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See what our happy customers have to say:
The Esscoe techs and your scheduling team have done a wonderful job. The commitment to detail for my District is exemplary and we look forward to a continued working relationship. The email work request response time is so great I’d love for you to teach my staff how to respond so quickly. Every person I deal with makes my problem theirs, takes it seriously, and has answers to my questions. Esscoe has been the first vendor for me to call for over the last 10 years and will continue to be my Districts provider to service all of our Fire, and burglary needs
Sean Smith – Director of Maintenance and Facilities – Gurnee School District 56
ESSCOE is the sole partner that Community Consolidated School District 21 uses for its door access, security cameras, the District’s alarm system or any and all security consulting . While ESSCOE was in District 21 for several years prior to my arrival as the Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations, they earned my trust immediately upon coming to the District in 2019. And based upon the performance of ESSCOE upon my arrival, I have no need to look anywhere else for the District’s security needs.
During the summer of 2019, within two weeks of my arrival, and in the middle of a summer project totaling $39 million, ESSCOE discovered an issue that could have set back the project months — time we could not afford to lose if we would open schools in a secure environment. Working with multiple contractors and construction managers that were responsible for the total project, ESSCOE discovered that key components of hardware and installation were missed in plans that were not in their scope of work. However, ESSCOE saw that if this missing work was not identified, coordinated and managed properly, the District would not be able to complete the work on the key focus of that summer’s project and deliver on a promise to its community.
The ESSCOE team, without any hesitation, took on the coordination of work between all necessary parties, ordering and fronting the payment for the hardware and securing not just its own labor force, but the labor of other key services. ESSCOE took on this added responsibility to ensure that the District delivered on its promises to the community on time and within budget regardless of the error it discovered. ESSCOE not only saved the day, but also made sure that the District was not harmed in any manner, through time delays or increased costs, even though the project required intensive work that was not originally planned for ESSCOE
ESSCOE continues to impress and build its credibility with each project, every year. Whether it is routine maintenance, adding, updating or overhauling the systems they manage to meet the District’s needs or bringing ideas to enhance safety and security in new areas, ESSCOE proves its value as a vendor and, most importantly, as a true and trusted partner and member of the District’s team daily.
Michael DeBartolo – Assistant Superintendent for Finance & Operations – Community Consolidated School District 21
Managing a large commercial property can be challenging and nothing is more important than the functionality of a buildings fire alarm system, so when there is a problem you need to have a reliable support team available at a moments notice. For me the team at Esscoe fills that role, going above and beyond to ensure that all of my needs are met. Whether it’s providing design and engineering services for a new installation, performing annual inspections, or responding to an emergency service call, I know that Esscoe is a phone call away. Dave Fernekes, Director of Facilities, Bourns Facility Group.
Dave Fernekes, Director of Facilities, Bourns Facility Group
Esscoe is your trusted partner for fire alarm systems!
Wondering how to keep your fire alarm system in top shape and performance? Follow our tips and advice below to get the most out of your equipment.
PROTECT SYSTEM FROM MOISTURE
Moisture can be one of the biggest enemies for fire alarm systems; ensure that your system is ready to fight against any and all moisture. Review your panel locations, to ensure that they are in conditioned and dry environments. Any equipment installed in wet locations shall be marked for “use in wet locations.” All equipment that is subjected to damage shall be protected by a listed means.
LIGHTNING OR SURGE SUPPRESSION
Be aware of how the equipment, conductors, boxes, exterior weather-tight boxes and devices are installed. Look for faulty or incorrect installations that may impair the system further down the line. Some systems have exterior speakers, horns and strobes. Be sure to regularly examine them for build-up of debris from birds nests, rodents or other damaged building elements that may break their watertight seals which can make you susceptible to moisture damage, but also create short circuit pathways which are susceptible to lighting and transient voltage damage. The latest release of NEC/NFPA 70 edition 2020 (NEC 2020) has placed a greater emphasis on increasing personnel safety by mandating the use of Surge Protective Devices (SPDs). In addition to increased personnel safety benefits, surge suppression devices installed on conductors which leave the building envelope, or incoming 120 VAC power to control panels and power supplies can provide an added degree of protection of these components, many of which are now deemed Critical Operations Power Systems (COPS) in many jurisdictions. We suggest consulting Article 708 of the 2020 NEC, specifically Article 708.2 on how to identify if your system is a COPS, which in many cases a fire alarm system or emergency communication system is.
REGULAR CLEANING
Regular cleaning of smoke detectors can help prevent nuisance alarms or false alarms and disruption of your operations and increase the confidence in the ability of your system to identify and protect occupants and your physical facilities from damage from fire.
TESTING
Regular and comprehensive testing of the entire fire alarm system is crucial to ensure its properly functioning. This includes the control panel, detectors, initiating devices, communication and power backup systems. These tests should be performed by trained personnel in accordance with the manufacturer’s guidelines, NFPA 72, and the National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code. Testing should include a full-functional test, checking for fault indications on the control panel.
MAINTENANCE RECORD
Maintain a thorough and up-to-date record of all inspections, tests, and maintenance activities performed on the fire alarm system. This should include the date, details of the performed action, and any anomalies or issues found and resolved. This ensures that the fire alarm system’s maintenance history is traceable and that it complies with local codes and insurance requirements. It also helps identify recurring problems that may suggest underlying issues.
PROPER TRAINING
Ensure that key personnel understand the basic operation of the fire alarm system, what to do when an alarm is activated, and who to contact for service or repair. Personnel should be educated about what each type of alarm signifies and the necessary steps they need to take during an emergency. This includes training on how to reset the system, silence alarms, and initiate manual alarms if necessary.
MONITORING SERVICE
If the fire alarm system is monitored by a third-party service, confirm that the service is fully operational and that communication between the system and the monitoring service is working correctly. Regularly review your contract with the monitoring service to ensure that it meets your current needs.
SYSTEM UPDATES AND UPGRADES
Technology continually evolves and improves. Keep your fire alarm system up to date with the latest software updates and consider hardware upgrades as recommended by the manufacturer or your fire protection engineer. Newer models might offer more accurate detection, faster response times, or enhanced features.
BATTERY CHECKS
Many fire alarm systems have backup batteries to ensure they continue to operate during power outages. Regularly check these batteries for any signs of damage or corrosion, replace them as per the manufacturer’s guidelines, and perform regular load tests to ensure they will function in case of an emergency.
PHYSICAL INSPECTION
Periodic physical inspection of all devices, including detectors, pull stations, annunciators, and alarm notification appliances, should be carried out to check for physical damage, dirt, paint, or any other obstruction that could affect the operation of the system. This should also involve inspecting the wiring for signs of damage or wear and tear.
Learn more about our capabilities with fire alarms.
No one knows your facility better than you, and nothing is more beneficial than the EST4 system. Trust Esscoe with upgrading your fire and life safety solutions. Watch our video to learn about the great benefits you need to take advantage of.
When it comes to your facilities, you want nothing but the best. You invest in the latest technology and systems to maximize performance, efficiency, and safety. Two important factors keeping these facilities functioning are the electronic security and fire protection systems. As these systems are responsible for ensuring the safety of both your facilities and its workers, there is no compromise on quality and performance, only the best will do. That’s why it’s essential to choose genuine factory authorized service providers like Esscoe for the programming and maintenance of these essential systems.
An electronic security and fire protection system is a complex web of components working together to detect and respond to potential threats. Virtually every part of the system has been developed, tested, and refined in demanding laboratories following Underwriter Laboratories requirements. Each part’s careful design, precise tolerances, and exceptional quality define your system’s performance and reliability.
However, most systems require maintenance updates and repairs over time. When that happens, choosing a genuine factory authorized service provider like Esscoe for programming, software updates, and maintenance is critical. Esscoe’s staff of technicians and engineers have been trained and certified by our manufacturers and have access to the most current software, firmware and components from the factory. Using anything less than a genuine authorized factory service provider can compromise the engineering excellence of the systems and applications chosen to protect your facilities. Replacement with non-genuine parts may not meet the same standards of quality, performance, and safety as the originals and present the potential to cause compatibility issues with other components of the system. Similarly, ignoring security, firmware and software updates compromises the ability for your system to work with its edge components. This could lead to reduced efficiency, false alarms, loss of memory or video storage, total system failure, and potentially void your system’s warranty, which could expose you to liability in the case of any preventable mishaps.
Your electronic security and fire alarm systems play a critical role in the safety, efficiency, and performance of your facilities. By having genuine factory authorized service providers like Esscoe perform the programming and maintenance of these systems, you can rest assured knowing your systems are maintained to the highest standards. Don’t compromise on safety and efficiency at your facilities. For your system’s maintenance, choose Esscoe.
Our experienced team of certified designers, engineers, and security subject matter experts can perform design, benchmarking, deployment, and physical/logical maintenance of your security systems.
Esscoe is one of the few qualified organizations that are capable of equipping an entire building with a comprehensive set of security software and hardware systems.
We have a great suggestion on a resolution you can stick to AND Esscoe can be your partner who can do all of the work for you. That’s the best kind! Next January, you’ll be feeling pretty good about making this one stick, year in, and year out! A few questions for you:
If you don’t know the answer to some of these questions, then make a new resolution this year to find out and get a plan in place to ensure that you don’t have a preventable failure of your enterprise security system. Esscoe can help you manage this New Year’s Resolution with a regular preventive maintenance plan for you Access Control, Intrusion and CCTV systems.
Unlike fire alarm systems and battery operated smoke alarms, Access Control and CCTVSystems generally do not provide a supervised way of notifying you that your Door Controllers or Camera Power supplies are operating with a degraded battery until it’s too late, and even if they did, waiting until that time it’s usually too late and a failure may be imminent causing loss of recording, access to your facilities and a lot of unwelcome attention from staff and outside visitors.
Taking a page from the fire alarm industry, it is common knowledge in that industry that fire alarm batteries are to be replaced typically within 4-5 years from date of manufacturing. Regular inspection, testing, and maintenance (ITM) that needs to be completed to ensure that the secondary power supply is reliable. Batteries need to be inspected semiannually to confirm that the connections are tight and there is no corrosion on the connections. The batteries and charger need to be tested semiannually. Tests include measuring the temperature to ensure that the battery is not 18° F (10° C) above ambient temperature; measuring the voltage to ensure the battery and charger are still operational; measuring the voltage at each cell of the battery to confirm each cell is greater than 13.26 volts; and measuring the internal ohmic value of each battery and comparing it to previous tests to ensure that the battery does not have 30 percent or more conductance or 40 percent or more resistance or impedance than previous tests, or that it is outside the manufacturer’s acceptable ranges.
Every three years the batteries need to either be replaced, or a load test needs to be conducted. Load tests are conducted by putting a known load (which can be obtained from the battery manufacturer) on the battery for a given time.
With Security Systems, there are several key factors that will affect the life expectancy of a battery including:
• Temperature cycling
• Operating temperature
• Thermal runaway
• Shelf life
• Rate of charging and rate of discharging
• Deep discharging
• Physical damage
• Overcharging
• Memory effect of the battery
Basically, it’s extremely hard to predict security system battery life expectancy with any real accuracy. A weak battery
that’s capable of supporting a small 2-door controller 12 months won’t be capable of supporting a 4 or 8 door controller for 6 months.
What also is hard to predict during a power outage?
• The number of door openings
• Camera motion detection events
• Intrusion sensor activations
Our last questions for thought:
• So, do you have time and resources to manage this for all of your connected access control and CCTV camera supplies at all of their locations within all of your facilities?
• Do you have the tools to load test these items properly and document them?
• Do you have access to the right suppliers for all the different battery sizes, terminal typesand UPS power supply cassettes from all of your different equipment manufacturers?
Esscoe can tailor a security service maintenance plan for you and your facilities. Whether it’s regularly scheduled Inspection, Testing and Maintenance, or regularly scheduled battery replacements, or a combination thereof, we can design a simple, regularly scheduled program to manage this for you, every New Year! Give yourself permission to substitute this regular program of maintenance provided by Esscoe for that diet you really don’t want to stick to anyway…
At Esscoe we are grateful for another wonderful year, but we know that not everyone is as fortunate. As this holiday season approaches, please consider donating to charities near and dear to you. Here are a few charities to consider this year. Charity knows no season!
Lurie Children’s Hospital
Ways To Give
Visit LurieChildrens.org for other ways to give or for more information on how to donate.
Advocate Aurora Health Foundations
Where To Give
Visit Advocate Aurora Health for more information on how to donate.
Illinois Fire Safety Alliance
Ways To Give
Visit IFSA for more information on how to donate.
Advent Health
Ways To Give
Visit Advent Health for more information on how to donate.
Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and many are looking forward to a great meal with their family and friends. While most people are fantasizing about eating a delicious feast, we can easily forget the hard work that goes into preparing the meal. An often overlooked piece of the food preparation is the safety aspect, so we’ve put together some helpful reminders to keep things safe. Even if you aren’t involved with the cooking directly, these safety tips will still allow you to help out during the festivities.
The most basic way to encourage safety while cooking is to keep the workspace, usually the kitchen, clear of any distractions. Because the leading cause of kitchen fires is unattended cooking, you don’t want the cook’s attention taken away from their workspace. The cooks should be alert and attentive, so leave those who are tired or under the influence out of the kitchen. Since having a cluttered kitchen can also be a distraction, a good rule of thumb is: “if you aren’t using it now or about to use it, keep it out.”
One way to reduce kitchen clutter is to have someone trusted helping the cook by bringing them the utensils they need and taking away things they don’t need. Leave this job to a trusted adult, while it might seem fun to let the kids help out, you don’t want to risk them messing up or getting injured.
While children may want to help with the festivities, having them help with cooking may not be a great idea. Due to the dangers posed by cooking tools such as hot stoves and sharp knives, children should be kept away from the kitchen. Children may also cause the cook to be distracted, increasing the risk of kitchen fires. At minimum, keep children at least 3 feet away from any potentially dangerous areas. The same applies to pets as well.
While nobody wants a kitchen fire, being prepared in the event of one is essential. Prevention is the easiest way, and using the tips above will help minimize the chances of a cooking fire.
However, it is also important to know what to do depending on the type of fire. For small grease fires, turn off the stove and smother the flames with a lid. Do NOT try to put out the fire with water, this will not extinguish a grease fire. If you aren’t able to control the flame, then just get out! Evacuate the home quickly and call your local emergency number. Don’t worry, the fire department is used to Thanksgiving accidents, and they’ll be able to help you out. Now that you know these simple safety tips, you can apply them to your next Thanksgiving gathering. Share these tips with your friends and family to keep Thanksgiving safe, letting you enjoy the delicious feast with friends and family.
As you approach the Holiday Season, don’t just look at the relationship between your family and friends; take a look at the relationship you have with your physical building and how you protect it, how you house the people you care about.
Our partners at Building Reports are a service provider for test and inspection groups. Their excellent service has made them the most trusted name in compliance reporting. Please see the downloadable content below for just some of the many great resources they provide.
Click to Download…
Fire Alarm Cybersecurity White Paper
Keep Physical Security from Opening Cybersecurity Risk
Security Brief: US Ban on Device Manufacturers
Did You Know?
Hackers know that certain cameras are easy to take over and use as an entry point to the connected network. Even email capable fire alarm systems are vulnerable, unless they meet the new federal information standards.
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