January 9, 2019
Jeff Barnes has worked on fire alarm and life safety systems for nearly a quarter-century as a design engineer, sales engineer and hands-on technician. He’s performed programming, testing and inspecting everywhere from South Carolina to Afghanistan. Today, he’s a Senior Fire Alarm and Security Design Specialist and NICET-certified Senior Engineering Technician (SET) at Jacobs, a multi-billion-dollar global professional services firm.
A major part of Barnes’ fire alarm management knowledge was gained during his two years in Afghanistan where he headed an installation and service operation at Bagram Air Base. Upon arrival, he discovered that fire alarm systems had not been maintained properly for some time – whether it was missing heads or pillows duct-taped around horn strobes because no one knew how to reset the alarms. The experience made Jeff Barnes realize that anyone managing a fire alarm system could benefit from a little timely advice.