5 Ways Advanced Technology Is Enhancing Fire Alarm Projects
Learn which technological innovations are providing systems contractors with smoother, more cost-efï¬cient fire alarm installations while creating increased value for the end customer.
3. Lower Costs of Installation and Ownership
Addressable technology can lower the cost of fire alarm system installation and the cost of ownership over the life of the system. The benefits associated with a flexible wiring architecture, combined with the greater power efficiency of the appliances themselves, mean less wiring is needed and that devices can be installed with smaller gauge, unshielded wire. Appliances that operate at lower current draws can increase wiring distances by up to 250% or allow more devices to be connected per circuit.
Rather than restricting circuits to specific fire zones as is necessary with conventional technology, addressable technology allows a single pair of wires to penetrate multiple fire zones as addressable control functions work independent from circuit wiring. Software can easily provide the functionality for any system operation that is required. With fewer circuits, less head-end hardware is required, which translates into additional cost reduction. Costs are further reduced because fewer power supplies, notification appliance circuit (NAC) cabinets and back-up batteries are needed. This provides cost savings during installation, as well as reduced service and maintenance costs over the lifecycle of the system.
In addition, the technology’s ability to eliminate remote power supplies throughout a building means the owner does not face the challenge of finding wall space to mount the power supplies. Consequently, the owner avoids the labor and expense of long-term maintenance of batteries and smoke sensors (which must be placed above remote power supplies per NFPA standards).
The appliance self-testing capability of addressable notification (described in more detail below in item No. 5) also helps to lower the cost of ownership over the life of the fire alarm system. Because addressable notification appliances can essentially test themselves, the lifecycle costs of testing, inspecting and maintaining the devices is significantly reduced. That is true whether the building owner contracts for fire alarm system service or deploys in-house staff to maintain the systems.
4. Easier Retrofits, Upgrades and Expansions
Technology can also play a role in making it easier and more cost effective to complete retrofit projects or to upgrade, expand or update existing fire alarm systems. In many cases, existing conventional systems can be upgraded without the need for costly removal or replacement of existing field devices
, wiring, conduit or panel back boxes. Some fire alarm systems provide the ability to adapt to multiple end-of-line resistor values – and the adjustment is provided in software.
This “circuit agility” allows a contractor to use the existing wiring infrastructure while also eliminating the time-consuming task of finding and replacing existing end-of-line resistors. Because the installing contractor can make use of much of the existing infrastructure, there is less disruption to building occupants and operations.
With addressable technology, fire alarm systems become extremely scalable and capable of growing and evolving as life-safety needs change. Upgrades to new technology platforms can be made very readily and cost effectively.
Many building owners and managers are migrating their fire alarm systems to addressable technology simply because new codes and standards demand more precise capabilities to maintain compliance. As a result, new systems are geared toward providing the latest in technology while easing the transition from an older system. This helps make compliance to new codes less disruptive to building occupants and businesses and less costly through the use of as much of the existing infrastructure as possible.
5. Increased Value for the Building Owner
Advanced technologies built into fire alarm control panels, initiating devices and notification appliances can provide better, more reliable protection. Technology can also be a differentiator in offering more value for the building owner, including improved operational efficiency, less downtime, lower costs over the life of the system, and better reporting and documentation to support code compliance.
Some of these benefits come from the deployment of Inter-net-enabled technologies. For example, remote diagnostics technology can alert service providers to fire alarm system issues or problems. By analyzing the diagnostic information prior to a site visit, the root cause of an issue can be proactively pinpointed. This helps the service provider to fix a problem on the first visit to the building, up to 90% of the time. This same diagnostic technology can also be used to identify upcoming predictive maintenance needs, such as smoke detectors that will soon need cleaning to prevent them from causing a system trouble or nuisance alarm.
As addressable notification appliances are continuously supervised, the fire alarm panel is able to generate an automatic notification when repair or maintenance of a specific device is needed. In addition to maintaining their fire alarm system in a “trouble-free” condition, building owners are also responsible for ensuring that regular testing requirements are met. With addressable technology embedded in notification appliances, self-testing is now possible. This feature represents one of the key innovations of addressable notification.
Each notification appliance contains a light and a sound sensor that can be activated remotely from the host fire alarm panel. Once activated, the self-test feature will momentarily activate a device and send the results of the test back to the main panel for archiving. If a device fails the test, it will be identified at the panel, which means the self-testing process meets the testing, inspection and maintenance requirements specified in NFPA 72: National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code.
This self-testing process also helps to eliminate one of the major challenges in testing of notification appliances in an occupied building – the disruption of the occupants themselves. The self-test process takes just seconds to complete and can be initiated manually or programmed via the fire alarm control panel to run automatically. Testing can be done at a time when it’s most convenient for the building owner, thereby minimizing disruption to building occupants, eliminating the burden of afterhours testing, and significantly lowering operational costs. When testing is complete, device information and test history can be retrieved from the panel and downloaded to a USB memory device.
In summary, technology in fire alarm systems continues to evolve – and the technology innovations are enabling cost savings and other benefits for both the installing contractor and the end user. With savings on installation labor and wiring costs, contractors can complete fire alarm jobs faster and more profitably. And with remote diagnostics driving more efficiency in service and appliance self-testing reducing occupant disruptions, end users also realize the ‘addressable advantage.’
It’s definitely a win-win scenario, all driven by important advancements in technology.
Chris Woodcock is Director, Marketing Communications, for Tyco SimplexGrinnell, a provider of fire alarm, sprinkler, suppression, and security systems and services.
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