Types Of Fire Alarm Sounder

Fire alarm sounders are an essential part of fire alarm systems – they warn everyone in the building that there’s danger.

The word alarm comes from the French À l’arme which means ‘to the arms’, in historical times this call to action would tell men with weapons to get ready to face any oncoming danger. In modern terms the word alarm applies to the warning signal we might see or hear when there’s imminent danger. People can also be alarmed which means they have an awareness of danger or are experiencing a state of panic.

On an instinctive level the sound of an alarm can instigate a fight or flight response in people. Generally though we tend to flee when there is an alarm – from a young age we are taught how to respond to fire alarms, often running through fire drills and evacuations several times a year throughout our school careers and on into our professional careers. As such it has become second nature to many of us to immediately evacuate a building and help others to safety when we hear a fire alarm sounder.

In modern fire alarm systems fire alarm sounders should be evenly distributed to provide a minimum sound level of 65dB. Where there is continuous background noise the sound level of the fire alarm sounder should exceed 5dB above the noise. In places where there may be people sleeping, like hotel rooms, the sound level required is at least 75dB and the fire alarm sounder should be placed as close to the bed-head as possible.

There are many types of fire alarm sounder available on the market, each suitable for a different situation and type of fire alarm system such as addressable or conventional. When choosing the correct fire alarm sounder for your needs and deciding how many you need and where they should be placed you should consult your fire risk assessment, if prepared correctly this document will help you make the right decisions.

Discount Fire Supplies sells a range of quality fire alarm components including fire alarm sounders.

According to the British fire alarm system standard BS5839 what is a manual call point and where should they be installed?

If you need assistance choosing the right BS5839 fire alarm system feel free browse the range of fire alarm products we supply or call us on 01792 452 700.

Thermostat Protectors Are Now Available In A Range Of Sizes

A range of Safety Technology International thermostat protectors are now available to purchase at discountfiresupplies.co.uk.

A thermostat protector (or cover) may be a necessary purchase if you have ever experienced vandalism on your property or you have located thermostats or similar devices in a public place. The cover will protect your device from unwanted attention and malicious intent but won’t inhibit the operating functions of the thermostat.

STI thermostat covers are made from high-quality, durable moulded polycarbonate that can withstand attack or accidental damage. Two of the thermostat covers we are now stocking have key locks while another has a frangible lock.

Air holes in the frame of the thermostat case allow air to circulate freely around the thermostat so that you can be assured your thermostat is responding correctly to changes in temperature.

Each thermostat protector also comes with an installation kit for flush mounting.

We have three sizes of thermostat cover in stock:

• Small Thermostat Protector With Lock
• Medium Thermostat Protector With Key Lock
• Large Thermostat Protector With Key Lock

We’re sure that you’ll be able to select the right size of thermostat protector for your application, see the full range on our website in the Thermostat Covers category.

The first in a series of videos discussing BS5839 fire alarm systems we highlight how a property should be divided up into zones to aid locating a fire.

If you need assistance choosing the right BS5839 fire alarm system feel free browse the range of fire alarm products we supply or call us on 01792 452 700.

Rafiki Twinflex 2 Zone Conventional Fire Alarm System Kit

If you are planning your first fire alarm system or you are looking for a comprehensive selection of devices for a small fire alarm system installation, a fire alarm kit could be the perfect solution.

Fire alarm kits generally comprise all of the equipment and devices you need to get an alarm system started – as your needs become clear or your circumstances change you can easily purchase additional devices to add to the system.

In a fire alarm system kit you will find the following items:

• Fire alarm system control panel
  This is the heart of your fire system, it receives the data from your devices and controls when an alarm is activated. You’ll be able to program many setting from the control panel including zones and addresses if you are using an addressable fire alarm system.
• Fire detectors
  These detect smoke and heat in your building and relay the information they collect to the fire control panel. A fire kit will include a number of detectors that you can place throughout the area you want to protect.
• Manual call points
  Manual call points allow people to send an emergency signal directly to the control panel if they discover a fire.
• Sounders
  These make up the alarm part of the fire alarm system and emit a loud warning sound to let people know there is fire danger.

Discount Fire Supplies stocks a number of conventional and addressable fire alarm kits ranging from 2 to 8 zones.

The Rafiki Twinflex 2 Zone Kit, for example, is a conventional fire alarm system and contains a Twinflex fire alarm panel, 6 multipoint detectors with integral sounders, 2 manual call points and a detector head removal tool.

Preventing Fire Alarm System Faults

Early last week (24^th July 2011) more than 100 patrons and 40 staff were evacuated from a spa in Bath after the fire alarm sounded. Employees of Thermae Bath Spa, thinking this was a real emergency, acted quickly and called the fire service to the scene. Eleven fire-fighters from Avon Fire and Rescue attended the call but quickly deduced that the fire alarm system had been triggered due to an electrical fault in the fire system.

With so many people in the building we should be thankful that this was a false alarm but it goes without saying that an evacuation on this scale costs a lot of money in lost revenue and resources, not to mention a lot of relaxing days out were severely interrupted.

Discovered early, the fault in this fire alarm system could have been fixed before the alarm was triggered. Proper maintenance, regular testing and an intelligent fire systems are all key to preventing this kind of situation.

Maintenance

Expert maintenance of your fire alarm system is a must, whether it’s an addressable fire alarm system with multiple zones or a simpler conventional fire alarm system.

You should only engage the services of reputable engineers with the proper qualifications for the task at hand. Maintenance of your fire system includes the testing of all control equipment, including control panels, power sources and batteries; testing all the devices in your system, including smoke detectors, heat detectors, manual call points and sounders; and checking the wiring and condition of the system.

Your engineer should also be able to advise you about your compliance with British Standards and if any changes need to be made to your system.

Testing

An appointed person in your building should be responsible for testing the alarm system at least once a week. A full test of the system will throw up any potential issues and these can be dealt with before they become a real problem.

Intelligent Fire Alarm Systems

Most addressable fire alarm systems today have an impressive operating system that can handle faults and errors in the system intelligently. With the right choice of system you will be made aware of any faults before they become an issue and at the very least you will have an error log of events and faults that you can check periodically.

Discount Fire Supplies’ range of fire alarm systems represent the best fire detection on the market today for businesses in the UK. The Simplicity Micro Addressable Fire Alarm System, for example, has an impressive 2,046 event history – storing all alarm, fault and system events.

The Importance Of Fire Safety In Care Homes

It has recently been reported that between January 2010 and March 2011 over 130 care homes in the UK were the subject of enforcement action by fire and rescue services.

Reasons for the enforcement action include unsatisfactorily trained staff, inadequate alarms, damaged equipment and blocked escape routes.

Care homes are supposed to be safe refuge for our loved ones but these figures suggest that many care homes in this country are routinely disregarding fire safety legislation and putting residents at risk.

Investigation suggests that local authority cuts throughout the country are to blame for care home owners cutting corners in this area.

This month there have already been two fires in care homes, one in Enniskillen in Ireland and the other in a specialist elderly care hospital in Edinburgh. Thankfully no one was harmed in these blazes.

Early Warning

Early warning of fire is essential where there are vulnerable people. Care homes cater for not only the elderly but physically disabled and mentally handicapped people too. In an alarm situation residents may become confused and panicked so it’s vital that there’s enough time for staff to organise an evacuation.

Evenly distributed smoke detectors, heat detectors and manual call points help the fire alarm to be triggered at an early stage.

Intelligent Systems

An intelligent fire alarm system that has provisions to allow alarms to be verified before the full alarm is triggered is a must. False alarms and disruption can be frightening for care home residents.

Training

Staff and caregivers need to be well-trained to recognise an alarm and carry out the necessary actions. If a fire alarm system is fitted they need to be able to read the fire alarm control panel and identify the location of the fire.

It is possible to have comprehensive fire safety even when times are tough. Discount Fire Supplies have a wide range of fire alarm systems to suit every budget, if you need any assistance choosing the right fire protection feel free to contact our sales team.

Freedor Wireless Door Closer

New to our range of Fire Alarm Accessories is the Freedor Wireless Door Closer, a unique battery powered door closing device.

Fire doors prevent fire and smoke from spreading throughout your building in an alarm condition but as many people know they can be heavy and cumbersome to open in busy workplaces or public buildings. The Freedor Door Closer is a new way to legally meet UK fire regulations (compliant with BS EN1154 amd BS EN1155) and keep fire doors open.

Where Can Freedor Be Used?

Freedor can be retrofitted to any fire door up to Power Size 4 (doors up to 80kg). It is suitable for both left and right opening swing doors and because it’s battery powered there’s no need for wiring.

Fire doors fitted with this device can be left open in any position and the Freedor device won’t limit the range of motion in any way.

How Does It Work?

An internal microphone constantly listens to the surrounding environment for an alarm. When your fire alarm system is triggered Freedor will verify the alarm for 14 seconds and then release the door mechanism so all fire doors are sealed. The alarm sound must be louder than 65dB for the device to work.

Closing and latching speeds are adjustable and there’s also a night-time release facility.

9V alkaline battery packs provide power to the device and can be expected to last up to an impressive 18 months.

Visit our Fire Door Closers category to learn more about this product.

Proposals To Charge For False Alarms

Recent proposals in the government’s Localism Bill to allow Fire Authorities to charge businesses for the time and resources used in call outs for false alarms have raised concerns in the fire safety community that businesses will simply turn their fire alarm systems off in a bid to avoid penalties.

While this is a genuine worry, we believe in prevention rather than cure and would like to remind you that there are ways of preventing false fire alarms before the fire service needs to be summoned.

It is worth noting now that while false alarms waste precious public funds that would be better spent saving lives that are really in danger, false alarms cost your business too – never mind the potential penalties we could be seeing in the future.

During the time it takes for a false alarm to be managed the productivity of your business will take a hit and your customers could be neglected. Last year we wrote about a false alarm that led to a full evacuation of Celtic Manor in Newport during the Ryder Cup. Not only is evacuation on such a scale is a logistics nightmare, the residents likely left the resort with resounding memories of being awoken in the early hours of the morning rather than with pleasant memories of golf.

So, how can we prevent false alarms in the first place? Common sense and good communication in the day to day running of your business go without saying. But you can also ensure you have a fire alarm system that is capable of registering an alarm and giving you time to assess whether it’s genuine.

Fire safety standards allow a time delay between the activation of a fire detector and the full alarm system being set in motion. This time delay is fully taken advantage of by many fire alarm systems, such as the Simplicity Micro Fire Alarm System and the Rafiki Twinflex Fire Alarm System, allowing you to verify the alarm during a set time period.

Through these systems a number of detectors can be set as checkpoints. If they are triggered a localised alarm will sound and the detector will also be identified on the fire alarm control panel. This gives anyone nearby or with access to the control panel a chance to investigate the alarm and clear it if necessary. If the alarm is not cleared during the verification period the system will then go into full alarm mode.

These moments between identification and full alarm are often enough to prevent full false alarms as well as the problems, and potential penalties, they bring.

Both the Simplicity Micro Fire Alarm System and the Rafiki Twinflex Fire Alarm System are available now.

Series 600 Electro Magnetic Door Closer

We’ve now added another great product to our extensive range of fire alarm accessories – the Series 600 Electro Magnetic Door Closer.

As we all know, any barrier between fire and the rest of your building is a life saver so its vital that you can trust the devices you use to close doors in an emergency.

This fire door closer is incredibly adaptable and can be adjusted to work with nearly any door. It’s many features include:

• Right or left hand closing.
• Adjustable arms – can be set to regular, parallel or transom mounting.
• 180 degree opening arc.
• Adjustable door closing speed.
• Adjustable door latching speed – the last moments of the closing arc can be accelerated to overcome the resistance of a door latch!

We think the best feature of the Series 600 door closer is the choice to set the door as Swing Free or Hold Open.

The Swing Free setting allows you to use the door with complete freedom – as if no door closer is fitted at all. This feature will let the door swing close or rest open during everyday use but when the power to the door closer is interrupted, or an alarm is activated, the closing mechanism will automatically close the door to create a seal.

Conversely, the Hold Open function is brilliant for busy places where it makes sense for the doors to be open all the time. Once the door has been opened beyond 75 degrees the mechanism will hold the door open. This is an especially good feature as the use of door stoppers to do the same job would render a conventional door closer useless. Again, when an alarm is triggered or power supply is interrupted the Series 600 will automatically release the door and close it.

This door closer also has a multitude of accreditations to its name and boasts an independent 2 hour fire cover assessment by International Fire Consultants Ltd. Other safety standards include:

• EN1155 compliance.
• Fire tested in accordance with British Standard 476 Part 22.
• Manufactured to European quality standard EN ISO 9001:2000.

The mechanism has been well designed and tested thoroughly – a hardened steel rack and pinion mechanism sits immersed in high-quality thermostatic hydraulic oil within a tough aluminium casing. This combination is perfect for years of maintenance free use but should anything go wrong the Series 600 Electro Magnetic Door Closer comes with a 2 year manufacturer guarantee.

Discount Fire Supplies stocks 3 different power sizes of this door closer and we hope you’ll be able to choose one that perfectly suits your needs.

Visit the Fire Door Closers section of our website for more information and to order.