Analogue Addressable Fire Alarm Systems
Analogue Addressable Fire Alarm Systems differ from conventional systems in a number of ways and clearly add more flexibility, intelligence, speed of identification and scope of control. For this reason Analogue Addressable Fire Alarm Systems are the natural choice for large premises and more complex system requirements. 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 help speed the location of an incident and for this reason ‘zoning’ of the system is not necessary, although it may be done for convenience.
Addressable detectors, are in themselves ‘intelligent’ devices which are capable of reporting far more than just fire or faulty conditions, for example most detectors are able to signal if contamination within the device (dust etc) reaches a pre-set level enabling maintenance to take place prior to problems being experienced. Addressable detectors are also able to provide pre-alarm warnings when smoke/heat levels, reach a pre-set level enabling investigation of the fire to take place prior to a full evacuation alarm and Fire Brigade signaling taking place.
Sounders may either be conventionally wired or by using addressable sounders, wired upon the ‘loop’ thereby making considerable savings in terms of cable and labor.
Conventional Fire Alarm System
Conventional Fire Alarm Systems, in their various forms, have been around for many years and have changed little in that time in terms of technology although design and reliability have improved significantly. However, Conventional Systems are well-proven technology protecting many hundreds of thousands of properties worldwide.
A Conventional Fire Alarm System is often the natural choice for smaller systems or where budget constraints exist. Conventional detectors are normally connected to the Fire Control Panel via dedicated circuits, each circuit protecting a dedicated ‘Zone’ or ‘Area’ of the building.
Detectors have two states, Normal healthy and Alarm. The consequence of a fire, if not detected and guarded against instantaneously, can be disastrous.