staff member to prevent huge amounts of fare evasion, like all of Boris's ideas, wasn't really thought through.

[@whatevernamegoeshere3644]

small advice, don't search for sounders on ebay

[@iknowmyfootball3901]

Efixx will be overtaking in a few weeks on subscribers

[@simonharding1572]

wheres Dave