FIRE/LIFE SAFETY COMPONENTS: Homeowner Maintenance
Fire Alarm/Horns
GUIDELINES:
Every condominium at Piazza Palermo has a speaker on the wall or ceiling called an annunciator or horn. This device is required by the fire code. It allows residents to hear the alarm in case of emergencies. If you disconnect or damage this device, a fault code is sent to the fire alarm panel in the fire control room. The fault code only shows the floor of the fault, not the condo producing the alarm. The Association must have our alarm vendor troubleshoot the system to narrow down the approximate area. If you damage the speaker, you are responsible for the cost to replace.
MAINTENANCE:
No maintenance required on owner’s part.
- Paint around the speaker. DO NOT DISCONNECT. We do not ignore fire alarm faults.
Smoke Detectors
GUIDELINES:
The smoke detector in your unit is your responsibility and only affects your unit. The smoke detectors outside your condo in the corridors are tied to the building fire alarm system. When a corridor detector is activated the fire alarm panel will tell us what floor and which device detected smoke. All fire alarms are taken very seriously and we never reset the panel until we are sure there is no actual fire.
- If you burn food or popcorn in your unit, do not open your front door. Open your windows and balcony doors. The sprinklers on your balcony are not smoke sensitive, they are temperature sensitive and will only activate under a real fire condition.
- If there is an actual fire, leave your condo immediately, close the doors behind you, and call 911 and then contact Management to tell them where the fire is.
MAINTENANCE:
- Replace the 9v batteries in your smoke detectors twice per year.
- If you do not not know if your device is younger than 10 years old, it is recommended you replace the smoke detectors in your unit. The smoke detectors are only designed to last 10 years and may malfunction causing disruptive alarms that replacing the battery will not solve if the device fails due to age. Also, if you are not able to reach the smoke detectors with the ladder or step stool you keep in your unit, it is even more responsible to ensure you are replacing and maintaining these with a trusted vendor, handyman or friend as it would be costly to have an after hours visit in the event of an errant battery or device failure.
Fire Sprinklers
GUIDELINES:
- Every condo has fire sprinkler heads in every room, closet, and patio/balcony. Maintenance of the fire sprinkler system is the Association’s responsibility and owners are responsible to pay for maintenance of sprinklers in their condo. But owners should not attempt to clean or repair these safety devices. If you have a sprinkler head that is damaged, corroded, or leaking you must call Management to report it. Management will have our sprinkler contractor perform the appropriate repair to assure there is no water discharged. If you break a sprinkler it will discharge water continuously until the fire pump is manually stopped. This flow will cause catastrophic damage to your condo and the building in only a few minutes.
- Never paint sprinkler heads or trim
- Never hang anything on fire sprinkler heads
- Never place candles or bulbs within 2 feet of sprinkler heads
- Never touch or disturb fire sprinkler heads
MAINTENANCE:
No maintenance required on the owner’s part. Notify management of any damaged, corroded, or leaking fire sprinklers. If sprinklers or sprinkler lines serving your unit fail or do not pass annual inspection, then the homeowner is responsible for the costs for replacing the elements serving your unit similar to plumbing lines. Management will coordinate the repairs to be conducted when the certified fire sprinkler contractor for the building can arrange a sprinkler shut down for the repair.