Quick roadmap:
- What I do day to day
- Real jobs and what went right (and wrong)
- The gear and brands I trust
- The tough parts, the sweet spots, and who this job fits
First, who am I?
I’m Kayla. I run fire alarm projects. Schools, hospitals, warehouses, grocery stores—the messy, real stuff. My work keeps folks safe, keeps jobs on track, and yes, keeps the fire marshal happy.
Sounds simple. It’s not. But it’s also kind of fun. Weird, right? If you want the straight-from-site rundown, I’ve laid it all out in this fire-alarm project manager field guide.
So… what do I actually do?
I guide a fire alarm job from “idea” to “all clear.” I plan, herd cats, and fix things before they break. I don’t pull every wire, but I own the whole thing.
For a formal corporate snapshot of these same duties, the Fire Alarm Project Manager Job Description by Johnson Controls mirrors much of what I tackle daily.
Here’s the job in plain talk:
- Set the schedule and budget (and defend both)
- Review drawings, code notes, and submittals
- Order panels, devices, wire, and parts
- Coordinate with the GC, electricians, and the AHJ (that’s the fire marshal)
- Plan outages so the building stays safe
- Run pre-tests and the final test with the AHJ
- Train the staff and finish as-builts
I speak two languages at work: tech and human. One minute I’m talking SLC loops (the data line), NAC circuits (the horn/strobe power), and relay ties to the elevator. The next minute I’m calming a school principal because the bells chirped during lunch. Both matter. That duality reminds me of the days I juggled project engineer tasks alongside PM duties—wearing both hats can get interesting.
A day on site (the not-so-glam version)
Morning: check deliveries. Are the smoke detectors still back-ordered? Do we swap to a listed alt?
Midday: field walk. Are ceiling tiles in? Did the painter cover the strobes? Is the riser room locked again? I mark device counts, check heights, and note which circuits need a booster.
Afternoon: emails, change orders, and yes, a little chaos. I tweak the schedule, call the lift guy, and line up the pre-test.
Evening: I program. Notifier, Fire-Lite, or Simplex—depends on the job. I set labels plain as day: “Room 213 – Smoke – East Wall.” Clear text saves time when someone’s panicking.
Real jobs that stuck with me
1) The high school retrofit that fought back (and then passed)
Old panel: Simplex 4010. New panel: Notifier NFS2-640 with three SLC loops and Wheelock horn/strobes. About 280 devices. We worked over winter break. We cut over in phases, so the school stayed safe.
Pain points:
- Ceiling grid came late. That pushed device trim. My fix: I re-sequenced floors and pulled rough-ins first.
- One NAC kept faulting. Turned out to be a tiny staple nick in the wire near the stage. We found it with a meter and a lot of patience.
- We pre-tested for two days, point by point. The AHJ test took two hours. Clean pass. The principal hugged me. I cried later in my car. True story.
2) A hospital wing with zero room for error
Brand: Siemens for the existing campus, so we matched. Add-on to an ICU. Work had to be phased. We set fire watch during any planned downtime and kept a nurse call tie-in live.
What I learned:
- Clear notes win. I made a one-page outage plan with times, names, and backup steps. Everyone had it. Moments like this blur the superintendent/PM boundary line; here’s a story about those roles colliding.
- Dust is the enemy. We used dust covers, then cleared alarm verify timers for final test. No false alarms during night shift. The charge nurse baked cookies for us. That helped morale more than any memo ever could.
3) A busy grocery store with night work
Panel: Fire-Lite ES-200X, Wheelock devices, and a NAC power booster for the big floor area.
The snag:
- Two pallets of AVs got delayed. I swapped to a listed equal with the GC and AHJ’s blessing. Simple, clear spec sheet, no drama.
- Lift access was tight near the deli hood. I scheduled after close, ran a short lift, and we set cones like we were at a mini airport. Quick in, quick out.
Tools and brands I keep reaching for
I won’t push a brand just to sound smart. I use what works, and what I can get on time.
- Panels: Notifier (NFS2-640, 3030 on big jobs), Fire-Lite (solid and friendly), Siemens (great for campus tie-ins), EST/Edwards (common in older sites)
- AV devices: Wheelock and System Sensor—reliable, clear sound
- Software: Bluebeam for markups, Procore for submittals, simple CSV exports for point lists
The coordination tricks that keep my strobes in line are the same ones I leaned on when managing rooftop units—running HVAC projects is its own brand of messy. - Field kit: Fluke meter, Milwaukee M18 drills, label maker (save yourself—label everything), Bosch laser for device height checks
- Code check: NFPA 72 and local amendments; I keep a printed quick sheet in my bag
You know what? A good label beats a long email. Every time.
The sticky bits no one brags about
- Ground faults that come and go. You chase them like a ghost. You learn to split loops and isolate fast.
- Painters who spray over strobes. I’ve had to swap out brand new lenses. Twice on one job.
- “We changed the ceiling plan.” Cool. That means my device spacing changed, too. Back to the drawings.
- False alarms from dust. Use covers, delay dirty work, and pre-test last. Roofing PMs chase leaks with the same obsession; their war stories sound familiar.
I’ll admit something. The job can feel slow. Then it turns fast. One call from the AHJ can flip your week. So you build slack into the plan and act calm even when your coffee shakes.
Juggling 12-hour site days and weekend programming marathons usually fries my social calendar, too. On those rare nights off, I don’t have time for endless swiping or elaborate dinner plans, so I turn to PlanCulFacile—the platform connects busy professionals for quick, no-strings meet-ups, letting me unwind efficiently and show up focused for the next 6 a.m. device check.
When a project has me stationed in the Bay Area and I want that same zero-hassle downtime locally, I’ll browse the vetted companions on Erotic Monkey’s Fremont page to line up a discreet, reviewed encounter—saving me the guesswork and back-and-forth chats that could otherwise eat into precious rest hours.
What good looks like
- First-time pass with the AHJ
- Clean as-builts that match what’s on the wall
- Staff who can silence and reset without guessing
- A system that stays quiet when it should—and roars when it must
How I explain my job to family
I’m like air traffic control for alarms. I don’t fly the planes. I make sure the maps are right, the lights are set, and the runway is clear. When it’s go time, everyone lands safe.
Thinking of doing this work?
If you like clear steps, but can handle chaos, you’ll fit. If you want to see how project management principles apply across industries (and steal a few tricks for your own playbook), take a quick scroll through the articles on PMO Network.
For another angle, the Fire Alarm Project Manager Role Explained by Project Manager Template lays out the core expectations in a handy rundown.
Not sure whether you need the framed diploma first? I break down the pros, cons, and debt math of a construction project management degree here.
If you can read a plan and also read the room, even better. Learn the code. Ask the AHJ questions. Be kind to your installers; they save you more than you’ll ever know.
Final word
What is a project manager in fire alarm? A planner, a fixer, a translator, and sometimes the one with snacks. We carry the load so