Fire Alarm System For Commercial

A fire alarm system is an extremely important system to have as it could be the reason that lives were saved during a fire outbreak. When we speak of fire protection, Fire equipment is not the only form. Fire alarm systems have many benefits and purposes. In this article we will be sharing all about fire alarm systems and how it plays a major role in fire protection. We will be focusing on those that are suitable for commercial buildings and offices.

Selecting the right type of fire alarm system for your premises is key when it comes to protecting the people that work with you and your business. With every property everything is different just like the needs of the guests, staff and the industry. Hence it is best to be protected with as many choices and knowledge as possible. It may seem difficult and overwhelming when you start searching for the right fire alarm as there are different types available. We have broken down the different types of fire alarm systems available so that you can find the right one that best suits your needs and achieves what you need it to achieve.

There are seven different types of alarm systems, listed below are the seven along with the explanations for each type of alarm:

• Conventional Fire Alarm system

It is one of the most basic systems that helps to alert the people that are in your building of a fire. A conventional fire alarm has smoke alarms, alarm points and  a control panel that helps to detect if there are any fires and give a  general indication for where the fire is located in the building. Each alarm point and the detectors are wired to an individual control box. This makes it a little complicated when it comes to installing it as each of the components is being connected individually. If you happen to only have a small premises with a basic floor plan, we suggest that a conventional fire alarm could better suit your needs and requirements. The budget will be lower as a small amount of points and smoke detectors will be needed.

This type of fire alarm system is recommended for small properties, individual shops, offices & retail shops

Benefits: 

– Low cost option for fire alarms
– Works best in small areas
– Easy for installing 
– Your current alarm system be updated

• Monitored Fire Alarm System

For as comprehensive a fire alarm system as you could wish to have, monitored fire alarm systems mean that even if your premises are unoccupied by anyone, the alarm will get triggered and a fire can be extinguished much quicker. It helps to give the authorities a much greater chance at saving your business. This fire alarm system uses both a landline and a secured wireless 4G network in order to alert the dedicated receiving centre. After that the required emergency services can be activated to save you from relying on a passer-by or someone else activating the alarm when it may be too late.

• Wireless Fire Alarm System

This wireless alarm or ‘radio alarm’ uses radio frequency to control the detectors that are within your building. This means there are no need for cables to be installed along with the fire alarm system. Using this is ideal for buildings that are extremely hard for running cables through the property or if you would like to maintain the aesthetics of the building without having any wires. All of the call points and detectors are in contact with the main control panel through radio connectivity. The strength of the signal is preserved through the use of frequencies which means it will never be blocked or weakened. Even though the installation of a wireless fire alarm system is much simpler, it is priced at a much higher cost when compared to regular standard fire alarm systems due to the technology used.

• Notifier Fire Alarm System

An advanced and addressable fire alarm system, the notifier fire alarm system is flexible and adaptable to the environment in which they are installed. This fire alarm system works in a way where it will alert those within the building to a fire as well as giving them an opportunity to confirm about the fire before evacuating. The system has the technology and intelligence to monitor itself, a notifier fire alarm is fault-tolerant, giving your property uninterrupted fire protection throughout. If in the future the needs of your business changes or the property you are currently in is changing, you need not worry about purchasing another set of fire alarm systems as the current one can be adapted in the future.

• Aspirating Fire Alarm System

Drawing air up and out through a whole network of pipes is how the aspirating fire alarms and smoke detectors carry air to a detector that has been placed to test the air sample for any smoke particles. Having this continuous flow of sampling the air allows for early detection to take place, this works particularly well in challenging environments as well such as unmanned rooms and warehouses with high ceilings. There is a wide variety of various aspirating systems that are available, with the different variants of the system that is better suited for the different types of environments. The high risk areas of your property can be protected by strategically planning and placing the sampling zones and a high powered fan to ensure that there is a regular intake of air as compared to just waiting for the smoke to drift towards the detectors.
We recommend that you place these type of detectors in areas such as; Data centres, warehouses, cold storage areas and server rooms

• Addressable Fire Alarm System

An addressable fire alarm system can inform you on exactly which of the call points or detectors has been set off. It can be extremely useful especially for large buildings. This helps the authorities to evacuate the building safely while they need not have to waste time trying to locate and find out where the fire is. They can immediately plan and start putting the fire out as they know exactly where the fire is located in the large premises. Having an addressable fire alarm system means there is much lower risk of a false alarm. As each of the connections of the system is a single loop, if any one of the connections or cables fails the signal can still flow through the other way. It  is easy to also add any additional devices due the minimal cabling required.

• Gas Suppression Fire Alarm System

For areas that are not occupied in the building have the greatest risk of fire, having a  gas suppression system can help detect a fire. These fire suppression systems help to monitor the area and can release suppressants if a fire is detected.

We hope this simple guide of the different types of fire alarm systems available will help you choose the right one for you. Do not hesitate to spend money for the safety of your people and business. It is extremely important to have at least a basic system and the regret of not having one can be one of the biggest regrets. Plan out and do the necessary research and execute the plan. We hope this article has cleared any doubts you may have had and helped you in some way.