ROCKWOOD, Mo. 鈥� Comprising 30 schools and six auxiliary buildings, St. Louis County鈥檚 largest public school system is working to upgrade its security and safety measures.
Rockwood schools began upgrading and replacing antiquated fire protection systems when the district passed Proposition I in 2003, which required a comprehensive upgrade for all of its facilities.
A variety of alarm systems have been installed since the district鈥檚 first school was erected in 1936. School officials are working toward a district-wide standardization for fire alarm equipment to increase ease of maintenance, access to parts and monitoring.
Based on a recommendation from St. Louis-based Tech Electronics, a provider of commercial communications systems that has been working with the district for more than 15 years, in addition to input from various in-house electricians, outside contractors and the district鈥檚 local firehouses, Rockwood selected Notifier fire alarm panels and associated signaling devices to standardize the district鈥檚 system.
Tech Electronics has been working with Notifier, a manufacturer of commercial fire alarm systems and part of Honeywell鈥檚 Life Safety Group, for more than 20 years and is responsible for designing and installing a majority of the district鈥檚 conventional and analog systems. Several systems previously installed throughout the district鈥檚 facilities are older models of Notifier panels.
Notifier panels are now present in approximately 90 percent of Rockwood schools; they have been retrofitted into older facilities and are automatically specified into new buildings in the district.
鈥淲e鈥檝e satisfied the fire marshals and we鈥檝e got safer schools,鈥� says David Blickenstaff, the district鈥檚 director of facilities.
With each panel installation, the manufacturer trains the customer to handle basic system maintenance and simple system modifications. Each year, Notifier representatives visit the Rockwood district and conduct a three-day training class to keep users up to date on the systems.
Installations are typically during summer months to avoid classroom interruptions. It can take as long as a month and a half to install a system in some of the district鈥檚 bigger schools. Several contractors perform the installations although Tech Electronics was responsible for the first few.
鈥淥nce Tech Electronics started writing the specs exclusively, we began to bid out the installations to keep the process going and get the best job at the best price,鈥� Blickenstaff says.