What are fire control panels and how they help you?
A fire control panel is a safety component which offers control through a fire alarm or a notification system to choreograph a number of tasks that are life and property saving. When a fatal event like fire happens, numerous safety appliances installed throughout the building are set into motion and they work together to facilitate swift emergency responses, minimizing and in some cases, successfully preventing the associated risk and damages. But why do we need it? The point of installing a fire control panel is to activate a quick emergency response when there is fire in the building, so that we can take action to protect ourselves and evacuate safely. Different fire panels offer different features. Throughout the building, such panels are installed which remain active. While the most basic fire alarms simply trigger a bell in and around the building, a more advanced system could start an emergency water sprinkler and alert the local fire station authorities or private monitoring agencies that are tasked with notifying the authorities as well. Here’s how it works: Traditionally, manually operated glass break units were installed in buildings. But nowadays, a more intelligent fire control system is used. Different accessories like a heat detector, smoke detector or multi-sensor detectors are connected to the Fire Alarm Control Panel, which is the ‘brain’ of the fire detector system. When fire breaks out, the sensors present in these detectors stimulate the alarm by responding to changes in the flow of electrical current. The main control panel is further linked to electronic sounders and bells which make sound on being triggered and alert everyone. Furthermore, when the fire alarm panel’s response system is activated, water sprinklers start to douse fire. In some advanced panels that make use of wireless technology, the device immediately sends a notification to the people within the building to evacuate and the fire department to rush to the building and put off the flames preventing damages. So, in essence, the main function of fire alarm panels is to detect the presence of fire and alert the occupants of the building so that they can save their lives. In order to ensure safety, installation of these fire alarm panels is necessary. But it is important to be aware of its different types, suiting our requirements, which are as follows:
· Coded Panels: These are the earliest and the most commonly used panels which are known for alerting the occupants audibly by using bells to distribute codes to the entire building. Most of these systems require someone to pull the reset switch manually and disengage the panel.
· Conventional Panels: These panels work on more than one circuit, connected to sensors that are wired in parallel. These sensors are designed to decrease the circuit resistance when the sensor readings exceed specific thresholds.
· Addressable Panels: In these panels, each device gives an exact location of fire and also detects conditions that could possibly lead to it, making these alarm systems ideal for large buildings where the owner has enough time to shut down the device and prevent further damage.
Apart from this life saving function, there are times when a false alarm is raised, which cause inconvenience to everyone. In order to avoid this situation, simple methods like educating the building owners, electricians and general public helps to a large extent.. Also, use of multi sensor detectors has proven effective in reducing these false alarms. Moreover, engaging technicians to investigate, report and perform drills time to time improves overall situation. Injuries caused by accidental fires are potentially the most damaging and thus need to be taken care of