Our Commercial Fire Alarms Guide
Fire alarms are one of the most valuable fire safety tools as they offer a prompt response to any fire emergency. Fire alarms are used in all kinds of premises to provide an immediate response to flames, smoke or rising temperatures, including commercial premises.
In large spaces with a lot of lives at risk, ensuring that people can evacuate quickly and safely is essential. Not only is this a good practice to uphold as the property owner or business manager, but it is also required as part of UK Fire Safety Regulations.
With this in mind, commercial fire alarms are incredibly important and should be present in all kinds of premises. There are many types of commercial fire alarms available these days, ensuring the most accurate fit for every business no matter the scale or the premises.
Full Circuit Fire & Security specialises in delivering safety solutions to businesses across the North West, including commercial fire alarms. We offer a comprehensive fire alarm service, including installation and maintenance, to keep businesses across the region safe. Using our experience as a leading installer, we are sharing everything you need to know about commercial fire alarms so you can make the best decision for your site.
The Value of Commercial Fire Alarms
Commercial fire alarms are essential for the safety of business sites, retail spaces, and publicly-accessed premises. These fire alarms, like any other fire detection system, are designed to keep people safe, as they will trigger at the first sign of fire.
Fire alarms are fitted with sensors, such as smoke detectors, heat sensors or a combination of both, which is connected to the main control panel. When smoke or high temperatures are detected by the sensors, this sends an alert to the main control panel, which in turn triggers the alarms to make a sound. At this sound, people should begin the evacuation process and leave the premises immediately.
Commercial fire alarms can be integrated with fire suppression systems, such as fire sprinklers, to begin combatting the fire as soon as possible. When integrated with other systems, the triggering of the alarms will also trigger the suppression to douse the flames and prevent the spread of the fire before emergency services arrive.
Many commercial fire alarm systems are directly connected to emergency services, meaning when an alarm is triggered firefighters will begin their descent onto the scene.
With the right commercial fire alarm system installed in your premises, you can experience greater fire safety and peace of mind due to how accurate they are. Fire alarms give occupants enough time to escape quickly and safely from the premises, preventing injury or fatalities.
By altering the first signs of fire, commercial fire alarms cna also protect much of the building itself and your assets within it as they make it more likely for the fire to be controlled. Quickly responding to fire alarms makes it more likely that your building can be saved.
Types Of Commercial Fire Alarms: Find The Best Fit For Your Business
Several types of commercial fire alarms are available, ensuring you can find something that perfectly aligns with your business, budget and needs.
Conventional
These are the traditional fire alarm systems that are often used across commercial premises, which focus on a main control panel. For these commercial fire alarms, each zone has its own control panel, where all of the call points and detectors are connected.
Having a control panel in each zone, such as each building floor or fire component, makes it easier to identify where the fire is. These commercial fire alarms are particularly useful for large sites, as each area can be split into zones. How many zones these fire alarm systems have determines how accurate the reading will be when it comes to identifying the site of the fire.
People are notified of an issue within the building through sound circuits, which will be triggered following reports from the detectors which go through the main control panel. Conventional fire alarms can trigger bells, electric sounders or other forms of audible alerts.
Analogue
Analogue fire alarms make it easier to determine whether there truly is a risk of fire, or whether this is a false or pre-alarm. These commercial fire alarms operate through intelligent communication portals which are present within each detector.
This means that when the detectors are triggered, they can assess the situation using their computer to determine whether this is a true fire alert or a false alarm. Following this reading, the fire alarms operate similarly to any other as they will go on to trigger auditory alarms if required.
Due to the fact each detector comes with smart intelligence, analogue fire alarms are more complex to install and manage. However, despite the initial expense of these commercial fire alarms, they can save the business money by preventing false alarms and damage to the property.
Addressable
Addressable fire alarms operate similarly to conventional systems but with one key difference – the labelling of each zone. Like conventional commercial fire alarms, these systems separate the premises into zones to make it easier to identify where the fire is. However, with addressable systems, there is a main control panel which identifies which zone the alarm has been triggered in and everything is connected.
Most addressable fire alarms can all for up to 99 devices to be connected within one detection loop, making them suitable for even the biggest commercial sites. The detectors are the same format as conventional systems, but addressable fire alarms will have at least two sound circuits to ensure a clearer, more audible alert.
These commercial fire alarms are easily customised as they can be integrated with other fire suppression and safety tools, including sprinkler flow switches to protect the control panel from sprinklers and water flow during an emergency, as well as isolation modules to ensure that if one part of the system breaks down, this does not impact the rest of it.
Do I Need Commercial Fire Alarms?
Commercial fire alarms are not just a good thing to have for your business, but they are also legally required. Under the UK Fire Safety Regulations, the employer is responsible for the safety of the premises and the people within it.
This means that as the employer in a company with five or more employees, it is your role to ensure the premises are fitted with suitable commercial fire alarms and that these remain fully functional. Along with providing and maintaining commercial fire alarms, the employer is also responsible for other areas of fire safety including Fire Risk Assessments.
Conclusion
Commercial fire alarms are an essential tool for managing a safe company and need to be present in all premises employing five or more people. There are several forms of commercial fire alarms available, based on the size and scale of your commercial site. It is also important to consider factors such as installation, maintenance and ongoing support to help determine the best option for fire alarms for your business.
At Full Circuit Fire & Security, we offer a comprehensive fire alarm installation service along with additional fire safety solutions to protect your business. We work in accordance with UK regulations to ensure that all installations or inspections are done to the highest standards.
Contact Us Today
To upgrade your commercial fire alarms or learn more about our services, please contact the team today.
