FIRE ALARM SYSTEM (CONVENTIONAL)
Conventional
Systems are used for small installation as
it becomes cost effective and also serves the
purpose of safety and location identification is
easy. It is a well-proven technology protecting many
hundreds of thousands of properties worldwide.
In a typical Conventional Fire Alarm System the
'intelligence' of the system resides solely within
the Fire Alarm Control Panel, which receives a
trigger signal from a Conventional Detector or Call
Point and in turn, signals the condition to other
devices such as alarm sounders and remote signalling
equipment. The control panel operates from house
power but also usually contains an emergency battery
which can operate the system for about 24 hours
during a power outage.
Components of the System
1. Fire Alarm Panel.
2. Detectors (Smoke / Heat / Multi / Beam / Flame / UV
IR / Duct / Gas / Etc)
3. Manual Call Points
4. Hooters / Sounder Cum Strobe / AC SIREN
5. Manual gas release switch
6. Gas Abort switch
7. Response Indicator
The panel receives
information from environmental sensors designed to
detect changes associated with fire, monitors their
operational integrity and provides for automatic
control of equipment, and transmission of
information necessary to prepare the facility for
fire based on a predetermined sequence. A fire alarm
control panel is required under the building code
for a majority of new commercial building
construction in most countries.
A typical
Conventional Fire Alarm Arrangement:
Basic System Functional Operation :
When a fire alarm
condition i.e. Smoke is detected and reported by the
system Initiating devices, the following functions
shall immediately occur:
• The
System Alarm LED shall flash.
• An
electric signal in the control panel shall sound.
• The
LCD display shall indicate all information
associated with the fire alarm condition, including
the type of alarm point and its location within the
protected premises.
• The
audio portion of the system shall sound the proper
audio signal consisting of alarming tone.
FIRE ALARM SYSTEM (ADDRESSABLE)
A Fire Alarm Control Panel (FACP) / Fire
Alarm Control Unit (FACU), is an electric
panel that is the controlling component of a fire
alarm system which is installed at various places as
a protective measure against fire; sounds an alarm
when actuated by a fire detection system. Fire Alarm
System is essential to warn all occupants that a
fire or emergency situation exists. Sometimes fire
detection and alarm systems are used to compensate
or to give special cover for items of high value. In
case of fire early detection of smoke and heat helps
in fighting the fire effectively & extinguishing it
in nascent stage. Thus by early detection, we can
prevent the fire from spreading in turn saving life
and loss of property and business.
Whatever the reason, an automatic fire detection
and alarm system generally provides a network of
manual call points, fire sensors and alarm warning
devices over the area covered. It is, in effect, the
eyes and mouth of the building to constantly monitor
the building and warn if a fire breaks out, or is
suspected in the way we do, if we see flames or
smell burning.
1. Fire Alarm Panel.
2. Detectors (Smoke / Heat / Multi / Beam / Flame / UV
IR / Duct / Gas / Etc)
3. Manual Call Points
4. Hooters
The
panel receives information from environmental
sensors designed to detect changes associated with
fire, monitors their operational integrity and
provides for automatic control of equipment, and
transmission of information necessary to prepare the
facility for fire based on a predetermined sequence.
A fire alarm control panel is required under the
building code for a majority of new commercial
building construction in most countries.
Operational Information
Fire Alarm System (Addressable) :
Analogue Addressable Fire Alarm Systems differ from
conventional systems in a number of ways and
certainly add more flexibility, intelligence, speed
of identification and scope of control. For this
reason Analogue Addressable Fire Alarm Systems are
the natural choice for larger premises and more
complex system requirements.
These systems consist of a central control panel
to which smoke alarms and heat detectors are
connected, along with bells or horns that are
activated when the system triggers an alarm. The
control panel operates from house power but also
usually contains an emergency battery which can
operate the system for about 24 hours during a power
outage. Addressable panels are usually much more
advanced than their conventional counterparts, with
a higher degree of programming flexibility and
single point detection.
Panels usually have a number of signalling line
circuit loops - usually referred to as loops.
Depending on the protocol used, a loop can monitor
and control several hundred devices.
Each device on a SLC has its own address, and so
the panel knows the state of each individual device
connected to it. Common addressable input
(initiating) devices include: Detectors, MCP ’s,
Warning System/Bell Relays, Activating fire
suppression systems, etc.
A
typical Analogue Addressable Fire Alarm Arrangement:
Basic System Functional Operation :
In an
analogue addressable system detectors are wired in a
loop around the building with each detector having
its own unique 'address'. The system may contain one
or more loops depending upon the size of the system
and design requirements. The Fire Control Panel
'communicates' with each detector individually and
receives a status report e.g. Healthy, In Alarm or
In Fault etc. As each detector has an individual
'address' the fire alarm control panel is able to
display/indicate the precise location of the device
in question, which obviously helps speed the
location of an incident.
Sounders may either be conventionally wired or by
using addressable sounders, wired upon the "loop"
thereby making considerable savings in terms of
cable and labour.