Suppose you plan to have a fire alarm installation. In that case, it is best to let a professional electrical company like Zoom Electricians assist you and ensure that it is properly installed at your home or commercial building and works effectively.
The fire alarm system is an important part of the fire and life safety of a building or home and its occupants. It provides many functions, which may confuse someone new to using fire alarms. We can help you to get to be familiar with the system and what it can provide. There are several reasons why this is required, which include:
- Protecting the lives of everyone within the building
- Safeguard your assets and everything you have worked for
- Fulfill the building and town code requirements
Aside from the commercial area, it is also important to have a fire alarm installed in your own home. This can help protect the life of your family and your pets and the assets you have worked for. Another important element of the fire alarms available for residential areas is the carbon monoxide detectors. An effective alarm system will alert you when there is carbon monoxide present so that it can be dealt with before it starts to impact your health severely.
Learning the importance, whether residential or commercial properties, is also important to have an idea of its different components. Each of them has its unique function and works together to enhance safety. Five key elements will find in an alarm system as follows:
- Initiating Devices – These are designed to help detect fire or smoke. There are different initiating devices, including heat detectors, smoke detectors, pull stations, and sprinkler water flow sensors.
- Indicating Appliances – These parts of the alarm are responsible for sounding and alerting you to the fire hazard. Examples of this are bells, chimes, horses, and in some cases, strobe lights for the deaf and hard of hearing.
- Power Supplies – The power supplies cover the main power from the breaker. (2) 12V batteries can serve as a backup for 24 hours and sometimes as a generator. This offers backup power for the alarm system.
- Fire Alarm Panel – This is the control panel consisting of the system’s user interface and central monitoring element. The display will let you check the current state of the alarm, and you can also program the system from here. The panel is the device that communicates with the monitoring station or the local fire department.
- Auxiliary Devices – Several different add-ons can be used to help bolster the system.
Another factor you must consider in choosing a fire alarm is the alert system. Some fire alarms will only notify those who are inside the building and their neighboring properties if there are any. Some of the residential alarms are connected to the smartphone of the building owner to ensure an alert pops up if there are any problems.
Such a system can be limited, so the owner needs to get in touch with the authorities, which can create an extra step and draw out the process. This can cost valuable time during a fire situation since every second counts. The best option to choose is a monitored fire alarm. The company where you purchase the alarm will monitor the signals at a central station and help alert authorities if the device detects an issue.
How Fire Alarm Systems Save Lives & Millions In Property Damage
A building’s infrastructure can help save lives and millions in property damages with the right fire alarm system. An example of the building in Union Point that was burnt down and the extent of the fire damage can be without the alarm system. The 4-story building was in development but wasn’t occupied.
Due to this, no code is needed for sprinkler and fire alarm systems that help prevent the spread of fire and alert the authorities. The fire that broke out in the early hours spread and was difficult for the firefighters. As a result, the building was destroyed and rebuilt, which cost the company a large amount of money for damages.
The High Price Of The Fire Damage: Fire can devastate any property owner, and this causes thousands and sometimes millions of dollars to repair. Fire damage can go beyond the loss of furnishing and personal property. The things that can incur the most are the following:
- Replacing the Property – Property damage is the most obvious cost of fire damage. Demolition of the entire building is needed when the structural integrity is compromised. This can be a devastating situation for the loss for property owners, which means the reconstruction costs and the loss of profits during the reconstruction.
- Smoke And Water Damage – The big contributor to the reconstruction cost after the fire is smoke and water damage. Containing the fire in one area is simpler than containing the smoke. It can travel miles and move around through the cracks and corners. Water from putting out the fire can flow through the ceilings and walls damaged due to the fire into areas otherwise unaffected. If this is left untreated, mold can build up and pose a health risk.
- Reconstruction Cost – The reconstruction cost covers the materials, labor, and equipment needed to rebuild. With apartment buildings on fire, demolishing and reconstructing from the ground up means more hours of work and equipment needed, such as bulldozers and cranes.
Right Fire Alarm System For The Building: Everyone can dread that a call from their building or home is on fire. When the worst happens, knowing your loved ones, employees or tenants are safe is all it matters. After the fire is out, the building owners may feel the pain of rebuilding costs. But, they shouldn’t hang back on the cost of upgrading the fire system. Consider the following when you choose a new fire alarm system:
- Personalize – Find the right alarm system for your building needs by analyzing the building’s weaknesses. A home alarm system must have smoke or heat detectors on every floor. In bedrooms and kitchens when the fires are prone to start. Business owners might need fire alarms near the equipment and a more sophisticated alert system to monitor large areas.
- Monitoring – When the smoke detectors go off, the fire damage begins. That is where the monitoring can be beneficial. A round-the-clock monitoring system can alert the owner that there’s a fire. This is helpful for buildings and construction sites often unoccupied for extended periods.
- Regular Testing and Inspections – While installing the monitoring systems and alarms to meet the code are standard procedures, regular testing and inspection of the system are critical for fire safety. The smoke alarms should be changed every ten years and carbon monoxide every five years.
If you need to install your fire alarm at home or in the building, let the expert Zoom Electrician assist you in properly installing the system and ensuring it works effectively.
