The fire alarm system can be set off automatically by smoke detectors, heat detectors or manually. These sensors are set to detect certain levels of heat or smoke that could be an indication Of fire. When smoke particles pass thru the chamber of the optical detector, it scatters light that triggers the alarm. A fire alarm system warns people when smoke or fire. These alarms may be activated automatically from smoke detectors, and heat detectors or may also be activated via manual fire alarm activation devices such as manual call points or pull stations.
The two main types of fire alarm systems are conventional and addressable. The various components that make up these systems are either automatic or manual
Conventional fire alarm systems consist of manual call points, fire detectors, sounders, beacons, and other devices grouped into zones. Each zone is a single wiring circuit which represents a physical area within a building.
An addressable fire alarm system is one in which all fire and smoke detection devices in a system are connected and communicate both with each other and a central control monitoring location. This inter connectivity allows the control personnel to identify the location or “address” where the initial detection occurred.
A photoelectric smoke detector is characterized by its use of light to detect fire. Inside the alarm, there’s a light‐sensing chamber. The alarm detects smoke; when smoke enters the chamber, it deflects the LED light from the straight path into a photo sensor in a different compartment in the same chamber.
A heat detector is a device that can sense heat in a room. Its purpose is to alert homeowners and business owners that there is a fire before the fire becomes irreversible. The device responds to convected thermal energy radiated from a fire. There are two more common type or heat detectors. Fixed temperature and rate of rise heat detectors.