GAMEWELL-FCI FIRE ALARM & EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS SEISMIC-CERTIFIED
Gamewell-FCI Distributors Shed New Light on Importance of Seismic Certification

NORTHFORD, Conn., September 15, 2011 - Gamewell-FCI by Honeywell (NYSE: HON) announces its fire alarm and emergency communications systems have earned International Building Code (IBC) seismic certification. Life safety systems protecting essential facilities such as hospitals, utilities and fire/police departments in numerous U.S. territories are mandated to be tested and certified to IBC seismic requirements.

Classic Systems, Inc., a Gamewell-FCI Engineered Systems Distributor (ESD) serving the New York metropolitan area, believes this certification could not be more timely.

“Until now, fire alarm seismic qualities were not high on the list of engineers and specifiers in this area,” exclaims Alan Glassman, vice president of Classic Systems. “Now that we’ve had an earthquake and major hurricane all in one month, I think we’ll start to see more seismic requirements on fire alarm specs, especially in high-rise and campus environments,” says Glassman.

Gamewell-FCI recently completed a nationwide training tour aimed at keeping its ESDs up-to-date on the latest product developments and industry trends, including seismic requirements and applications. Paul Curry, vice president of SPC, Inc., headquartered in Jessup, Md., attended the training, which was soon followed by the Virginia-based earthquake that shook most of the East Coast.

“Seismic certification has never been a big issue, but now engineering groups are showing more interest in it, especially those involved with federal government work,” states Curry.

According to Curry, whose firm spends approximately 80% of its time working on federal government projects, survivability and mass notification capabilities have been the primary life safety system requirements outlined in the engineering specifications for those facilities.

“It’s our job to educate A and Es (architects and engineers) on what seismic certification really means,” says Curry.

Education on seismic certification for fire alarm and emergency communications systems is also the intent of Jerry Hanson, V.P. of operations for Standard Electronics, Inc., a Gamewell-FCI ESD covering San Diego, Ca., and the surrounding area.

“This has the makings of being a big deal in our area,” states Hanson “I intend to inform engineers of this certification and its importance.”

Hanson’s company recently performed a basic fire alarm upgrade for a local healthcare facility using an E3 Series® control panel from Gamewell-FCI. What began as a simple retrofit, soon evolved into a deliberation surrounding specifications, and most notably, seismic certification.

“I didn’t even know this certification existed; no one had ever asked about it before,” exclaims Hanson. “Now that I know about it, I’m going to be sure our customers know and understand it. It’s an OSHPD (California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development) requirement.”

To achieve certification per IBC requirements, Gamewell-FCI’s systems endured a lengthy series of shake tests, performed under the witness of a Certified Seismic Qualification Agency, and were proven to remain “online and functional” immediately following the tests. The IBC specifically addresses the design and installation of critical building systems with an emphasis on their performance, in addition to outlining requirements for attachment of fire alarm components to a building.

More information on Gamewell-FCI fire alarm and emergency communications (a.k.a. mass notification) systems and seismic certification is available. Contact a Gamewell-FCI regional manager for more information on systems and local ESDs.