Fire alarm system

An fire alarm system is a dedicated fire safety device consisting of a set of technical equipment designed to promptly detect and signal the occurrence and location of a fire within a building. Installing a fire alarm system is a key prerequisite for effective fire protection of buildings.

Thanks to the system, it is possible to prevent extensive material damage and loss of human life.

The system does not need to be installed in every building. The necessity of installing is determined by the project documentation, and it may also be required by the investor, building operator, safety standards, or insurance company.

Act No. 67/2001 Coll. determines whether the system needs to be installed in the building, on Fire Protection, and implementation regulations such as Decree No. 246/2001 Coll., on the Determination of Fire Safety Conditions and the Performance of State Fire Supervision, and the Building Act. The basic technical standard is the EN 54 series of standards.

When the system is designed in a building, it can interface with and control other fire safety systems and technological devices, such as fixed fire extinguishing systems, smoke and heat extraction systems (RWA), air handling units (AHU), AHU fire dampers, emergency exit doors, fire closures, sirens, beacons, emergency voice alarm communication systems (EVAC), evacuation lifts, etc.

The basic components of an EPS include initiating devices, fire alarm control panels (FACP), and auxiliary devices such as remote annunciators, or fire emergency key boxes.

Initiating devices operate on various physical principles; they evaluate optical, ionization, or thermal parameters of the environment in which they are placed. All initiating devices are now equipped with complex electronics controlled by a processor, enabling the elimination of false alarms.

Such systems can be installed as standalone applications or as parts of larger integrated building management systems (iBMS).

Using the system with a graphical monitoring system allows operators to quickly orient themselves, and thus shortens the onset of a fire and a qualified fire response.