Knowing your fire alarm parts helps you identify problems, ask questions and maintain your system.
Control Panel
The Control Panel is at the heart of your fire alarm system. It monitors detectors and call points within the system, identifies the zone(s) affected and sounds the alarm. It should be positioned in a staffed office or other very obvious location within a building.
Smoke Detectors
Smoke Detectors are mounted in the ceilings of a building and detect airborne particles produced by smouldering or burning material. The main types of Smoke Detectors are Optical Detectors which are used to detect slow burning fires and Ionisation Detectors which are used to detect fast burning fires or flaming fires.
Heat Detectors
Steam or dusty conditions in areas like kitchens can cause false alarms from standard smoke detectors. Heat detectors are the answer, as they are triggered by a rise in temperature. Understanding the different classifications of fire alarm components as detailed in the British Standards is essential to choose the correct model.
Manual Call Points
The red break-glass units mounted at exit points. These are known as manual call points or, more commonly, pull points or break-glass units and can be activated by anyone should they discover a fire allowing an audible and visual alarm to be triggered.
Sounders
Wall-mounted sounders, which can be mounted on walls of corridors and within individual rooms. These need to be sufficiently loud to be heard in all parts of the building, even when the door is closed.
Repeater Panels
A repeater panel can be used to provide additional indication of an alarm at a further location within a premises such as a further floor.
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Recognising the different components of a fire alarm system can aid communication with your service engineer and also highlight issues prior.