Fire Alarms
Conventional fire alarm systems are the entry level for most fire system requirements. These alarms are suitable for small offices, nurseries, small hotels, warehouses, shops and any small business. They will indicate a zone as an area in the building where the detector has been triggered (many detectors may be in this area) and usually operate the sounders for a full evacuation.
How does a conventional fire alarm work?
Each call point or smoke alarm is connected to the main fire alarm control panel by its own wire. When a detector is triggered, the fire alarm control panel will operate the sounders for a full evacuation.
What are the advantages of a conventional system?
- Conventional fire alarm systems are one of the cheaper options to buy
- Suitable for smaller business premises where a sophisticated fire alarm system isn’t needed
What are the disadvantages of a conventional system?
- Although cheaper to buy it’s more expensive to install
- The exact location of a fire can’t be given with a conventional fire alarm system. However, by wiring different floors or areas as zones, then an indication of which zone the fire is in can be given.
- If a wire becomes severed, the device is disconnected and may not signal the presence of a fire
Addressable Fire Alarms
Addressable fire alarm systems enable you to pinpoint exactly which detector has been activated, and where the fire is located. They are suitable for larger business premises such as hotels, office blocks, warehouses and large factories.
HOW DOES AN ADDRESSABLE FIRE ALARM WORK?
Each call point or smoke alarm connected to the main fire alarm control panel has its own address. When a fire is detected, the address of the detector is displayed on the main control panel. An addressable fire alarm system also allows sounders to be activated only in the area where the triggered detector is, saving the disruption of full evacuations and false alarms.
WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF AN ADDRESSABLE FIRE ALARM SYSTEM?
- Quick identification of the location of the fire
- Pre-alarm feature gives a pre-warning at the main panel without operating the sounders, giving staff time to investigate a false alarm or potential fire. The detector will still operate if it senses a fire.
- Reduce false alarms.
- Repeater panels can be installed on larger sites, mimicking the information and controls of the main fire alarm control panel. This enables full control of the entire fire safety system across your site.
- Remote diagnostics allows us to dial into your system from our office and examine the control panel for any issues. This means we can solve problems immediately, often eliminating the need for an engineer visit.
What are the disadvantages of an addressable system?
- Not as cheap to buy as a conventional fire alarm system
Fire Alarm Categories
Your fire risk assessment will state which category standard your fire alarm system should be fitted to. Below is a brief description of the category types:
CATEGORY M SYSTEMS ARE MANUAL
- Category “M” system – manual call points and therefore incorporate no automatic detection.
CATEGORY L SYSTEMS ARE FOR THE PROTECTION OF LIFE
- Category “L1” system – manual detection at defined positions and automatic detection in all areas of the protected premises.
- Category “L2” system – manual detection at defined positions and automatic detection in all escape routes, rooms which open onto escape routes and high risk or fire hazard areas of the protected premises.
- Category “L3” system – manual detection at defined positions and automatic detection in all escape routes and rooms which open onto escape routes of the protected premises.
- Category “L4” system – manual detection at defined positions and automatic detection in all escape routes of the protected premises.
- Category “L5” system – manual detection at defined positions and automatic detection in areas designed to satisfy a specific fire safety objective of the protected premises.
CATEGORY P SYSTEMS ARE FOR THE PROTECTION OF PROPERTY
- Category “P1” – automatic fire detection fitted in all areas of the building.
- Category “P2” – automatic fire detection fitted in defined areas of the building.
Fire Alarm Servicing
Having multi trained engineers in all areas and aspects of security, means we can provide you with maintenance on all your security systems. We can service your Intruder Alarm System, Fire Alarm System and CCTV at the same site, at the same time, reducing your overall servicing costs and providing one contact for all your security needs.
Just like any other security system, your fire alarm system is working continuously, therefore it is not surprising that it is now a legal requirement for any automatic Fire Alarm System to be serviced and looked after by a responsible company.
After all, your life is in its hands.
Any system continuously working can have faults, equipment failures, even dust in detectors causes problems. When we are talking about fire and life, you need to make sure you do all that is possible to prevent problems ensuring that in a genuine fire it works effectively.
Servicing of a fire system is is a legal requirement fire alarms need to be serviced twice per year and checked weekly by a responsible person on site.
We can take over maintenance of existing Fire Alarm Systems and service or repair systems fitted by others providing the system meets requirements.