Fire Detection and Alarm Systems

Fire Alarm Systems - detect products of combustion, such as smoke (aerosol particulate), heat, and
light, and provide early occupant notification to allow the safe egress of the occupants.
In a residence, a fire alarm system may be composed of a few stand-alone units.
Large buildings are more sophisticated; they include individual components such as smoke or heat
detectors, control panels, fire command centres, communication centres, and alarm horns or speakers.

Smoke Alarms
- fire-safety device that detects the products of combustion and gives off an audible and/or visual
warning to building occupants.
- smoke detector and alarm in one unit.
-Ionization and photoelectric are the types of commercially available smoke detectors used in these
applications.

SMOKE AND HEAT DETECTORS

-serve as the first line of defense against fire in buildings. They provide an early warning to building
occupants, allowing them valuable time to escape a fire.

A smoke detector is a sensing device that identifies products of combustion in air.

Heat detectors are a sensing device that recognizes a high temperature or a rapid increase in
temperature.
Fixed-Temperature Heat Detectors - signal an alarm after the temperature at the detector reaches a set
value.
FIXED TEMPERATURE DESIGNS
 Fusible alloy detectors that employ metal alloys designed to rapidly melt at a
desired temperature.
 Bimetallic detectors use sensing elements made of two strips of different
metals, each having different thermal expansion coefficients. When the metallic
strips are heated, the sensing element deflects, closing the contact and initiating
an alarm.
 Electrical conductivity detectors have a sensing element in which resistance
varies as a function of temperature.
 Heat-sensitive cable detectors consist of two current-carrying wires separated
by heat-sensitive insulation that softens at the rated temperature, thus allowing
the wires to make electrical contact.
 Liquid expansion detectors have a sensing element comprising a liquid that
expands with an increase in temperature
Rate-of-rise heat detectors- signal an alarm when the temperature at the detector increases at a rate
exceeding a pre-set value.
 Rate-of-rise heat detectors DESIGNS
 Pneumatic rate-of-rise detectors- have an air chamber with a diaphragm enclosing a
portion of the chamber.
 Electrical conductivity rate-of-rise detectors- have a sensing element that changes its
resistance with a change in temperature. It is connected to control equipment and
sends an alarm when the rate of temperature increase exceeds a pre-set value.
*These detectors respond to temperature changes. If the temperature changes slowly over
time, this type of detector will not detect a fire. Rate-of-rise detectors can, in many cases, detect
fires more quickly than fixed-temperature detectors.

Flame Detectors- sense specific wavelength ranges of UV or IR radiation and send an alarm signal.

Ionization Smoke Detectors- designed with a sensing chamber that has a radioactive element. It
responds first to fast-flaming fires because these fires produce invisible particles that less than 1 micron
in size. Ionization alarms are best suited for rooms that contain highly combustible materials.

Photoelectric Smoke Detectors- use a light scattering or light obscuration principle. They contain a light
emitting diode (LED) that is adjusted to direct a narrow IR light across the unit’s detection chamber.
When smoke particles enter this chamber, they interfere with the beam and scatter the light. A
photodiode monitors the amount of light scattered within the chamber. When a preset level of light
strikes the photodiode, the alarm is activated.
- Because photoelectric smoke detectors function on visible smoke, it is best suited for living
rooms, bedrooms, and kitchens.
-
Air-Sampling Smoke Detectors- use a similar approach to light obscuration detectors, however, a laser
or xenon tube is typically used as a light source. Unlike conventional smoke detectors that passively wait
for smoke to reach them, air samples are continuously drawn through a sampling pipe network to the
detection chamber.

 Heat and smoke detectors are located on ceilings and walls in the spaces they protect.
Placement and spacing is determined by ceiling configuration and projections that impede flow
of smoke. Other factors include airflow rate, elevation, humidity, and temperature.

Manual pull stations are lever-like devices mounted on a wall or pole in strategic places in the building
and that are connected to a building fire alarm control panel or directly to the municipal or district fire
alarm system. When the pull station lever is pulled, an alarm is sounded.
Some models are contained behind a glass cover that must be broken before the device can be
operated. The need to break the glass cover reduces the frequency of false alarms.
 ALARMS
- The most common method of alerting occupants during a fire emergency is an audible
evacuation signal delivered through bells, horns, chimes, buzzers, and sirens. Strobe lights are
also used in combination with the audible signal to ensure that hearing-impaired occupants
recognize the need to evacuate.
An emergency voice communication system provides pre-programmed recorded messages that
offer direction, instructions, and a calming voice in an emergency situation.
- Initial voice messages are pre-programmed and are automatically transmitted to speakers
located throughout the building. Once the fire department and other emergency personnel
assess the situation, live instructions may be delivered to certain zones or floors of the building
to instruct occupants, relocate occupants to aid fire department operations, or merely reassure
remaining occupants of their safety during an incident.