Fire System & Alarms

NELSON FIRE (TAD NELSON 801-739-3321) the Fire Alarm Contractor is the only authorized contractor to work on the Fire System without prior approval from Fire Marshal                                                              

HITEK SECURITY – the Panic Alarm Contractor is the only authorized contractor to work on the Panic Alarm System without prior approval from Fire Marshal                                                                                          

FIRE ALARM PERMITS – Permits require 48hr notice – arrangements must be made directly with the Fire Marshal – This includes use of Saws – Heat Devices and Fog Machines being used inside a structure 

To make it as simple as possible, I’ve taken 4 screenshots and printed them.  They will be on the treadmill desk under the fire system monitor.  I’ve put red circles on the areas you should be familiar with.  Please if you’re going to be helping out in dispatch at all, make sure you flip through these. 

Alarms are categorized by color and type, and that big colored bar across the top of the screen (which is usually already yellow) will change color:   

Green is good.   That means it’s restored to full function.    

Yellow is a trouble alarm and can generally be disregarded unless the same alarm keeps looping (alerting, and resetting, and then alerting and resetting, etc.), or a whole block of devices goes off in one area at the same time or very close together. If that happens, they should reported to Kurt Baxter via Teams Chat or Tad with Nelson Fire via phone call or Mongoose SMS Text. Create a UVLOG-ALARM call with all the information listed on the alarm.  Document in the call who you contacted, assign it to yourself, and close it out. 

Orange is a supervisory alarm.  Normally, when we see those, it’s because someone is working on the system.  If you’ve been told by Tad, David, or Landon with Nelson Fire or State Fire, that they will be working on alarms or testing, you can disregard these.  If one happens randomly, call Tad with Nelson Fire.  Create a UVLOG-ALARM call with all the information listed on the alarm. Document who you contacted, assign it to yourself, and close it out. 

Red is a fire alarm.  Fire is bad.  Officers need to respond, and Kurt Baxter or Tad with Nelson Fire need to be notified. Create a CAD call using the nature code TRANSFER FIRE so Orem fire can respond.  If we’ve been told ahead of time that someone is working on these alarms, sometimes they don’t intend to set off the alarm, but if they’re working on alarms in the area where the fire alarm goes off, double-check with Tad or Kurt.

You can silence any type of alarm.  In the top left of the screen, right next to Menu, is the Acknowledge button.  Go ahead and click it as many times as it takes to clear the alarms that are coming in. The biggest area of the screen should automatically jump to the floorplan that the priority alarm is coming from.  The icon on the screen should turn Red, orange, or yellow.  If you click on that icon, it will give you a little more information about it.  Not much, but it can be useful.  The code above the icon is its name.  That’s the name Kurt or Tad need to know when you call or text them with an issue. At the top of that section of the screen should be what looks like a file address or a web address.  Says “Home\Building List\Whichever Building\Whatever Level.”  That is a quick way to see which building and level we’re talking about.  From there, you can use the scroll thing on the mouse to zoom in and out on that floorplan to see where exactly this alarm is coming from.   

Sometimes, it’s not an individual icon on your screen that’s going to be yellow or orange.  Red should always show you an icon since it’ll be either a smoke detector, a pull station, etc, and you can tell by looking at it what’s usually happening.  If there isn’t a specific icon, it’s most likely going to be a panel or network part that throwing a trouble alarm. Grab the name and message Kurt Baxter via Teams Chat or Tad with Nelson Fire via phone call or Mongoose SMS Text.  

Sometimes, you’ll find yourself somewhere else in the program that’s not a floor plan.  If that’s the case, make sure you find where I’ve circled “floorplan” or “home” and click on one of those!  If you click “home,” it will take you to the master building list.  You’ll notice on the printout that some of those buildings are highlighted in Yellow.  Those are the buildings that had trouble alarms at the time I took those screenshots.  If you’re hunting a fire alarm, the building it’s occurring in will be highlighted in red.  If you can’t see one that’s red, look for anything else in red on that page.  There should be a Fire icon on the left toolbar that’s red. Click it.  Or, down in the Acknowledged Events section, there will be a red line item.  That line item also has the name of the fire device that was set off.  Click on it.  Most of the time, you can very clearly see which building on that home page is having the issue.  Click on it!  It will take you to that building’s home page, just like the Browning Admin page I printed.  The icons I circled are hard to tell apart, but generally speaking, they are going to be the levels in that building.  LVL 0, LVL 1, and LVL 2….maybe a network page.   The yellow ones have trouble alarms.  If one of those is red, click it, and you’ll be taken to that Level’s floor plan.  Look for anything red.  The same goes for any other color.   

Once you get familiar with this, it’s a piece of cake.  Follow the colors.  If you click on only the things I have circled in red, you won’t mess anything up.  It’s very user-friendly. 

Again, PLEASE look at the printouts. Life will get much easier, and you’ll be much more comfortable in that dispatch chair.   

ELECTRICAL PANEL ALARMS – will make a steady squealing noise from panel – officers may be able to reset these alarms   >  UVCR ELECTRICAL 

PANEL ALARM - on the first floor (NW side) in the classroom bldg sounds a very loud alarm when the key on the generator in the north parking lot gets turned off AUTO.  If we can’t make contact with Chan Hardman, or someone from electrical, an officer should be able to access that generator and turn the key back to ‘Auto,’ which will stop alarm.                                                                                        

NATIONAL GUARD – LDS INSTITUTE – UFA HANGER B ALARMS  - Independent Alarm Co monitor these facilities – Fire related alarms will be called into Orem Fire directly – Police related alarms Vault/Burglary/ Tamper & Panic will be called into UVU Dispatch by the alarm company