When you own property and want to protect it, what should you have in place? Surely you can think of some answers to this question, and one answer is this: a good fire alarm system. There are different types of fire alarm systems available today. How can you sort through them and choose what’s best for your situation?
Considerations When Finding the Right Commercial Fire Alarm System
If you plan on picking out a fire alarm system then there are some questions to ask yourself first. What’s the overall size of your building? Is it one level or does it have multiple levels? Where’s the building located? Is it in a busy area surrounded by other buildings close by, or is it standing alone in a rural, remote area? Next, ask yourself this: “What kind of property is this? What is done here that needs to be protected?” And then think about things like what kind of features you might like your future fire alarm system to have… and what are some requirements you deem as “must haves” versus preferences?
With fire alarm systems there are manual and automatic ones. An automatic system can send a notification to a monitoring provider quickly– as soon as it detects smoke or fire. Manual systems require a person to activate the alarm in certain locations. There are also addressable systems– these designate a zone/section to have its own fire alarm, which is connected to a main panel.
Addressable systems can help firefighters easily pinpoint where a fire is in a building. Expanded systems can include things such as sprinklers to distribute a chemical fire retardant and/or containment systems which lock down certain parts of a building in order to stop the spread of fire.
If you’re not sure what kind of fire alarm system your building or property should have, call Life Safety Consultants and ask questions– the number is 1-888-557-0558 for more info.
