A fire alarm system is a device that detects and warns people of smoke, fire or other emergency situations. It is a crucial part of any building because of the advantages it provides. There are three types of these systems – residence, workplace and others. It’s also important to know how they work and what their purpose is in the event that a fire occurs.
Your fire alarm system might be the most important safety measure you have in your home, workplace or other place of business. Modern technology has made these systems smarter and more sophisticated to help protect from fires as well as other emergencies that could threaten life and property. But how does a fire alarm work? In this article we will briefly discuss the parts of a fire alarm system and how they work to keep us safe.
What Composes a Smoke Alarm System?
Alarm Initiating Devices:
- Heat Sensor is a fire alarm device that is designed to measure the temperature of heat around the sensor and responds when the convected thermal energy of a fire surpasses that of a heat sensitive element. This device is used to lessen fire related property damage.
Heat detectors are not considered as life saving devices and are not meant to replace smoke detectors in the hallway and sleeping areas. Heat detectors are better installed in the kitchen or utility areas like the attic and the garage because these areas are naturally dusty that can possibly damage smoke detectors.
- Smoke Detector is an electronic fire device that senses the presence of smoke, a primary indicator of fire. There are two types of smoke detectors, optical detector and ionization detector. Commercial and/or industrial smoke detectors issue a signal to a fire alarm control panel as a part of the central fire alarm system.
Smoke detectors sound a warning to residents or building occupants to alarm them of a possibility of fire and before it reaches a spreading stage to be able to put out the fire or evacuate the building for safety. Smoke alarms that are properly installed and are regularly maintained play a vital role in reducing injuries and death related to fire incidents. Smoke detectors must be checked regularly and batteries must be replaced once or twice a year to ensure that the unit is working properly.
- Alarm notification appliances like sirens or other devices are an active protection component that produces audible, visible or other forms of stimuli when triggered to notify residents or building occupants of the possible fire or other emergency situation so that they can take action and heed themselves to safety.
- Fire control units such as fire extinguishers and sprinkler systems protect the occupants of a building and help minimize damages from fire incidents.
- The Sprinkle System is a designated component of the fire alarm system to help prevent or control the spread of flames in cases of fire and reduce the amount of damage it can cause. It is composed of a water supply system that can provide adequate pressure and flow rate for a water distribution to the automatic sprinklers. A fire sprinkler system has four types:
- Wet pipe
- Dry pipe
- Pre-action
- Deluge
- The Fire Extinguisher is designed to initiate steps to help mitigate fire when detected and to minimize damage that may be caused by a fire incident.
- Power supply of the fire alarm system ensures the continuous operation of the equipment including the times when the primary power source is interrupted. To be able to do this, a secondary power supply such as batteries or an emergency generator must be available. Secondary power supplies are designated for power interruptions to power the entire system for at least 24 hours on stand by and also operate the system for at least 5 minutes during emergency situations. Secondary power supply must also be inspected and tested semiannually to ensure its reliability during power interruptions.
Wrapping Up
In this blog, we have briefly discussed the components of a fire alarm system and how they are essential for our safety. Fire alarm systems are equipped with devices that are designed to help detect and suppress fire making it an essential component of every building.
Fire is a very disastrous event when uncontrolled, that is why a fire alarm system is very important to be installed in commercial and industrial buildings. It must be installed, maintained and repaired by licensed fire safety experts and must adhere to standard fire guidelines.
For installation, maintenance and other fire protection needs, you may contact a licenced fire protection company.