Fire alarm system
A fire alarm system warns people when smoke, fire, carbon monoxide or other fire-related emergencies are detected. These alarms may be activated automatically from smoke detectors and heat detectors or may also be activated via manual fire alarm activation devices such as manual call points or pull stations. Alarms can be either motorized bells or wall mountable sounders or horns. They can also be speaker strobes which sound an alarm, followed by a voice evacuation message which warns people inside the building not to use the elevators. Fire alarm sounders can be set to certain frequencies  and different tones including low, medium, and high, depending on the country and manufacturer of the device. Most fire alarm systems in Europe sound like a siren with alternating frequencies. Fire alarm electronic devices are known as horns in the United States and Canada and can be either continuous or set to different codes. Fire alarm warning devices can also be set to different volume levels. Design. After the fire protection are established—usually by referencing the minimum levels of protection mandated by the appropriate model building code, insurance agencies, and other authorities—the fire alarm designer undertakes to detail  specific components, arrangements, and interfaces necessary to accomplish these goals. Equipment specifically manufactured for these purposes is selected and standardized installation methods are anticipated during the design. Last version 2019; Status, Published. This code is part of a family standard NFPA There are national codes in each European country for planning, design, installation, commissioning, use and maintenance of fire detection system with additional requirements that are mentioned on TS 54 -14 As per NFPA 72, 18.4.2 (2010 Edition)Temporal Code 3 is the standard audible notification in a modern system. It consists of a repeated three-pulse cycle (0.5 s on , 0.5 s off, 0.5 s on, 0.5 s off, 0.5 s on, 1.5 s off). Voice Evacuation is the second most common audible in a modern system. Legacy systems, typically found in older schools and buildings, have used continuous tones alongside other audible schemas. Mass notification systems/emergency communication systems. Mass notification systems often extend the notification appliances of a standard fire alarm system to include PC based workstations, text-based digital signage, and a variety of remote notification options including email, text message, RSS feed , or IVR-based telephone text-to-speech messaging. European fire alarm system categories. Fire  alarm systems in nondomestic premises are generally designed and installed in accordance with the guidance given in BS 5839 Part 1. There are many types of fire alarm systems each suited to different building types and applications. A fire alarm system can vary dramatically in both price and complexity, from a single panel with a detector and sounder in a small commercial property to an addressable fire alarm system in a multioccupancy building. BS 5839 Part 1 categorizes fire alarm systems as: Categories for automatic systems are further subdivided into L1 to L5 and P1 to P2. Zoning. An important  consideration when designing fire alarms is that of individual zones. The following recommendations are found in BS 5839 Part 1: Also, the NFPA recommends placing a list for reference near the FACP showing the devices contained in each zone.