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24 FIRE SYSTEMS INSTALLATION Notifier adapts panels for BIM trend Continued from page 1 for its core group of addressable fire panels—its ONYX Series and of its FireWarden Series—and models of other panels are expected in the future, he said. The company said that although they’re newly-released, “Notifier’s BIM files have already encoun- tered nearly 1,000 downloads.” BIM is essentially a detailed computerized database of every object that a building being designed will have in it, accord- ing to Correia and Steve Jones, senior director of business devel- opment of New York City-based McGraw-Hill Construction and a consultant for Notifier. That database can be used to create a computerized 3-D model of the building so complete the end user can take a virtual walk- through to see how everything will look when it’s built, including fire system components. “You can see as you walk down the hall, you have a strobe mount- ed here … and there’s going to be a pull station here,” Correia said. www.securitysystemsnews.com JULY 2011 SECURITY SYSTEMS NEWS And with BIM, an end user can not only view any object in the building, but also can instantly call up detailed information about it. For example, Jones told SSN, a BIM model of a door can also carry such information as what it’s made of, what kind of hardware is on it, and how thick it is. Notifier’s new digital content models of its fire panels can now easily be included in a BIM model of a building, Jones said. “I can actually put that control panel object right in my model,” he said. Then, he said, if any- body has any questions about fire panels in a building, “… it just pulls it all out of the database and shows you where they are, how many there are, who makes them and all the information about them.” Correia said he’s been told that BIM as it develops will also include other information about Does Your Inspection Reporting System Deliver the Critical Data Your Customers Need? BuildingReports’ web-based inspection reporting system and unique bar code technology can deliver device specifi c reports for your customers with more detail than any other system! fire systems such as voltage drop and battery calculations. “Right now, it’s really in the early stages of learning how the fire alarm world will really adapt to BIM,” he said. According to McGraw-Hill Construction, less than 3 percent of new construction projects uti- lized BIM in 2007. “Today,” that company said, “BIM is being used in the design of an estimated 38 percent of new starts.” The com- pany expects that figure to double to nearly 75 percent by 2014. Jones believes Notifier is the first to make digital content mod- els of its fire panels. SSN BARRY *0 1 1 0 2 1 0 0* Trusted reporting data your customers need: • 3rd Party Verifi cation • Inventory & Warranty Report • Time/Date Inspected • Automated Product Recall Alerts • Service Authorizations • Discrepancy Reports • 24/7 Access • NFPA Embedded Codes & Standards Continued from page 20 in senior leadership on dealers and installers in North America. “Our dealer/installer channels across the product lines have been very successful and we will continue to support them as we always have,” he told Security Systems News. “As I look at the rest of 2011 and beyond, “ Barry continued, “our focus will be on driving a more customer-centric organiza- tion.” To grow the business, he said, “it is absolutely imperative that we listen to our custom- ers, and ensure that they have a positive experience each time we interact with them. The dealers/ installers have direct contact with the end-users, some on a regular basis, and are an integral part of our strategy to create a customer- focused organization.” When it comes to goals, Barry said, “Over time, I’d like to drive synergies across the businesses more naturally and offer our cus- tomers a seamless way to select our products for a total solution that can solve needs for detection, suppression, and firefighting. We do this well in many parts of the world today and I want to take it to the next level of integration.” Buckhout in a statement said, 770.495.1993 sales@buildingreports.com www.BuildingReports.com inspection reporting solution The world’s most trusted “Mark’s deep industry and global experience positions him well to assume this critical leadership role in our fire products business. Mark’s responsibility for Global Fire Products includes 27 facto- ries and significant operations in North and South America, West- ern Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.” UTC Fire & Security is a unit of United Technologies Corp., based in Hartford, Conn. SSN