Hilton Boston Park Plaza

System Specifications
FACP: Simplex 4100ES FACP Location: Various System Type: Addressable System Line Voltage: 120VAC NAC Voltage: 25VRMS (audible) 24VDC (visual) System Coding: Temporal 500Hz (see Sequence of Operation) Strobes Synchronized: Yes, SmartSync Date of last known Upgrade: 2016 Year Opened: 1927

Hilton Boston Park Plaza is an historic luxury hotel located at 50 Park Plaza, Boston, Massachusetts. It was recently bought by Hilton Hotels, and has over 1,060 rooms. The hotel was originally built in 1927 as Statler Hotel Boston, renamed Boston Park Plaza in 1958, was renovated in 1997 and extensively renovated in 2016. The fire alarm system was upgraded in 2016, with parts ranging from 1983 to 2016.

System Specifications (2016-present)

FACP

The building is protected by a Simplex 4100ES addressable fire alarm system. The panel locations are unknown. The system runs Simplex’s MAPNET II addressable protocol, and is equipped with voice-evacuation. The system is configured for floor-by-floor evacuation; the alarm sequence is the pre-announce chime, a custom message to evacuate if the evacuation tone follows, followed by 500Hz temporal on select floors. The system is also programmed for audible silence.
The 4100ES replaced a 4100U in 2016, which replaced a 4120 in the 2000s.

= Annunciators

There is a Simplex 4603-9101 LCD annunciator next to the check-in desk.

Notification Appliances

All notification appliances installed in the renovation are from Simplex’s “TrueAlert” line of products. The rest were installed in 1997.
Most notification appliances are a mix of the following throughout:

• Simplex 4903-9167 speaker/strobes (white, wall-mount, horizontal, 15cd, SmartSync)
• Simplex 4903-9193 speaker/strobes (white, wall-mount, horizontal, 15cd)
• Simplex “TrueAlert” 4906-9153 speaker/strobes in renovated areas (white, wall-mount, set to 15cd).

The stairwell from the third floor to the mezzanine level has a Simplex 4903-9148 speaker/strobe (red, wall-mount, horizontal, 30cd).
The weight room, along with one restroom have Simplex 4906-9151 speaker/strobes (red, wall-mount, set to 15cd).
The convenience store in the lobby has a Simplex 4906-9154 speaker/strobe (white, ceiling-mount, set to 30cd).
There are Simplex 4906-9103 remote strobes (white, wall-mount, set to 30cd) for additional visual coverage.
The main ballroom stage has a Simplex 4090-91 speaker (red, wall-mount) mounted on a Simplex 2903-9001 light plate (incandescent, red, wall-mount), leftover from 1983.
The guest rooms mostly have Simplex 4902-9721 remote speakers (white, ceiling-mount), with some Wheelock RSS-24MCC-FW remote strobes (white, ceiling-mount, set to 110cd). These replaced Simplex 4903-9167 speaker/strobes (white, wall-mount, horizontal, 15cd) and Simplex 4902-9705 speakers (white, wall-mount).

Initiating Devices

Pull Stations

Most pull stations are Simplex 2099-9795 addressable single-action pull stations.
There are Simplex 4099-9006 addressable dual-action pull stations in some areas.
There is one Simplex 4251-50 conventional two-stage pull station in the ballroom, wired to a Simplex 4090-9001 addressable monitor module.

Automatic Detection Devices

There are Simplex 4098-9714 addressable photoelectric smoke detectors throughout the building, mounted on 4098-9792 bases.
The ballroom has a Simplex 4255-51 conventional 135°F fixed temperature/rate of rise heat detector, wired to a Simplex 4090-9001 addressable monitor module.

Modules

There are Simplex 4090-9001 addressable monitor modules supervising the sprinkler system’s tamper and flow switches.
There are Simplex 4090-9002 addressable relays serving various purposes.

Sequence of Operation

The hotel is set up in a floor-by-floor configuration. When an alarm is activated, all speakers and strobes activate with the pre-annonuce chime, followed by a female voice message that a fire alarm has been activated, and to evacuate if the tone sounds. Then, the signaling devices on the floors on, directly above and below the activated device sound the 500Hz temporal tone, while the rest of the speakers go silent.