Types Fire Alarm Control Panels

Conventional (hard wired)

- Simplest type of control unit

- Generally, a single circuit board contains power supply, control, initiating
and notification circuitry.
- Designated outputs occur when initiating signals are received.
- Conventional fire alarms are ideal for small buildings, such as individual
offices or retail shops. They go off individually when they detect smoke or
heat and will help everyone escape from your building safely and quickly.
Addressable (multiplexed)
- They show exactly which devices are going off, it makes it extremely easy to
figure out either where there is a fire or, in the event of a false alarm, which
specific device is having a problem.
- Different devices having different alarm thresholds based on their location
- An enunciator panel in the front of your building to show exactly which
devices or zones are alarming
- Scalable networks that allow you to add zones with ease
Intelligent (analog data transfer)
- Always an addressable system
- Processes detailed, analog data from detectors about smoke levels.
- Employs drift compensation (self-calibration) in its detectors.

3 Components of Fire Alarm Control System

1. Fire Alarm Control Panel (FACP)

- The brain processor
- A fire control panel is a component that offers control through a fire alarm
or notification system. Throughout the building, sensors are installed. These
sensors redirect information to this control panel. They include
environmental changes that could detect the presence of a fire. The panel
receives notifications for potential operational issues with equipment that
could cause a fire.
 2. Inputs Device/ Initiating Device
- A fire alarm system initiating device is a device that transmits a signal to the
fire alarm control unit indicating that the device has undergone a change of
state.
- Examples: smoke detectors, heat detectors, manual fire alarm, supervisory
switch
 Smoke detectors - an alarm that activates automatically when it
detects smoke
 Heat detectors - is a fire alarm device designed to respond when the
convected thermal energy of a fire increases the temperature of a
heat sensitive element.
 Manual Call Points - are designed for the purpose of raising an alarm
manually once verification of a fire or emergency condition exists, by
operating the push button or break glass the alarm signal can be
raised.
3. Output Devices/ Notification Appliances
- Notification Appliances: A fire alarm system component such as bell, horn,
speaker, light, or text display that provides audible, tactile, or visible
output, or any combination thereof.
- Notifies people of a Fire or other Life Threatening Emergency

Notification Appliances Types

1. Audible – Horns, Bells, Sounder, Sirens, Chimes, Speakers

2. Visual – Strobes
3. Physical – Bed Shakers
4. Olfactory – Smell