FIRE SECURITY SYSTEM
Most people have experienced a fire alarm system in action, whether it was during school, as part of a planned evacuation drill, or an accidental alarm during an event. But rarely do people think about how a fire alarm system actually works. The basic fire alarm system has four main purposes:
• Detect a fire
• Alert occupants of the fire condition
• Activate safety control functions
• Alert the local fire department
Some of the functions require complex design and engineering to accomplish, but in all cases these serve as one of the four primary functions.
All the functions of a fire alarm system are accomplished by a series of inputs and outputs. The system inputs consist of fire detection devices and system monitoring devices that activate the control panel and the outputs are responsible for occupant notification and control functions associated with life safety.