The Low Down On Fire Alarms
In the modern day fire alarm systems are generally automatic and
activate by detecting environmental changes in heat. Some buildings
still contain manual fire alarms where a thin sheet of plastic/glass
must be broken to set the alarm off. In some instances alarms are
both automatic and manual. Some alarms have the capability of notifying
the emergency services and others serve only as a warning sign for
occupants to evacuate the building.
There are a number of classifications for fire alarm systems depending
on required capabilities and the environment to be secured. However,
where home fire alarms are concerned, most people tend to install
the common smoke detector alarm as a stand-alone method of fire
protection.
Fire alarms are an essential alert mechanism for the protection
of your family. According to UK fire service statistics “Every
year the Fire and Rescue Service is called to over 600,000 fires
which result in over 800 deaths and over 17,000 injuries. About
50,000 (140 a day) of these are in the home and kill nearly 500
and injure over 11,000, many which could have been prevented if
people had an early warning and were able to get out in time. In
fact you are twice as likely to die in a house fire that has no
smoke alarm than a house that does.”
Fire Alarm Systems
There are three types of home fire alarm, and depending on the potential
causes of fire in your home you need to consider one of the following:
1. Ionisation Alarms: These are cheap to buy and sensitive to flaming
fires such as cooker or pan fires. However they are less sensitive
to slow burning and smouldering fires that smoke for a long period
of time before flames erupt.
2. Optical Alarms: These are more expensive but capable of detecting
larger particles of smoke produced by slow-burning fires, such as
smouldering foam-filled upholstery and overheated plastic wiring.
In contrast to the Ionisation alarm the optical alarm is slightly
less sensitive to free burning flaming fires.
3. Combined Alarms: These are effective at detecting slow-burning
and flaming fires, the combined alarm is an all round performer
for an environment where the risk-type of fire is undetermined.
When you consider that a kitchen fire is likely to be caused by
a greasy cooker and a living room fire by a flame near a sofa, it
may be a good idea to install an Ionisation alarm in the kitchen
and an optical alarm in the front room. That said, always consult
a fire safety expert to discuss your choice of home fire alarms.
Fully Securing Your Home
In addition to fire alarms you will want to install a method of
automatic fire protection such as a fire sprinkler system. Sprinklers
will activate when the heat threshold of a fire touches a sensor
inside the sprinkler, the smoke and flames are then saturated by
water and the risk is immediately eliminated. For free advice on
fitting home fire alarms and other methods of fire protection such
as sprinkler systems, give Fire Fighter 24/7 a call today and chat
with one of our certified fire safety experts. We look forward to
helping you secure your home from fire.
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