Fire alarm · Metro Atlanta Commercial fire alarm installation and service in Metro Atlanta
LIT Inc. designs, installs, inspects and services fire alarm and voice evacuation systems for commercial buildings across Metro Atlanta. We design to the code your fire marshal enforces and, on most projects, test every device before inspection, so the system is ready to pass the first time.
NICET Level II & III Certified technicians on our team
NFPA 72 & NFPA 101 Designed to the code your fire marshal enforces
Licensed in GA & NC GA LVU406381 · NC SP.FA/LV.30862
Inspect, service, retrofit Including most systems we didn't install
01What we do
Fire alarm design, installation and service from one team
A fire alarm has three jobs: detect a fire early, warn everyone inside and call for help. We design each system around how your building is laid out and used, draw it for plan review, install and test it with our own team, and keep it in service after the fire marshal signs off.
We handle new systems, additions to existing ones, and buildings where the current system needs work before the next inspection.
What we handle
- System design and permit drawings: device layout, battery and voltage-drop calculations, and a written sequence of operations
- Fire alarm control panels, remote annunciators and power supplies
- Smoke, heat and duct detection, manual pull stations, and sprinkler waterflow and valve supervision
- Horns, strobes and speakers laid out to cover every occupied space
- Voice evacuation for buildings that need spoken instructions
- Inspections and testing to NFPA 72
- Service and repair of existing systems, including most we didn't install
- Retrofits, panel replacements and expansions
02Code and inspection
Designed to Georgia fire code and ready for inspection
In Georgia, the State Fire Marshal's minimum fire safety rules point to NFPA 101, the Life Safety Code, for when a building needs a fire alarm, and to NFPA 72, the National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code, for how the system is designed, installed, tested and maintained. In most of Metro Atlanta, the local fire marshal's office is the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ). It reviews the drawings, can add its own requirements, and witnesses the final test before it accepts the system.
We design to the code your AHJ enforces, and on most projects we prepare the permit submittal ourselves. It includes what plan reviewers look for: a device layout with ceiling heights, a legend with model numbers, data sheets, battery and voltage-drop calculations, and the sequence of operations. Complete drawings mean fewer resubmittals.
Before the inspection, we usually test every device ourselves and fill out the record of completion. That way the fire marshal's visit confirms the work instead of finding the problems. Our team includes NICET Level II and Level III certified technicians. Fire alarm work in Georgia is done under a low-voltage contractor license in the alarm or unrestricted class. We hold Georgia Low Voltage-Unrestricted license LVU406381 and North Carolina Special Restricted Fire Alarm/Low Voltage license SP.FA/LV.30862.
03Voice evacuation
Voice evacuation people can understand
A voice evacuation system uses speakers instead of horns. When the alarm activates, it plays an alert tone followed by a recorded message that tells people what is happening and where to go. Staff or firefighters can also make live announcements from a microphone at the panel.
Code requires voice notification in many assembly spaces and high-rise buildings, and in some other occupancies depending on size and occupant load. Where it isn't required, many owners choose it anyway, because a clear instruction moves people faster than a horn they've learned to tune out. In multi-story and multi-tenant buildings, it can send different messages to different floors or zones.
Loud is not the same as clear. NFPA 72 requires voice messages to be intelligible, not just audible. We lay out speakers and set their power for the space, whether that's a lobby full of hard surfaces or an open warehouse floor with equipment running. More speakers at lower settings usually beat a few turned all the way up.
04New construction
New construction and tenant build-outs
We work with general contractors from the plans to final inspection. Send us the drawings and we'll design the fire alarm before we price it, so the number reflects the building you're actually putting up. We install on your schedule and coordinate the tie-ins that tend to surface late in a job:
Tie-ins we coordinate
- Sprinkler waterflow and tamper switches
- Duct smoke detectors and HVAC shutdown
- Elevator recall, where the building has elevators
- Magnetic door holders and electrified locks that release on alarm
- The monitoring communicator and central-station setup
05Existing systems
Inspections, service and retrofits for existing systems
NFPA 72 makes the building owner responsible for keeping the system inspected, tested and maintained. Most devices are tested once a year. Some, like sprinkler waterflow and valve supervisory switches, are tested more often, and smoke detector sensitivity is checked within a year of installation and every other year after that. We do the testing, write up what we found in plain terms, and schedule the next visit.
When the panel shows a trouble signal or a device fails, we find the cause, whether it's a ground fault, a bad detector or a worn-out battery, and fix it. We service most systems we didn't install, and monitoring is available through our central-station partner.
A retrofit makes sense when a panel is old enough that parts are hard to find, when a renovation or change of use adds code requirements, or when the monitoring connection still depends on copper phone lines that carriers are retiring. We'll tell you what can stay, what has to be replaced and what your AHJ will need to see.
06Buildings
Fire alarm for the buildings we work in
Every building type asks something different of a fire alarm. Because we also install access control, intrusion, video and cabling, those systems are planned with the fire alarm, not around it.
Data centers
Detection for data halls and support spaces, planned with the building's fire alarm
Warehouses and industrial
Detection chosen for high ceilings and open floors, with notification people can see and hear over equipment
Office buildings
Voice evacuation and zoned messages for single-tenant and multi-tenant floors
Retail and multi-site
Consistent systems and inspection records across every location
Self-storage
Fire alarm for climate-controlled buildings, planned with gate access, door alarms and cameras
Service area
Based in Dallas, GA, and working across Metro Atlanta, including Paulding, Cobb, Douglas, Bartow, Cherokee, Fulton, Carroll and Polk counties and the City of Atlanta
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Don't see your question? Call us at (678) 619-3548, or request a site survey and ask us in person.
Request a site surveyDoes my building need a fire alarm system?
It depends on how the building is used, how many people are in it, its size and number of stories, and whether it has sprinklers. In Georgia, NFPA 101 sets most of those triggers, and your local fire marshal has the final word. If you're not sure, we'll look at it during the site survey and confirm the requirements with your AHJ or design professional.
How often does a commercial fire alarm need to be inspected?
Under NFPA 72, most devices are inspected and tested every year, and some parts are checked more often. Your local fire marshal may also ask to see the reports. We can put your building on a schedule and send you a written report after each visit.
Do you work on fire alarm systems you didn't install?
Yes, most of them. We inspect, repair and take over service on existing systems, and we'll ask for any drawings, past inspection reports and panel information you have. If a panel can only be serviced by a particular dealer, we'll tell you up front and lay out your options.
What is voice evacuation, and do we need it?
Voice evacuation uses speakers to play an alert tone and a spoken message, and it allows live announcements during an emergency. Code requires it in many assembly spaces and high-rise buildings, and in some other occupancies based on size and occupant load. Where it isn't required, many owners add it because spoken instructions are clearer than a horn.
Our fire alarm still reports over phone lines. Does that need to change?
Most likely, and sooner is better. Carriers are retiring copper phone lines and can discontinue service on short notice, which can leave a monitored system unable to call out. We can replace the communicator with a cellular or IP connection, test it, and give your AHJ the paperwork it asks for.
What do you need from us to price a fire alarm project?
For new construction or a build-out, send the architectural plans, plus sprinkler and mechanical drawings if you have them. For an existing building, the panel make and model, the last inspection report and your monitoring details help. We design first and price from the design, so the estimate matches the work.
Can the fire alarm work with our access control?
Yes. Code requires many electrified locks on exit doors to release when the fire alarm activates, and fire doors on magnetic holders to close. We install access control too, so both systems are designed and tested together before inspection.
Building, upgrading or taking over a fire alarm system?
Property owners and facility managers: request a site survey and we'll walk the building with you. General contractors: send your plans for a fire alarm bid. Or call (678) 619-3548.