Everything You Need To Know In Our Commercial Fire Alarms Guide
Fire alarms are a crucial part of maintaining high fire safety standards across commercial premises. Fire alarms act as your first line of defence during emergencies, allowing for a prompt, safe evacuation of employees, customers and all other present personnel.
Due to how vital fire alarms are, your premises must have an appropriate system installed. Installation is only the first step, as commercial fire alarms also need to be regularly tested and maintained to ensure they are in prime working order.
There are several different kinds of commercial fire alarms available on the market today, which can make the task of choosing the right one for your needs seem daunting. At Nomico Fire & Security, we provide professional installation, maintenance and testing of commercial fire alarms and have decades of experience in the industry.
Using our expertise, we are sharing everything you need to know about commercial fire alarms in this guide to help you make the best decision for the safety of your business, staff and customers.
What Are Commercial Fire Alarms?
Commercial fire alarms are designed for two main purposes – detecting fires and protecting people.
By alerting at the first sign of fire, fire alarms can give you enough time to ensure a safe evacuation of everyone present in the building as well as ensure emergency services can deliver a prompt call-out. There are several main components of commercial fire alarms which make them effective and useful tools for businesses, including smoke detectors and heat sensors.
Based on the kind of fire alarm system you choose, commercial fire alarms will trigger when they detect smoke or increasing temperatures, both of which are early signs of fire.
Commercial fire alarms can also be connected to fire sprinklers or other extinguishing equipment, which means they not only alert to the first signs of fire but will also begin to suppress the flames. This cna make the commerical site safer and easier to evacuate.
Why Do We Need Commercial Fire Alarms?
A fully functioning fire alarm system is essential for all kinds of properties, but especially those with heavy traffic such as commercial sites. Commercial fire alarms are specifically designed to provide wide coverage and instantly alerts to accommodate the varying numbers of people present at any given time.
Not only is it a requirement as part of UK Fire Safety Regulations, but commercial fire alarms also provide:
Early Detection Of Fires
The main purpose of fire alarms is to provide an early detection of fires. Whether they operate through smoke detectors, heat sensors or a combination of both, fire alarms are designed to trigger at the first stages of fire to ensure a prompt evacuation.
By detecting the fire early, commercial fire alarms can also prevent major property damage.
Quick Response From Firefighters
By providing an early detection of fires, commercial fire alarm systems can also improve the response time from emergency services. Systems can be connected to local fire services, ensuring that any alert will trigger an immediate response.
Alternatively, early detection provides enough time for people to evacuate the building safely and reach out to emergency services before excessive damage can take place.
Reduced Business Costs
Fires can be devastating and result in a lot of costly damage. If flames have enough time to rip through your commercial site, ruining stock and documents, you can expect to pay a lot to get things put right once more.
Insurance companies often require commercial sites to have a fully functioning fire alarm in place, as this can limit the damage and the need for claims to be made, and failure to present the proper evidence will mean you have to pay for repairs out of pocket. Sites with fully functioning fire alarms may also experience lower insurance premiums.
Types Of Commercial Fire Alarms
Now that you understand how important commercial fire alarms are, it is time to invest in a system for your premises. Whether you are opening a new site or want to upgrade your current fire safety measures, there are several types of commercial fire alarms for you to consider:
Conventional Fire Alarms
In these traditional commercial fire alarms, the call points and detectors are connected to the main fire alarm control panel. These control panels are often present in each zone, which refers to either one floor or fire component at a time, making it easier to detect where the fire has come from and which zones are currently being affected. This is an ideal set-up for large sites, where zones can be compartmentalised.
The number of zones connected to each control panel will determine how accurate readings are regarding where the fire began and which zones are affected.
Following an alert from zones, the control panel will trigger the sounder circuits. These can include bells, electric sounders, or other audible gadgets to provide the auditory alert that a fire is present in the building.
Addressable Fire Alarm Systems
The fire detection techniques of addressable systems operate in a similar format to conventional fire alarms, but the key difference is the labelling of zones. In addressable fire alarm systems, the control panel will highlight which detector or alarm has been triggered, making it easier to determine where to fire has begun.
This is an option for conventional fire alarms but comes as standard with addressable systems, most of which can allow for up to 99 devices within each detection system loop. Although the precision of addressable fire alarms may seem technologically advanced, these commercial fire alarms use the same kind of detectors as conventional systems but their location is built in.
The sounder system within addressable fire alarms has at least two sounder circuits. Additional circuit or field devices can be purchased to make addressable fire alarms more effective, including sprinkler flow switches, which will close when water hits it to protect the internal system, and isolation modules to ensure that an issue in one part of the circuit does not render the entire alarm system ineffective.
Analogue Fire Alarms
Analogue fire alarm systems, also known as intelligent fire alarms, come in a range of variations. These commercial fire alarms will vary based on the communication protocol used and it is up to the control unit of the system to determine whether there is a fire, a fault or a pre-alarm.
Each detector works with its own computer which examines the surrounding environment to determine the cause of the alarm. This information is then sent back to the control panel, which will trigger additional detectors and auditory alarms if required.
Analogue fire alarm systems are much more complex than any other, as they have a lot more features. Their main purpose is to reduce the risk, and expense, of false alarms.
Your Legal Obligation Regarding Commercial Fire Alarms
As outlined in the UK Fire Regulations, the employer is responsible for the fire safety of the premises and the people within it.
The employer has a legal duty to maintain the fire safety standards of the commercial site, which includes conducting Fire Risk Assessments to minimise and remove any fire hazards present. This is required if you employ five or more people, meaning almost all businesses are required to undergo regular fire risk assessments.
At Nomico Fire & Security, we provide a comprehensive fire risk assessment service where we can deliver the assessment, as well as any necessary upgrades or repairs to keep your commercial site compliant.
During fire risk assessments, commercial fire alarms will need to be tested and inspected to ensure they are in line with current regulations.
Conclusion
Commercial fire alarms are an essential component of running a safe and successful business. These are useful tools which can provide a range of benefits, including early detection of fires and reduced costs, as well as being a legal obligation of the employer to provide.
At Nomico Fire & Security, we offer a comprehensive fire alarm service to get your business set up, as well as ongoing service and maintenance as well as fire risk assessments to ensure you remain compliant.
There are several types of commercial fire alarms available, ensuring that no matter the needs of your premises or the scale of your business, there is something there to support you.
Contact Us Today
If you are looking to upgrade your fire alarm system or require more support regarding fire safety, please contact the team today.
