Summary
A prominent real estate investment trust maintains enhanced life safety systems and compliance in its 41-floor high-rise through a long-term partnership with Sciens Building Solutions. The company has significantly minimized disruptions and false alarms by upgrading critical fire alarm systems and maintaining rigorous safety standards, ensuring tenant satisfaction and adherence to codes.
Challenges
As with any large commercial building, management must maintain its fire alarm systems, ensure compliance with safety codes, and keep up with needed upgrades over time. A reliable, knowledgeable partner is crucial to managing these responsibilities without increasing the administrative burden on staff.
The General Manager for this particular building has worked closely with the Sciens Building Solutions (“Sciens”) team to stay on top of its fire alarm requirements.
“I have a lot of confidence in Sciens. They’ve helped me stay on budget and minimize false alarms. They also work well with other contractors we use. This team is at the top of their game.” — General Manager for a prominent high-rise building
Managing a Critical Fire Alarm Upgrade
Sciens has played a pivotal role in enhancing high-rise building safety and compliance, supporting its needs for over 10 years. Sciens closely monitors and maintains its fire alarm systems, and ensures technology upgrades are planned well in advance.
Most recently, Sciens informed management of a critical upgrade needed on their life safety system from the EST3 to EST4. The original system in the building was an Edwards IRC 1 installed in 1987. Since then, it was upgraded to an EST3 and then to an EST4 in 2024. The system’s field devices from the original installation are still being utilized, as the Edwards system is 100% backward compatible with the older field devices.
The EST4 system incorporates the latest technologies and features that enhance safety, efficiency, and reliability. While it is no small undertaking, the upgrade to EST4 is a strategic decision that enables properties to stay ahead in the evolution of life safety technology and to maintain compliance with ever-changing life safety codes.
Given the scope of the project, budgetary and logistical planning was an important factor in its successful execution. The Sciens team worked with the General Manager, finding efficiencies along the way to work within budget constraints without sacrificing quality. One area of importance is sufficient testing of the EST4 system prior to going live. By simulating real-life scenarios, management can be confident that building requirements are met and the system is reliable.
This proactive approach has not only kept the building up-to-date but also reduced the frequency of false alarms, a significant concern in high-traffic commercial buildings. Unwanted fire alarms caused by equipment account for around two-thirds of all false alarms, totaling over 140,000 per year. Properly designed and maintained fire detection and alarm systems can virtually eliminate these unwanted alarms.
“In 2023, we only had two incidents, neither of which were preventable by Sciens,” says the General Manager. “Keeping false alarms to a minimum helps me ensure the safety and satisfaction of our tenants.”
Outcomes
Beyond minimizing false alarms, the partnership has also streamlined compliance processes. Sciens diligently handles all inspections and certifications, ensuring that management never misses a deadline.
“It’s crucial to stay up to code, and Sciens manages this without fail. They handle all inspections and certifications flawlessly, making it a seamless process for us.” — General Manager for a prominent high-rise building
This reliability has contributed to the real estate trust’s good standing with tenants. For example, to initiate a tenant improvement project, a contractor must pull a permit. If the building isn’t up to code, they won’t be able to get their permit. The General Manager states, “I have never had an issue over all the years I’ve been working with Sciens.”
The long relationship between the two illustrates the importance of selecting a reliable vendor that not only understands the technical requirements of modern building management but also aligns financially and operationally with the client’s needs, ensuring long-term success and tenant satisfaction.
