By Steve Baker, Director, Fire Construction Sales, Johnson Controls, Building Solutions North America

Effective fire and life safety systems are critical to creating a more secure atmosphere within school districts. In order to achieve a well-functioning and fully integrated safety strategy, schools must have trained staff and an emergency preparedness plan in place. In addition, the systems need to be regularly inspected and properly maintained.

An expansive California school district with over one hundred properties was experiencing reliability issues with their fire alarm system. The technology was inconsistent as it would cause false disruptions and testing and maintenance was not streamlined. School leaders sought out a fire protection partner to implement a more simplified platform that could help provide easier support at all locations. To do so, the district first decided to work with a consultant to develop a cohesive life safety plan. As a result, they chose Johnson Controls Fire Protection to set up their Simplex technology district-wide.

Benefits of enlisting a fire protection partner

Johnson Controls worked with school officials and the consultant to establish building standards and install Simplex Fire Alarms and Simplex TrueAlert addressable technology across the district’s one hundred facilities. In addition, Johnson Controls trained district staff on basic trouble shooting procedures in order to conduct maintenance checks and identify problems themselves. Faculty was also provided with a stock of spare parts that are compatible at all locations throughout the school system, which are meant to help enable faster repairs and reduce alarm disruptions to students and faculty.

Today, Johnson Controls serves as the district’s single point of contact for any fire and life safety issues. The Fire Protection group regularly meets with district leaders to stay on top of mechanical maintenance and discuss new projects. These planning discussions have allowed the district to be more proactive and efficient with their fire and life safety strategy.

Reliable fire and life safety measures for the future

The Simplex technology has not only helped reduce false alarms within the school system, but it has also minimized the time to install new fire alarm systems on construction projects. Additionally, the building standards have led to a greater return-on-investment for the district as repair times are faster. Ultimately, students and faculty can feel safer and be more productive with peace of mind that all schools are equipped with reliable fire and life safety systems in the event of an emergency.

Learn more about how Johnson Controls can support your school district’s fire and life safety strategy here.