Fire Protection: The Types of Commercial Fire Alarm Systems

As a business owner, you need to be aware of all aspects of your fire protection system in your building. Whether you’re upgrading an existing system or need to have new fire alarms installed, it is important that you understand the different types of fire alarms that are available.

There are two different categories of fire alarms available for use in your commercial building. The first is a manual alarm, which means that pull stations are installed around the building so that employees can manually trigger them should a fire occur to alert building occupants. The second main type of fire alarm is automatic. These alarms are able to detect smoke or heat in the building and warn building occupants with audio-visual alerts.

In addition to the two categories, there are also different types of fire alarm systems:

• Conventional Fire Alarms – This type of fire alarm uses different numbered “zones” that are then hardwired to your main central control panel. These systems allow for separate fire alarms to be installed in each section of your building and can monitor their status.
• Addressable Fire Alarms – Also known as “intelligent systems,” addressable fire alarms monitor all of the fire alarms in your building while also allowing you to choose between manual or automatic settings. Each of the alarms installed in these systems has its own unique address, which can help you see the status of each alarm and if there are any issues. These systems may be more expensive, but their monitoring features are very helpful.
• Hybrid Fire Alarms – Hybrid alarm systems work by combining the addressability of addressable fire alarms with the hardwired zone features of conventional alarms into one panel. This technology is a better fit for those who require the features of both systems.

It is crucial that you have the right fire alarm system installed in your commercial building. At A Total Solution, Inc., we proudly service and install fire alarm brands such as Vigilant, Silent Knight, Edwards, EST, Bosch, Siemens, Simplex, Notifier, Detection Systems, and Faraday. For more information on our fire alarm system services, contact us today.