Whether it’s at home or at work, you want to know that any people, pets, and belongings in the building are safe from fire, as well as the building itself. So, it’s important to have a complete and properly working fire alarm system installed. But what exactly should this fire alarm system consist of? Let’s look at some of the important components involved. Some of these will only be required in commercial buildings and large residential blocks rather than the average home.

Smoke detectors

All homes, offices, and other buildings should have enough working smoke detectors installed to provide adequate coverage of the building. These devices detect smoke and then communicate with the rest of the fire alarm system to take the necessary measures.

Heat detectors

An alternative, or supplementary, device to smoke detectors are heat detectors. As the name suggests, these detect heat coming from a fire rather than the smoke it produces. In some situations, this can raise the alarm sooner as fire can burn slowly for a while without producing smoke.

Manual alarm trigger

Some buildings also have manual alarm triggers that people can activate in order to sound the alarm. This is another method of early intervention, allowing someone who witnessed the outbreak of the fire to raise the alarm as soon as possible.

Fire alarm

Then there’s the actual alarm component; the device that makes the loud sound to alert everyone in the building that a fire has broken out. With monitored alarm systems, this will also alert the emergency services of the fire.

Fire alarm control panel

This is the part of the system that everything else communicates with and that controls signals and devices. You can use this control panel to manage your fire alarm system.

Sprinkler system

Some buildings have a sprinkler system that is activated by heat or smoke. When the sprinklers detect fire, they activate to spray water into the room. This can potentially douse a fire as it is starting before it gets the chance to spread.

Standpipes

Large buildings may contain standpipes, which are points where firefighters can connect their hose in order to access a supply of water.

Smoke control systems

To limit the harmful effects of smoke inhalation, some buildings feature smoke control systems that help to dissipate the smoke and reduce its accumulation. These systems may consist of fans, vents, and barriers to control the movement of the smoke.

Is your residential or commercial fire alarm system up-to-scratch? If not, then call Carolina Alarm or get in touch with us online for support and installation around Greensboro, Kernersville, Winston Salem, and High Point, North Carolina.