Bow Valley Square

Bow Valley Square is an office building complex with four towers in Downtown Calgary. The towers are 17, 39, 32 and 37 stories high. The first tower was completed in 1972, and the last in 1981. The fire alarm system is not original, though a few notification appliances in underground parking are likely original. There is also a 2 story shopping mall in the building, and the second floor has three +15 skywalk additions, Fifth Avenue Place to the North, Suncor Energy Center to the east, and Brookfield Place to the south.

System Specifications

FACP

The fire alarm system is a networked two-stage Notifier NFS2-3030C with DVC (Digital Voice Command) installed in 2012. There are many fire alarm panels, at least 32 for the whole building, but they are not visible. There is an annunciator at one entrance, however. The annunciator has a fire phone, and five troubles as of August 29, 2020. They probably replaced older Notifier AFP1010 panels. It is unknown what first stage is, but when the system goes into general alarm, all speakers play a custom recorded male voice message that says "Attention! May I have your attention please! A fire condition exists. Please proceed to the nearest safe exit stairwell, and commence emergency evacuation procedures. Do not use the elevator." twice, and the sound of a 10" bell (close to a Wheelock MB-G10-24 bell) in code-3 for 7 rounds, then repeat. All strobes in the system are synchronized.

Notification Appliances

Most of the notification appliances are System Sensor "SpectrAlert Advance" SPSCW (white, ceiling) speaker/strobes and System Sensor "SpectrAlert Advance" SPCW (white, ceiling) speakers, usually in the pattern of speaker/strobe, speaker, speaker/strobe, speaker. Most are on the ceiling, but in the parkade elevator and mall hallways are on the wall. Parkade elevator areas only have one speaker/strobe. A few parkade elevators and some areas of the ground floor have System Sensor "SpectrAlert" SP2C2475 (white, ceiling) speaker/strobes left over from the AFP1010 system. There was one in P3 elevators, but has been replaced with a System Sensor SPSCW speaker/strobe in 2017. In the 4th tower on the 32nd floor, the elevator area has a System Sensor SPCW speaker with a System Sensor "SpectrAlert Advance" SCW (white, ceiling) remote strobe next to it. The parkade has a whole bunch of goodies! There are mainly System Sensor "SpectrAlert Advance" SPSR (red, wall) speaker/strobes, but on some pillars, there are System Sensor "SpectrAlert" SP200W (white, ceiling) speakers on the ceiling next to the pillar and on the pillar, a System Sensor "SpectrAlert" SC2475W (white, ceiling) strobe, likely left over from the AFP1010 system. Throughout the parkade on the ceiling, you can find System Sensor SC2475W strobes from the AFP1010 system, and right beside them a whole bunch of speakers before and during the AFP1010 system. They include Wheelock ET-1010-R vandal resistant speakers from the 1980s-90s, System Sensor "SpectrAlert" SP201R (red, wall) speakers from the AFP1010, and Atlas Soundolier SVT-72 speakers likely original. There is also one Atlas Soundolier VTF-157UCR flush-mount re-entrant speaker on a wall at the parkade entrance, likely original. The speakers in the office towers are tapped at 2 watts, while the mall is tapped at 1/2 watt.

Initiating Devices

Pull Stations

Most of the pull stations are Notifier N-MPS-2A bilingual, addressable two-stage T-bar pull stations from 2012 when the NFS2-3030C system was installed, though there are a few Notifier MPS-950KB two-stage pull stations left over.

Automatic Detection Devices

All of the smoke detectors are Notifier FSP-851 addressable photoelectric detectors from 2012.