Types of Commercial Fire Alarm System

One of the more basic systems for alerting the people in your building to a fire, a conventional fire alarm still has alarm points, smoke alarms and a control panel to detect a fire and give a general guide for where the fire is located.

Each of the alarm points and detectors is wired individually to the control box, which makes this a cheaper system, but you won’t get notified of exactly where a fire is. This also means it’s more complicated to install because of each component being connected individually.

Where you only have small premises with a very basic floorplan, a conventional fire alarm might be better suited to your requirements and budget, as minimal points and detectors would be needed.

As comprehensive a fire alarm system as you could wish for, monitored fire alarms mean that even when your premises are unoccupied, the alarm gets raised and a fire can be tackled sooner. This gives the authorities a greater chance of saving your business.

This alarm system uses both landline and secure wireless 4G network to alert a dedicated receiving centre. From there, emergency services can be alerted, saving you from relying on a passer-by raising the alarm when it’s too late.

The advanced RedCARE technology used in monitored fire alarms means the alarm can be raised automatically, day or night to give you peace of mind.

A wireless alarm – or ‘radio alarm’ – uses radio frequencies to control the detectors within your building, which means there are no cables to install. This is ideal for buildings where it is either impractical to run cabling through the property or you’d like to keep the aesthetics of the building intact.

All detectors and call points are then in contact with the main control panel through radio connectivity. The strength of the signal is preserved through the use of a number of frequencies; this means it will never be blocked or weakened.

While installation of a wireless fire alarm system is much simpler, it comes at a higher cost compared to a standard alarm system due to the technology.

An advanced, addressable fire alarm system, Notifier fire alarms are flexible and adaptable to the environment in which they’re installed. This system will alert those within a building to a fire, as well as giving the opportunity to confirm a fire before evacuation.

Intelligent enough to monitor the system itself, a Notifier fire alarm can remain fault-tolerant, giving your property uninterrupted protection. If the needs of your business or property change, the system can be adapted in future.

Drawing air through a network of pipes, aspirating fire alarms and smoke detectors carry air to a detector which tests the air sample for smoke particles. This continuous sampling of air allows for early detection, particularly in challenging environments, such as warehouses with high ceilings and in unmanned data rooms.

There are a variety of aspirating systems available, with different variants of the system better suited to different environments. Your key risk areas can be covered by strategically placed sampling zones and a high-power fan ensures a regular intake of air, as opposed to waiting for smoke to drift towards a detector.

Due to the fact that an addressable fire alarm can tell you exactly which call point or detector has been set off, it is an extremely useful system for large buildings. This means a building can be evacuated safely, while the authorities don’t waste time figuring out where the fire is; they can begin tackling the fire straight away, knowing precisely where it is located on a large site.

An addressable system also means that there is less risk of a false alarm. Because each connection is part of a single loop, if one end of the cabling or connection fails, a signal can still run the other way. It’s also easier to add additional devices to the set up because of the minimal cabling required.

For areas of buildings which are unoccupied or at the greatest risk from fire, a gas suppression system can detect a fire. Monitoring the area, suppressants can be released when a fire is detected, protecting people and assets before a fire begins to spread.