FM Approvals has been made aware of a firmware problem associated with certain Notification Appliances (horns, strobes or combination units) that could result in the device to fail to alarm visually or with sound after a period in excess of 11 months in service.

Company Identity:  Tyco Fire Products LP  (listed as Simplex Time Recorder Co in the FM Approval Guide)

Address:  6 Technology Park Drive,  Westford, Massachusetts 01886  USA

Contact Information:  North America:  +1 (855) 894-6162

LATAM:  Edgar Alvarez edgar.alvarez@jci.com +52 5554012683

EMEA:  Mike Stonehouse michael.stonehouse@jci.com +44 16 1259 4074

APAC:  Thomas Fung thomas.fung@jci.com +65 9730720

Product Identity:  TrueAlert ES Addressable Notification Appliances

Description:  Sounders, Horns, Visual Strobes and Combination Units

Make/Model:  6ES7131-6FD01-0BB1

FM Approval Status:  All FM Approved Models 

Hazard Involved:  Changes made in a prior firmware update (Rev. 2.01) may cause certain Simplex and Autocall branded TrueAlert ES Addressable Notification Appliances to fail to alarm visually or with sound after a period of operation in excess of 11 months. Some but not all impacted Notification Appliances may then “chirp.” This is the result of a firmware problem within the device.

The affected model numbers are contained in the attached table (Shaded cells are branded for Autocall, unshaded cells are branded for Simplex). Affected models are limited to devices manufactured on or after January 19, 2021 (for Xenon type Notification Appliances) and on or after August 19, 2021 (for LED type Notification Appliances) that have been in operation in excess of 11 months.

A field solution will consist of the following:

1. Identification of any failing units, followed by replacement or reprogramming of those devices.
2.  Updating the Fire Alarm Control Panel software revision to a newer version that will alleviate the problem.

The details can be found below in the attached Product Safety Alert – Action Notice dated September 1, 2022.