A fire alarm is an essential safety tool that every business is legally required to have. To protect your building, equipment, and the people that enter your establishment, you need a reliable fire alarm installed by a professional electrician. Tim Kyle Electric, your White Marsh electrician, can help.
Common Commerical Fire Alarms
The two most common types of fire alarms are automatic and manual. A manual fire alarm requires someone pull a lever or switch to activate the alarm. An automatic alarm sends an alert when it detects smoke or heat in the building. In addition to manual and automatic alarms, there are three types of commercial fire alarm systems: conventional, addressable and hybrid alarms.
Conventional alarms have a control panel in a centralized location with detectors placed in sections or zones. Each alarm is wired into the control panel separately. Plus, they can each be monitored independently. Conventional alarms work best in small businesses.
Sometimes called smart systems or intelligent systems, addressable alarms are great for larger office buildings or larger commercial establishments. They can include both manual and automatic alarms and are easily customizable to your needs. Addressable alarms have a unique “address” for each section allowing fire and rescue to respond directly to the source of the fire rather than having to search for where it is in the building.
Addressable systems are also programmable making evacuations safer and quicker when a fire is detected in the building. Unlike conventional wiring, each section or zone in an addressable system is connected to the control panel by one wire. Hybrid systems combine both conventional and addressable systems giving business owners the best of both.
Looking for a White Marsh Electrician?
Choosing the right system for your business is not easy. You must assess the type of business you have, the space in which it operates, the number of customers and staff you have on site, and how quickly and easily the building can be evacuated. A licensed electrician can take the guesswork out of your fire alarm system. To get started on your company’s fire safety upgrade, call Tim Kyle Electric today.