Where Potter® is "The Symbol of Protection™", AFS is "The Sign of Incompetence".

The Potter PFC-9000 Installation Manual is located here:
http://www.pottersignal.com/Fire/manual/5403535_PFC9000.pdf

Reference Potter PFC-9000 Installation Manual Page 17:
"The communication wiring must be two conductor twisted shielded cable from the panel or previous annunciator."

Reference Potter PFC-9000 Installation Manual Page 19:
"- RS-485 wiring must be twisted and shielded
- Separate cables must be used for power and the RS-485"

The AFS labels indicate the system has been Verified to CAN/ULC-S537 twice by none other than Mr. Harjit (Jit) Sangha (President of Active Fire and Safety Services Ltd. and a Potter® Trained Technician).

For Mr. Sangha's benefit, CAN/ULC-S537-04 (Canadian Fire Alarm Verification Standard) states in Sentence 3.3.3.1: "Wiring extending beyond a control unit or transponder shall be inspected at all system termination points to ensure that the wire type and gauge is in accordance with the equipment manufacturer's installation wiring requirements. (Refer to Appendix C3, Field Device and Related Circuits - Test and Inspection)".

And all I did was open a couple of doors. Tsk! I was informed that staff at AFS (Active Fire & Safety Services) contacted by the contractor had advised him that anyone other than an Active Fire technician performing a verification on equipment which they supplied would invalidate the warranty. I have great news for this contractor or any other involved in a similar situation with this particular service provider. Potter (as with all the major manufacturers) stands behind their product and, thankfully, Active Fire doesn't have exclusive access to parts and certainly ISN'T the only Lower Mainland company certified to perform programming. Any reputable fire equipment provider could provide warranty service for this (or any) Potter system and I understand that there are several (in the Lower Mainland) that would even step up to EXTEND that warranty and ensure Potter continues to be "The Symbol of Protection™".

Both Verifications performed on this system are now the subject of a complaint that's been filed against Mr. Sangha by the writer. We'll publish the full results of ASTTBC's investigation when it's completed. In the mean time, "if you are looking for a responsible fire protection contractor"*, what-ever you do, DON'T CALL Active Fire and Safety!

Two burning questions still remain to be answered: "How many more installations like this are out there?" and "What else is wrong with this particular installation?"

*NOTICE: This is part of a comment used in promotional material found on Active Fire's website. While we don't have actual permission for it's use (and we doubt the management at Active would actually consent to give it to us regardless), we recognize that it is in the public domain and have provided the appropriate attribution.

UPDATE! December 12, 2011 - The investigation has shifted to another Active Fire and Safety Services technician following the news that Harjit Sangha didn't actually sign the paperwork for the verification! Interesting to note that Mr. Sangha's rather vigorous (and, at times, downright laughable) defence (which not only involved Potter's Tim Frankenburg, but inundated ASTTBC with a mountain of paper and legal opinions) never once mentioned this. In light of this latest development, the sanctions imposed by ASTTBC against Mr. Sangha a few weeks ago have now been rescinded.

Stay tuned for more!

More Burning Brick Nominations!