1) Why are fire detection & alarm systems

installed?
2) Types of alarm systems
3) Automatic alarm initiating devices
3.1) Heat detectors
3.2) Smoke detectors
3.3) Flame detectors
3.4) Fire – gas detectors
4) Combination detectors
5) Indicating devices
6) Automatic alarm systems
- Remote station system
- Proprietary system
- Central station system
7) Supervising fire alarm systems

8) Auxiliary systems

9) Fire alarm systems – general info.

 Notify building occupants to take evasive
action to escape the dangers of a hostile
fire
 Summon organized assistance to initiate
or assist in fire control activities
 Initiate automatic fire control &
suppression systems & to sound alarm
 Supervise fire control & suppression
systems to assure operational status is
maintained
 Initiate auxiliary functions involving
environmental, utility & process
controls
 Systems may incorporate one or all of
these functions
 System components may operate :

 mechanically
 hydraulically
 pneumatically or
 electrically
 Most basic type is designed to only be
initiated manually – known as a local
system or protected premises (pull
station & bell)
 Typically, this system is expanded to
include fire detection devices to sense
the presence of a fire and initiate a
signal
3.1) Heat detectors – fixed temp. &
rate-of-rise
 Fixed-temperature devices
› Oldest types in use
› Relatively inexpensive
› Least prone to false alarms
› Activation temperature slightly above highest
ceiling temperature
 Detect heat by one or more of 3 primary
principles of physics:

 Expansion of heated material

 Melting of heated material
 Changes in resistance of heated material
Fusible devices and frangible bulbs can be
used but are typically found in???

o Automatic sprinklers

(Review this section on page 560)

 Most detectors are of the spot type
 Designed to detect heat in only in a
relatively small area surrounding the spot
they are located
 May find continuous line detection
devices – detect heat over a linear area
parallel to the detector (eg. conveyors,
electric cable trays etc.)
 May also find bimetallic detectors
 Uses 2 metals with different thermal
expansion characteristics
 When heated, 1 metal expands faster than
the other causing the strip to bend or arch
 Deflection of strip makes or breaks alarm
circuit, initiating an alarm
 Bimetallic detectors will reset automatically
when cooled (but should be checked after a
fire for damage)
 Operate on the principle that the
temperature in a room will increase faster
from fire than from atmospheric
temperature
 Will initiate an alarm when the rise in
temp. exceeds 12-15F (7-8C) per minute
 Alarm can be initiated at a temp. far
below that required for a fixed-temp.
device
 Reliable devices, not subject to false
activations
 But if not properly installed, they can be
activated under nonfire conditions (eg.
detector located too close to doorway and
subject to extreme fluctuations in
temperatures)
 Several
different types of
detectors:
› Pneumatic rate-of-rise spot detector
› Pneumatic rate-of-rise line detector
› Rate compensated detector
› Thermoelectric detector

(Review details on pages 562 & 563)

 Can initiate an alarm much quicker than
a heat detector because it responds to
smoke generated very early in a fire’s
development (incipient stage)
 2 basic types:
› Photoelectric
› Ionization
• Photoelectric smoke detector
 Uses a photocell coupled with a
specific light source
 Basically smoke entering the smoke
detector chamber disrupts the
light beam causing an alarm signal
to be initiated
 More sensitive to smoldering fires
• Ionization smoke detector
 Invisible products of combustion enter the
chamber decreasing the current between
the –ve & +ve plates, thereby initiating an
alarm signal
 Generally responds faster to flaming fires
versus smoldering fires
 Automatically resets when the atmosphere
clears
 Can be batteries or household power
 Battery operated are easy to install and
are economical to purchase
 Independent of house power so they
will operate during power failures
 BC Fire Code will permit battery
operated units (existing buildings)
 BC Building Code requires hard wired
smoke alarms for new construction
 Should install both on every level of
home plus in the sleeping rooms
 Lack of maintenance (ie. not replacing
batteries) is greatest concern
 Change your clock – change your battery
3 basic types of flame detectors:
 Ultraviolet light (UV)
 Infrared (IR)
 Can detect both types of light
 Most sensitive to detect fires
but also easily activated by
nonfire conditions (eg. welding,
sunlight etc.)
 Must be positioned with an unobstructed
view of the protected area
 Will not activate if line of site is blocked
 IR detectors are designed to require the
flickering motion of a flame
 UV detectors insensitive to sunlight so
they can be used in areas not suitable for
IR detectors
 Monitors levels of carbon dioxide and
carbon monoxide (common to all fires)
 More discriminating than other
detectors – can be designed to be
sensitive only to gases produced by
specific types of hostile fires and
ignores gases produced by friendly
fires
 Not many in use – very specialized
applications
 Single device can be designed to have
more than 1 function eg. heat/smoke,
smoke/carbon monxide detectors

 Different combos make the detectors

more versatile and more responsive to
fire conditions
 Audible and visible alarms

 Audible: could be bells, horns, chimes

 Visible: strobes

 May be used together

 Depending on the BC Building Code
requirement, some occupancies (eg.
schools) are required to transmit an
alarm signal to an off-site location
 Purpose: notify fire departments
 Signal produces an automatic response
upon activation of local alarm on
protected property
 Can use dedicated wire pairs, leased
telephone lines, fiber-optic cable or
wireless communication links
 Refer to BC Building Code for
occupancies required to transmit a
signal off-site
 Still request occupants call 9-1-1 should
there be a problem with link
3 types of systems:
 Local energy (municipal fire alarm
boxes installed-wired directly to
fire dept.)
 Shunt (circuits from municipal fire
alarm system extended into
protected property)
 Parallel telephone (alarm directly
to center over municipally
controlled telephone line)
 Remote station system transmits alarm,
supervisory and trouble signals from
protected property to a remote location
where action is taken
 Owners pay a monthly fee to a
monitoring company
 Most popular method of off-site
monitoring
 Used to protect large commercial and
industrial buildings
 Each building has its own system that is
wired into a common receiving point
somewhere on the site
 Receiving point must be in a separate
building or area remote from any
hazardous operations
 Constantly staffed with special training
to handle all types of calls
 Similar to a proprietary system
 Primary difference: receiving location
for calls is off-site, at a central
station, and monitored by non-staff
 Central station is an alarm company
that contracts with individual
customers
 Alarm received, info taken, and initiate
emergency response
 Call fire department and property
contacts

 May have supervised telephone lines

 Fire alarm systems designed to be self-
supervising (ie. if system not operating
normally, a trouble signal is generated)

 May happen when system switches to

battery back-up during a power outage,
break in a detector or notification circuit
etc.
 Fire alarm and supervisory systems may
be installed to complement wet or dry
sprinkler systems
 Flow and pressure devices are installed to
supervise the systems
 Movement in the devices would indicate a
sprinkler head activation due to a fire or
water leak due to pipe break etc.
 Technological improvements in fire alarm
systems have enhanced their capabilities
 Systems now integrate process and
environmental controls, security and
personnel access controls etc.
 Some of the auxiliary services available
are:
› Smoke control in HVAC systems
› Closing fire doors and dampers
› Assisting with evacuation by increasing air
pressure in stairwells
› Overriding elevator controls
› Controlling personnel access to hazardous
areas etc. etc.
 30% of calls with alarm bells ringing
and no fire in 1999
 Zones indicated on fire alarm panel
 Re-setting alarm systems - who?
 Silencing of bells – who?