BSIU graphics interface makes new Johnson Controls TrueSite Workstation more accessible

Johnson Controls, the global leader for smart, healthy and sustainable buildings, today announces the release of the new TrueSite Workstation (TSW) Building System Information Unit (BSIU). This unit allows for easier control of facility fire and life-safety networks from a single location while improving site safety and reactivity. Johnson Controls is one of the first companies in the fire protection industry to offer a BSIU that eliminates the need for costly UL864-listed computers while providing a vastly improved graphic interface.

The new TrueSite Workstation BSIU offers significant cost savings for end users compared to previous systems that had to be UL864-Listed. Updates to the 2019 edition of NFPA-72 now permit fire-alarm systems to be monitored and controlled using the BSIU when it is in the same room as the fire-alarm control unit. While the BSIU replicates the functions of the fire-alarm control unit, it makes controlling the system simpler, provides easier to understand information and overall, better instructs operators on proper alert responses.

‘Facilities no longer need an expert operator on site to run diagnostics, create reports or change system parameters,’ said Tony Gryscavage, director of product management, Johnson Controls. ‘Instead, the graphic displays and controls make the system easy to use with minimum training, allowing quicker responses to alerts and helping improve overall facility safety.’

The TSW BSIU effectively reduces operating costs while offering an equal or better interface for everyday operators. Even at a lower cost, the integrity of lifesaving functionality remains as strong as ever. It now offers redundant yet far more intuitive operations to the systems already in the control room. For example, if an alarm comes in from a school chemistry lab, a local system operator will see and hear the alarm and understand the location based on a digital floorplan.

‘The TrueSite Workstation BSIU gives the operator instructions on how to respond, who to call and what sort of hazardous materials might be in the room,’ Gryscavage explains. ‘This helps ensure the right response and can save precious time – and potentially save lives – during an emergency.’

The new TSW BSIU is an ideal, cost-effective option for architects and engineers who specify fire and life safety solutions for their projects, contractors who build structures with fire and life-safety needs, and current building operators and their staff who want a user-friendly alternative to manage their system.

To learn more about the new TrueSite Workstation BSIU, visit www.johnsoncontrols.com/fire-detection