Effective fire safety starts with who you hire to install your alarms.
Since the 1920s, the Grunau Company has specialized in fire protection services including inspections, maintenance, and alarm and detection systems. Their local office in Boardman services roughly a one-hour drive radius of the Mahoning Valley.
“I don’t care if it’s one fire extinguisher or a cutting-edge system at a brand-new facility. We can do it,” said Jeff Nickel Grunau project manager.
Grunau wiremen stand at the ready to install or troubleshoot residential and commercial fire alarm systems within a 1-hour radius of Youngstown. From the left, Nick Patterson, Andrew Fabry and Larry Long.
Fire alarm work can literally be life-saving
To the IBEW-affiliated wiremen at Grunau, their work is important because of the lifesaving prevention services they provide to their customers.
“To install fire alarms, individuals must have a license through the state of Ohio. Each of our employees has this license,” said Nick Patterson, Grunau fire alarm electrician. “That’s what’s unique about Grunau. It’s not just one or two electricians who carries these credentials. It’s everyone.”
The licensures and certifications needed to safely complete fire protection installations are important to look for in a qualified contractor. Why? “Two words … life and safety,” Patterson said.
An inexperienced contractor may look at fire alarm installation and believe they can perform the install because, “it’s just wires.”
However, the skill and years of experience Grunau’s contractors provide can be the difference between life and death if a fire alarm system is installed incorrectly.
Setting Grunau apart from competitors are certifications and licenses in fire alarm installation, fire extinguishing, individual programming and a National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) continuous education certification.
Homes, businesses, industrial, healthcare … and more
“We do everything from security systems to residential installations, to industrial power plants,” said Andrew Fabry, Grunau fire alarm electrician.
Each step of the process is completed by a professionally certified Grunau employee.
From the first day of equipment installation to the final check with the fire marshal, the same contractor will be responsible for the project. This allows Grunau to collaborate with other contractors in the area to provide expertise in fire safety that complements existing electrical work.
Locally, Grunau regularly works in tandem with fellow Mahoning Valley NECA-IBEW contractors like “Joe” Dickey Electric, MG Electric, University Electric, VEC, Boot Electric and others.
“Beyond our typical electrical education and our journeyman tickets, we’ve been given the opportunity repeatedly to gain more certifications so that we are always able to apply the newest fire safety industry best practices and regulations to our services,” Fabry said.
No matter the project, Grunau’s estimators and engineers are certified to thoroughly assess customers’ hazards, and design systems in accordance with all applicable NFPA codes and satisfy all authorities that hold jurisdiction.
From there, the company’s experienced project managers and union electricians will install and maintain a fire protection system that will result in years of reliability and peace of mind.