‘My biggest concern is the challenges we face to educate both the customer and the AHJ’

YARMOUTH, Maine — Innovation and standardization are driving the growth of the fire and life safety industry, but some readers are concerned about the realities of costs and education when it comes to progress in this month’s news poll. 

Fire and life safety tech is developing in every direction, from wireless sensor integration to alarm relay functions, but the majority of respondents see AI-powered detection and analytics and cloud-based monitoring and management as the largest impact drivers in the sector, receiving 41.67% and 33.33% of the vote, respectively. 

But some readers are wary of the challenges brought on by those changes, with 41.67% again concerned with compatibility of legacy infrastructure and one-third of respondents finding the biggest challenge to be compliance with evolving codes and regulations. 

“My biggest concern is the challenges we face to educate both the customer and the AHJ (Authority Having Jurisdiction),” one reader wrote. “In order for integrators to move forward with these new technologies, the end user and the enforcement sides of the equation must buy-in, or we struggle to secure the investments needed to move forward with new technologies, etc.” 

Another 16.67% had budget constraints at the forefront of their minds when it comes to challenges. 

“The company put them in 30 years ago when they bought the building and haven't given them a thought since,” wrote another reader. “Now we are expected to convince these tight-ass corporations that if they don't fork over millions of dollars to get these systems upgraded, the likelihood of a failure is a matter of if, not when.” 

Yet another reader quipped that, “NFPA throws compliance standards and regulations into their requirements without any pathway for public entities to pay for it. This specifically refers to required backup power.” 

As for being prepared to support Mass Notification Systems as part of its fire and life safety offerings, two-thirds of respondents are split down the middle between being fully equipped and actively integrating them, with the other half exploring options but not having it fully implemented. A quarter of respondents say they have limited experience and are seeking training and resources.