Automatic Fire Alarm System

Automatic Fire Alarm System

An automatic fire alarm system helps detect a fire at the earliest possible stage and alert people in the building to the danger. The system automatically signals a fire and also reports faults that may affect its operational readiness.

Tondi Tulekaitse provides the design, installation and maintenance of automatic fire alarm systems.

How does an automatic fire alarm system work?

An automatic fire alarm system usually consists of a control panel, detectors, fire alarm call points and alarm bells.

Detectors identify signs of fire and send the information to the control panel. The control panel activates the alarm bells, alerting people in the building to the fire. If a person discovers a fire, they can activate the system using a fire alarm call point.

In larger buildings, the system may also include a repeater panel or graphical software on a computer, providing a faster overview of the system status and events.

Which type of automatic fire alarm system should you choose?

There are two main types of fire alarm systems:

• an addressable fire alarm system, where each device, such as a fire detector or fire alarm call point, has its own address and events, including device faults, can be identified by the exact device location;

• a conventional fire alarm system, where detectors and fire alarm call points are grouped into circuits and events are identified by circuit.

An addressable system is usually more expensive, but it allows the location of a fire or fault to be identified faster and more accurately. For this reason, it should be preferred whenever possible.

Detectors used in automatic fire alarm systems

Automatic fire alarm systems use different types of detectors to identify a fire as early as possible and to help avoid false alarms.

• A smoke detector responds to particles released during combustion and pyrolysis, meaning smoke. It is the most commonly used detector in automatic fire alarm systems.

• A heat detector responds to a rise in temperature. It is mostly used in rooms where smoke may normally occur and where there is a risk of false alarms.

• Heat detection cables, or linear heat detectors, respond to temperature or a rise in temperature. They are used in humid rooms, outdoor conditions and other places where using other detectors is difficult.

• A flame detector works by detecting infrared or ultraviolet radiation emitted by a flame. It is mostly used in places where a flame appears first when combustible material, such as flammable liquids, ignites.

• A multi-sensor detector combines the properties of several detector types and helps detect signs of fire more accurately.

• A beam detector responds to a decrease in the intensity of a light beam and is sensitive to changes in smoke density along the entire length of the beam.

• An aspiration system, or aspirating smoke detector, draws air from the room into the detector through a pipe network. The smoke detection device can be configured to be up to 1000 times more sensitive than a conventional smoke detector, making it a very early fire detection device. Aspiration systems are used in particularly critical rooms, often together with gas extinguishing systems, where early fire detection is especially important.

Design, installation and maintenance of automatic fire alarm systems

An automatic fire alarm system must be correctly designed, properly installed and regularly maintained.

Tondi Tulekaitse helps to:

• assess which automatic fire alarm system solution is suitable for a specific building;

• design the fire alarm system;

• install fire alarm system devices and components;

• maintain existing automatic fire alarm systems;

• check the system’s operational readiness and compliance with requirements.

Maintenance and regulation

An automatic fire alarm system must be maintained regularly. The owner of the system is required to enter into a maintenance contract with a competent person.

Maintenance of an automatic fire alarm system must be carried out at least once every quarter. Regular maintenance helps ensure that the system is in working order, faults are detected in time and the alarm reaches people quickly in the event of a fire.

The regulation of the Minister of the Interior sets out the quarterly and annual maintenance activities for automatic fire alarm systems, as well as the obligations of the system owner. The regulation concerning automatic fire alarm systems is set out in the Minister of the Interior’s regulation “Requirements for Fire Alarm Systems and Buildings Where the Fire Alarm Signal from an Automatic Fire Alarm System Must Be Transmitted to the Emergency Response Centre, and the Procedure for Transmitting and Cancelling Fire Alarm Signals”.