A fire alarm system is intended to notify occupants and, often, the responding personnel to an emergency. During the initial stages of the system design, it is important to answer the following questions: who needs to be notified; what do they need to know; when do they need to know it; where will they be; and why do they need to know? The answers to these questions will determine the most appropriate type of notification strategy.
Occupant notification may be in one of two modes, public or private and there are additional options such as selective notification, a presignal feature, and positive alarm sequence to address unique situations. Many of these alternative designs require authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) approval. Read More…