Protecting your commercial building from any fire hazard is important due to the huge loss any fire outbreak can cause to the property as well as the lives. It is important to understand all the components involved in a Fire Protection System before you get one installed. We have discussed all the important components of the Fire Alarm and Detection System in this article. Just know, you can never be too safe when it comes to health and safety. So, after having all the essential components below in place, it would be wise to contact a fire protection service in Houston (or in your location) company for an inspection check.
The first thing you should know about a fire protection design is the basic components involved in the system.
- Detection
- Alarms and notification
- Suppression
Let us elaborate on these components for you to understand better:
Detection Systems
Fire detection is done by components placed in the field to detect the smoke or heat present and trigger an alarm if the smoke or heat crosses a particular threshold. There are 3 types of fire detectors mainly used:
Smoke Detectors:
Smoke detectors can sense the level of smoke present in the room and trigger an alarm if the smoke level increases and crosses the alarm threshold.
Heat Detectors:
Heat detector works in a different way, it triggers an alarm based on the increase in the heat level in a room. These detectors may take more time than a smoke detector to trigger the alarm, but it is more accurate.
Smoke and heat detectors are both used in rooms so that if the smoke detector causes a false alarm, it can be confirmed through a heat detector.
Beam Detector:
This detector works on the principle of light obstruction and is used in rooms with high ceiling heights where the usual smoke or heat detectors become inefficient. Light is emitted by the transmitter and received by a receiver, if there is smoke in the room then the beam gets scattered and the intensity of beam reaching the receiver reduces which can trigger an alarm.
Alarms and Notification System:
The next component of the fire alarm system is the alarm and notification that can alert the employees through the Public Address System, can initiate the fire suppression system such as sprinklers through the Fire Alarm panels, recall elevators, as well as alert the public responders such as the local authorities and firefighters.
The Fire Alarm System can also be integrated with the other critical systems such as ventilation and smoke management. But, different features are applied to different buildings based on the requirements. Hiring a professional can help commercial places to find the right solution for fire hazards and evacuation. Elektrikerfirma (electrician company) ph el are experienced and specialize in handling such solutions based on your companies needs.
Suppression Systems:
The suppression system is also an important component of the fire alarm system as the authorities may take some time to arrive and manage the fire, but internal suppression system can really help in containing the fire and suppress it effectively. A sprinkler system which is used widely can be triggered in the area of fire by sending a signal from the fire control panel and each sprinkler can work against the fire to suppress it as much as possible. Individually sprinklers with heat sensitive elements can be installed to sense high temperature and trigger by itself.
Alternatively, in areas where water can damage sensitive components, for fire suppression, chemical or gaseous substances can be used.
Apart from these three components, other important factors to consider are providing a dedicated power circuit to the fire alarm system along with a redundant power supply.
Installing a fire alarm and public address system is an absolute essential in a commercial building but you should also make sure to maintain the system frequently and provide fire drills to the employees, so that they are trained to face any such disaster.
