Fire Alarm Systems

• Just as building fire protection is most effective when it consists of a series of interlocking,
interrelated fire protection systems, ensuring the mission effectiveness or operation reliability
of a fire alarm system is the result of specific attention given to a series of interlocking,
interrelated steps
1. Specify
2. Design
3. Manufacture
4. Install
5. Maintain
6. Test
7. Use
• The protection goal actually embraces a combination of all three primary goals
1. Life Safety
2. Property Protection
3. Mission Protection
 Fire Alarm Systems
• The fire alarm systems may provide three types of signals
1. Alarm
2. Supervisory
3. Trouble
• An alarm signal is a warning of fire danger that requires immediate action
• A supervisory signal indicates that action is needed in connection with the
operation of other fire protection systems that are being monitored by the fire
alarm systems.
• A trouble signal indicates a fault in a monitored circuit or the component of the
fire alarm system or the disarrangement of the primary or secondary power
supply.
 Fire Alarm Systems
• Fire alarm systems are classified according to the functions they are expected to
perform. Their installation, maintenance and use are specified in NFPA 72.
• The basic components of each system are
1. A system control unit
2. A primary or main, power supply
3. A Secondary or standby, power supply
4. One or more initiating device circuits or signaling line circuits
5. One or more fire alarm notification appliance circuits
6. Many systems also have an off-premises connection to a central station by
means of an auxiliary fire alarm system.
• The primary and secondary power supplies at both the protected premises and at
a subsidiary or supervising station must meet the requirements of NFPA 72.
 Fire Alarm Systems
• Secondary power supply for a fire alarm system is required to automatically
supply the energy to the system within 30 seconds whenever the primary power
supply is not capable of providing the minimum voltage required for proper
system operation
• Local (protected Premises), central station, remote station and auxiliary systems
must have 24 hours of standby power, followed by 5 mins of alarm.
• Emergency voice/alarm communication systems must have 24 hours of standby
power, followed by 2 hours of emergency operation.
• Fire alarm systems have three basic types of circuits
1. Initiating Device Circuits (IDC)
2. Notification Appliance Circuits (NAC)
3. Signaling Line Circuits (SLC)
 Fire Alarm Systems
• IDC connects conventional fire alarm and supervising initiating devices to the
system control unit.
• NAC connects notification appliances (audible and visible) to the system control
unit.
• SLC is used to define circuits over which two way data communications takes
place. This communication can take place between an addressable device and
system control unit.
• The main purpose of the protected premises fire alarm system is to activate
audible and visible alarm notification appliances to notify the occupants that they
must evacuate the protected building. In protected premises system, the alarm is
not relayed automatically to a fire department.
• Emergency Voice/Alarm communication system is used in occupancies, such as
high rise buildings and large assembly occupancies where it is necessary to
relocate occupants to area of refuge rather than evacuate them.
 Fire Alarm Systems
• Central Station fire alarm system is designed to receive the signals from a
protected premises at a constantly attended location operated by a company
whose purpose is providing central station service.
• Proprietary System is widely used in large commercial or industrial occupancies.
Signals transmitted over a proprietary system are received and automatically and
permanently recorded at a constantly attended proprietary supervising station
located either at a protected premises or at another location of the property
owner.
• Remote Station system connects the output from a building fire alarm control
unit and transmits them to a remote location.
• Auxiliary System provides the interface between a protected premises fire alarm
system and a public fire reporting system.
 Automatic Fire Detectors
• The fire signatures most often used as the basis for detection are heat, smoke
and radiant energy.
• Heat detectors are the oldest type of automatic fire detection device. They began
with the development of automatic sprinklers in the 1860s. Heat detectors are
very reliable and have the lowest false alarm rate of all automatic fire detectors.
Operating Principles of Fixed Temperature Heat Detectors
• Fixed Temperature heat detectors are designed to alarm when the temperature
of the operating element reaches a specified point.
• The air temperature at the time of the alarm can be considerably higher than the
rated temperature(depending on the fire growth rate), because it takes time for
the air to raise the temperature of the operating element to its set point. This
condition is called Thermal Lag.
• Fixed Temperature heat detectors are available to cover a wide range of operating
temperatures from about 135 F (58 C) on up.
 Automatic Fire Detectors
Fusible-Element Type: Eutectic metals- alloys of bismuth, lead, tin and cadmium
that melt rapidly at a predetermined temperature can be used as operating
element for heat detectors. Devices using eutectic metals cannot be restored;
either the device or its operating element must be replaced following operation.
Continuous-Line Type: The detector uses a pair of steel wires in a normally open
circuit. The conductors are held apart by a heat-sensitive insulation. The wires,
under tension, are enclosed in a braided sheath to form a single cable assembly.
When the design temperature is reached, the insulation melts, the two wires
contact, and an alarm is initiated.
Bimetallic Type: When two metals of different coefficients of thermal expansion
are bonded together and then heated, differential expansion causes bending or
flexing towards the metal having low expansion rate. This action closes a normally
open circuit. The low expansion metal commonly used is Invar, an alloy of 36 %
nickel and 64% iron.
 Automatic Fire Detectors
Rate Compensation Detectors: It is a device that responds when the temperature
of the surrounding air reaches a predetermined level, with the rate of temperature
rise having a minimal effect on a response (Low Thermal Lag).
Rate of Rise Detectors: These detectors, however, will function when the rate of
temperature increase exceeds a predetermined value, typically around 12 to 15 F
(7 to 8 C) per minute.
Combination Fixed-Temperature/ Rate of Rise Detectors: Its advantage is that the
rate of rise element will respond quickly to a rapidly developing fire, while the
fixed-temperature element will respond to a slowly developing fire when the
detecting element reaches its set point.
Electronic Spot-Type Heat Detectors: A thermoelectric effect detector is a device
that utilizes a sensing element of one or more thermistors, which produce a
change in electrical resistance to an increase in temperature.
 Automatic Fire Detectors
Smoke Detectors: Smoke detectors are identified by their operating principle as
being either
1. Ionization
2. Photoelectric
3. Video
• Ionization smoke detector has a very small amount of radioactive material (an
alpha emitter) that ionizes air in the sensing chamber, rendering the air
conductive and permitting a minute current flow through the air between two
charged electrodes.
• In Photoelectric the presence of suspended smoke particles generated during the
combustion process affects the propagation of a light beam passing through the
air. The effect can be utilized to detect the presence of fire in two ways
1. Obscuration of light intensity
2. Scattering of Light Beam
 Automatic Fire Detectors
Air Sampling Type Smoke Detectors: Air is mechanically transferred to the sensor
permits the use of filters to remove most dust particles, a common source of false
alarms. Almost all air sampling type detectors utilize photoelectric light-scattering
principle.
Gas Sensing Fire Detectors: One of three operating principles may be used in a
gas-sensing fire detector or in a combination detector
• Semiconductor Principle the detectors respond to either oxidizing or reducing
agents by creating electrical changes in the semi conductor.
• Catalytic Element Principle contains a material that, in itself, remains unchanged,
but that accelerates the oxidation of combustible gases.
• Infrared Absorption Principle consists of absorption of Carbon Dioxide, Carbon
Monoxide, water vapor and hydrocarbons absorb different frequencies of infra
red light.
 Automatic Fire Detectors
• Radiant Energy-Sensing Fire Detectors include radiation in the ultraviolet, visible
and infra red portions of the spectrum, emitted by flames or glowing embers.
They are categorized as flame detectors and spark/ember detectors.
Flame Detectors: Flame detectors operate in the UV and/or IR portion of the
spectrum.
1. UV Flame Detector: The UV spectrum comprises wavelengths ranging from
approximately 0.1µm to 0.35µm.
2. IR Flame Detector: The total infrared spectrum comprises wavelengths ranging
from approximately 0.76µm to 220µm. IR detectors are not responsive to
carbon free fuels, such as hydrogen and sulfur.
Spark/Ember Detectors: They are primarily installed to detect sparks and ember
that could, if allowed to continue to burn, precipitate a much larger fire or even an
explosion.
 Automatic Fire Detectors
Video Based Flame Detection: It operates in the visible light range and as with
video-based smoke detection uses video cameras. The images from one or more
cameras are processed by computer software to look for and identify the
characteristics of a flame.
Detector Placement:
• Spot Type detectors are usually installed on the ceiling, not less than 4in. (0.1m)
from the wall.
• When heat detectors are installed at their listed spacing, detection times will
approximately equal to the operating times of standard sprinklers.
• When heat detectors are used they must be installed within 2ft (0.6m) of each
sprinkler, have both a lower temperature rating and higher sensitivity than
sprinkler head.
• Smoke detectors have a spacing of 30 ft. (9.1m) when installed on a flat smooth
ceiling.
 Carbon Monoxide Detection
• Carbon Monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas produced by incomplete
combustion.
• Carbon Monoxide is minimally denser than air under ordinary conditions.
• Hazardous concentrations of CO can accumulate in any occupancy, whether a
sing family dwelling unit, a hotel guest room or a nonresidential occupancy.
• Solid, Liquid or gaseous fuels can produce CO gas in lethal concentrations.
• NFPA 720 Recommended Practice for the Installation of Household Carbon
Monoxide Warning Equipment.
• When required to be installed, or where protection is desired, CO detectors or
alarms are to be located in any residential occupancy containing a fuel burning
appliance or fireplace or having an attached garage.
• A CO detector or alarm needs to be installed outside each separate sleeping area
in the immediate vicinity of the bedrooms.
 Carbon Monoxide Detection
• In Hotels and Congregate Residences where CO detection is required, it is
recommended that the CO warning equipment or detectors be installed in close
proximity to fuel burning equipment, such as furnace rooms and pool heater
rooms.
• The standard signal for CO alarm is a single-tone “temporal 4” pattern, consisting
of four cycles of 100 milliseconds “on” and 100 milliseconds “off”.
• The initial response by the occupant is to take “appropriate action” based on the
knowledge that the CO detector has detected CO in atmosphere.
1. Opening windows to ventilate the area
2. Assessing medical conditions of the occupants
3. If necessary calling the public fire service communication center.