Features to Look For When Shopping for a New Fire Alarm System
Posted on: 7 October 2016
The fire alarm system in your building is vitally important; as a business owner or manager, it's your responsibility to keep your employees safe in the event of a fire, and upgrading the alarm system is the first and foremost step you can take for everyone's safety. When you are ready to have a new fire alarm system installed, note a few features to consider so you ensure you get the best model for your location.
Control panel
Your fire alarm system should have a dedicated control panel; the sirens, sprinklers, emergency lights, and other such parts of your alarm system can all be connected to this panel. The panel can tell you if an alarm is malfunctioning in any way or if it seems to be blocked or obstructed. If an alarm sounds, the panel can note the actual temperature it's reading so you know if it's a fire or just a heat source, smoke, and other such hazards.
You can also then disengage the alarms, sprinkler, and other features of your system from the panel; if you're doing work on the ceiling or for any reason need to shut off that part of your system, you can easily do this from the panel without having to manually switch off an alarm or close a sprinkler tap.
Remote connection
A remote connection to your fire alarm system can warn you of dangers when you're out of the building. The system can connect to your smartphone or can be connected to send email or text alerts when an alarm sounds. The remote connection can also allow you to manually shut off an alarm that is sounding if the building is clear and emergency services have been dispatched, so the continuous alarm doesn't disturb neighboring businesses.
Communications
In residential homes, it's not unusual to have a dedicated emergency line that allows someone to speak directly with emergency personnel when an alarm sounds or when they push a panic button, and the fire alarm system in your office can do the same. This can be added to the control panel or it can be part of the remote connection, so that a call to emergency services is immediately connected through your phone. This can allow you to notify emergency services if the building is occupied or empty and if the alarm is sensing a fire or just elevated heat levels. In turn, they can know what to expect when they arrive and may be able to address your emergency more efficiently and effectively.
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