The Bromfield School’s fire panel—which sounds emergency alarms both in the school and at the Fire Department—is so outdated “the company doesn’t even make parts for it anymore,” Facilities Director Patrick Harrigan told the School Committee this week. Replacing the panel will cost $49,499, according to a quote Harrigan obtained from R.B. Allen Inc., the school’s fire service provider.
The School Committee had already heard about the need to replace the 20-year-old panel and had approved $25,000 for that purpose at an earlier meeting. But the higher price tag came as an unhappy surprise. Given the crucial safety role the panel plays, however, the committee voted unanimously Monday for an additional $25,000 to replace the panel. The entire $50,000 will come from the Devens fund, the money MassDevelopment pays for children who live in Devens to attend school in Harvard.
The panel, Harrigan told the committee, is the main control for the Bromfield School’s fire safety system. If a detector goes off or someone pulls a fire alarm, the panel calls the fire station and shows firefighters where the alarm originated within the building. The panel also sounds the fire horns, activates emergency lighting, closes the fire doors, and allows a public announcement throughout the school.
The panel is part of a proprietary system made by Edwards Systems Technology. Harrigan said he has spent six months looking for a cost-effective way to repair the panel and has put the panel replacement out to bid twice. Changing to a different manufacturer would only raise the price, he explained, because that would require replacing all the other parts of the system—horns, door closers, access points, and more.
School Committee Chair SusanMary Redinger asked how soon the new panel could be in place. Harrigan said he expects it could be installed as soon as school is out for the summer. Meanwhile, he said, he can continue nursing the old panel along.
