Fire Alarms

FIRE ALARMS

ARE FIRE SYSTEMS REQUIRED?

Fire Alarm 1

Fire Alarm 2

Your local fire marshal may require a fire alarm system based upon the occupancy of the building. The occupancy of a building is determined by how the building or portion of the building is used. There are different requirements for schools, offices or other types of uses. Check with your local fire marshal or your alarm company to determine the requirements for your application.

IF I HAVE SMOKE DETECTORS WHY DO I NEED A FIRE SYSTEM?

There are two major categories of fire alarms: self-contained units, as exemplified by the single-station residential smoke detector unit (battery-operated or hard-wired to building electrical power) which produces an alarm signal at the fixture itself when activated by an integral sensing device, and building-wide systems, integrated (often zoned) alarms whose local signals are remotely initiated, either automatically from detectors or manually from pull stations spread throughout a facility.

Fire detection is often available as part of a complete burglar alarm system. The smoke/heat detectors may be hardwired back to a control unit which can be used to activate a number of reporting devices. Wireless systems are also available.

Fire Alarm 3

This type of alarm system has many advantages to protect your life and property including:

The ability to summon the Fire Department for immediate action whether you are at home or away.
In a fire alarm system all the components are powered from a control panel that has backup battery power to operate the system in the event of a power failure.
If one fire sensor picks up a fire all of the notification devices activated make sure that you know a fire has been detected.

DO I NEED A FIRE ALARM IF I HAVE SPRINKLERS?

The US Fire Administration says “Don’t Forget the Smoke Alarms. Even though fire sprinklers are effective life safety devices you still need smoke alarms. Some fires can begin as smoldering fires that produce smoke and gases but don’t generate enough heat to activate the sprinklers. Smoke alarms are needed to provide warning for these situations."