Types of fire alarm systems
Standard Conventional:
This type of system have manual or manual and automatic devices arranged or grouped in zones or circuits to cover areas of the building or premises not greater than 2000 square metres based on structural separation and or the quantities of field devices.
Typically standard conventional systems cover smaller buildings or premises with alarm control panels having 2, 4 or 8 zones or circuits, but, 12, 16 and 24 zone or circuits are available.
All standard conventional systems also have additionally a minimum of two alarm output circuits to provide for the audible or visual alarm devices.
Non-Standard Conventional:
This type of system have manual or manual and automatic devices arranged or grouped in zones or circuits to cover the buildings or premises not greater than 2000 square metres based on structural separation and or the quantities of field devices similarly to standard conventional systems, (2, 4 and 8 zones or circuits, but again can have 12/ 24 zone options), but, also have the capability to put audible or visual alarm devices upon the same zones or circuits thus resulting in a saving being made against having to cable additional alarm output circuits.
The manual or automatic devices or mounting bases usually have to be fitted in a different format for non-standard systems as well as or being unique or specific to the control panel.
Non-standard conventional systems still have additionally a minimum of two alarm output circuits to provide for the audible or visual alarm devices which can be used as well as the zonal circuits if necessary.
Addressable:
This type of system has manual or manual and automatic devices arranged in a loop or loops format to cover the building or premises with zones not greater than 2000 square metres based on structural separation and or the quantities of field devices, but, the zones on these type of system are electronically allocated and can range from a minimum of 16 zones up to 50 to 200 plus on multi loop systems.
This type of system identifies the individual devices operated which have their own unique address, and can be allotted text information, to pinpoint the exact location or source of activation.
With this type of system the alarm control panel initiates activation by continually monitoring the devices, which can identify the common characteristics of a fire, smoke or heat which then operate the audible or visual alarms.
Other advantages of this type of system are that if part of the loop wiring is severed or short circuited then the system can continue to operate the devices by feeding each device from the other side of the loop and faults on the system can be identified at their source.
Devices known as loop isolators are fitted either stand alone or within certain devices throughout the wiring to protect it and the equipment from short circuits, if a short circuit is detected the isolators open disconnecting the affected part of the loop between them, the isolators will close again upon removal of the short circuit.
Similarly to non-standard conventional systems audible and visual alarms as well as input / output interface devices can also be fitted to the loops thus resulting in a saving being made against having to cable additional output circuits.
Radio:
As its name suggests this type of system works using radio signals or transmissions and not wiring, however, fundamentally it operates in a similar way to an addressable system.
This type of system also comprises the building being split into areas or regions of not greater than 2000 square metres based on structural separation and or the quantities of field devices, linked to the alarm control panel but this time there is no field wiring.
This type of system identifies the individual devices operated which have their own unique address and can be allotted text information, which pinpoint the exact location or source of activation.
With this type of system the field devices initiate the alarm either manually or automatically onto local communication clusters which transmit back to the alarm control panel operating the audible or visual alarms upon receipt and transmission of a radio signal.
The main advantage of this type of system is no wiring means less disruption during installation making for quick and easy fitment, each individual device has primary and secondary batteries that are monitored so faults are pinpointed at their source.
