1. Our 12/6 holiday cocktail party is LESS THAN A WEEK AWAY. Have you made your reservations? I've heard through the grapevine that lots of folks are going to attend, so that means our current numbers are artificially low right now. An accurate headcount is extremely important so we don't run out of food. The R in RSVP means Respond, so please help us out! And feel free to pay with a credit card, it's suuuuuper easy. Go to www.saboma.org and click the Online Payment link. We use PayPal to process it, but you don't need to establish your own PayPal account to complete the transaction.

2. For those of you interested in the SAPD's BAT-Net crime alert program mentioned at yesterday's luncheon, go here for more info: http://www.sanantonio.gov/saPD/BATNET.asp. Signing up is free and we highly encourage it.

3. Passing along a copy of this memo by way of the good folks at Austin BOMA:

SUBJECT: Fire Alarm Systems FROM: Lawrence Taylor - TDLR

This email is directed toward inspectors, but since it is such an interesting subject, I thought I'd share it with everyone.

It has come to my attention that some of the elevator inspectors have been requiring the fire alarm systems in new and altered buildings to be "supervised" by a 24 hr outside service. Quite frankly I was surprised when I heard this and it set my pea brain in motion to try and figure out where this came from and why.

When I reviewed NFPA 72 I became even more confused, so I sought the expert advice of an engineer I know in the state fire marshal's office and a fire marshal elsewhere in Texas. I have a great deal of respect for both these gentlemen. Both have bailed me out of trouble on more than one occasion and kept me on the straight and narrow when it comes to fire alarms and so forth.

What follows at the end of this e-mail is a copy of my question to these gentlemen and their responses. As I read their responses, I realized I wasn't too far off in my thinking and hearing that from them sure made me feel better. Now we've got to get all of the inspectors operating the same way statewide. I'm glad this issue was brought to my attention because some of the inspectors had things wrong and were operating in an area outside their responsibility.

So, please read the contents of this e-mail VERY carefully and don't over step your bounds as regards fire alarm systems. I know from personal experience that most fire officials will do just about anything they can to help you, if you'll only ask. I encourage you all to get to know your local fire officials and develop a good relationship with them. They are a valuable resource for you and you may be one for them as well. A building is a complicated structure and anyone who says they know everything there is to know about all the systems that make up a building is just fooling themselves. If you need any help with anything regarding these types of systems, contact the local fire official or call me. I probably won't have an answer for you, but I know who to ask and get one.

MY ORIGINAL QUESTION FROM TDLR: Good Morning Gentlemen. I hate to bother you folks but I need to ask your help for something.

What is meant by supervised fire alarm system? My understanding is that (for elevators anyway) a supervised fire alarm system is one that monitors each device in the system for integrity and sets off an alert of some kind if a device in the system fails to communicate with the fire alarm panel.

Some of the inspectors seem to think that it means that a system must be monitored by an outside firm and I can neither confirm nor deny if that is correct. My thinking is that outside or remote monitoring is or may be a local requirement that is beyond TDLR's responsibility.

However, insuring that the newly installed fire alarm initiating devices for the elevators are connected to a fire alarm panel that monitors the integrity of the system and devices is something the inspectors should be checking and verifying. I can't quite seem to get this straight in my mind. I want to convey the correct info to the inspectors so we can function uniformly statewide.

ANSWERS FROM STATE FIRE MARSHAL'S OFFICE AND A FIRE MARSHALL:

a) It is none of the elevators inspector's business if the fire alarm system is being supervised by an outside service. That is solely the responsibility of the local fire authority. Not all fire alarm codes and/or building codes require every system to be "supervised" by an off site service. Regardless of the requirements, it is not within your jurisdiction to enforce the local fire codes. If you think there's a problem with the fire alarm system, unless it affects the operation of the elevator as required by A17.1 or A17.3, it is beyond your scope of work. If there's some kind of issue and you're truly concerned, contact the local fire authority and let the experts take it from there. They don't get to regulate elevators and we don't get to regulate fire alarms.

b) What is required is that each fire alarm initiating device in the machine room and hoistway be connected to a fire alarm system (fire alarm panel) that "monitors" the devices connected to the system for integrity. It works similarly to a PLC based elevator system that scans the external devices and looks for an answer back. If a device fails to respond then there's some type of problem and the fire alarm system will be aware of that failure. There must be some type of fire alarm panel that "monitors" the devices connected to it. It is not permitted to just connect a bunch of smoke detectors to the elevator if it is a new elevator or if fire service is being added or altered.

4. BOMA International needs you to act now and urge your members of Congress to extend the 15-year timeline for leasehold improvements and the immediate expensing of brownfields clean-up costs. With Congress retuning next week for what is expected to be a short lame duck session, this is the last chance for these important tax policies to receive consideration before the end of the year. Both policies expired at the end of 2005 and will lapse for 2006 if Congress doesn't pass an extension this December. Visit http://capwiz.com/boma/issues/alert/?alertid=9179671 to make your voice heard.