Sound the Alarm!
Author: Eric Anderson, Structural Fire Training Specialist Smoke Alarms. Smoke Detectors. Fire Alarms. All of these are terms for devices and systems at work and home to alert you of a fire. Smoke alarms and smoke detectors are typically found in homes and sense smoke and activate with a piercing sound designed to wake you and your family up so you can get out of your house. Fire alarms, typically found at work, are a system of devices such as smoke detectors and manual pull stations, output devices such as horns and strobe lights for the deaf, all connected to a control panel that can alert the fire department. Success! What a working fire suppression system can really do. In October 2012, a fire broke out in a historic structure at Minuteman National Historic Park in Concord, MA. Occupants of the building, both employees and visitors, were alerted by a smoke detector and evacuated without injury, while the alarm system activated the local fire department and sprinkler system. Thanks to proper design and maintenance, this fire emergency had a safe outcome. In housing units, people often disable smoke detectors by covering the detector, removing the battery, or removing the detector because of too many false alarms. This often happens because smoke alarms are dirty with dust or cobwebs, or because they are placed too close to cooking smoke or shower steam. These systems are the first line of defense for our buildings and their contents. Properly installing, testing and maintaining fire and smoke alarms will ensure that occupants are notified of a fire. |