The presence of fire safety equipment in either a domestic or commercial building helps to prevent serious damage or injury from fires. This blog will look at the different devices that do this and how.
What is an Addressable Device?
An addressable fire system uses a specific programme that allows you to assign an ‘address’ to the different detectors used in the system. This is useful for an emergency situation like a fire as it allows you as well as emergency services where exactly the fire has been detected. This gives you a better idea of how to avoid the fire when evacuating the building which can prevent you from becoming injured. It also shows the emergency services where exactly they need to go, saving time in location the fire which prevents too much structural damage to the building since the fire can be put out faster. Addressable fire systems are most commonly used in larger buildings where it would be more difficult to detect where the fire is without the detector's addresses. The difference between addressable and conventional fire systems is that a conventional system has multiple devices connected to a single circuit which does not give you the exact information about which detector detected the fire. These are more commonly used in smaller buildings like domestic households as it is easier to find where the fire is coming from.
Addressable Devices
One of the devices used in these systems is an addressable beam detector, this is a type of detector that uses infrared beams. They do this by shooting an infrared beam onto a reflector on the opposite wall which then shoots it back. If smoke is detected through this beam, the detector will send an alert to the other alarms in the system. These are usually installed between 70mm to 7.5m apart so that they can detect smoke accurately. Another device used for these systems are addressable manual call points, these allow you to trigger an alarm manually in a specific location. This is useful in a situation where detectors may not be working properly or if you want to test to make sure that different parts of your fire system are working properly. These call points are often used in public buildings and are situated along corridors for easy access in case of an emergency.
Installing and Maintaining an Addressable Fire System
While it is possible to install an addressable fire system by yourself, it is advised to get a professional's help either to install it or to check that it has been installed properly. It is extremely dangerous to have a fire system that has not been installed properly as it could mean that when a fire does break out, the alarms do not go off and destruction and injury occur. An addressable system is a wired loop that should start and end at the control panel as this is where you can see all the key information about the system and control specific devices. Within the loop there are the different devices such as addressable beam detectors and addressable manual call points. To make sure that your fire system is working properly, it should be tested at least once a week. It should also be inspected by a professional once every six months so that you can be sure that in the event of a real fire, the system won’t fail, resulting in injury or even death.
Having an addressable fire system in your building is an efficient way to ensure that a fire does not cause too much damage to either the building or to the people inside. Its smart programming can help with evacuations and emergency services, making it the perfect choice for any building.
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