| Fire Alarm Systems- Fire safety in the Home |
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Fire Alarm Systems
A home fire alarm system is usually part of a total security system providing burglary
protection in addition to fire protection. Such a system supervises doors, windows, and
spaces within the home for break-in and may provide monitoring services by dialing
your telephone to report a fire or intrusion to a security office, where it will be reported
to your local police or fire department.
Due to their relatively high cost, these systems are generally found only in larger
homes. The system can cost $1000 or more to install, with 24-hour monitoring service
adding $15 to $20 per month.
Components of the System
These systems consist of a central control panel to which smoke alarms and heat
detectors are connected, along with bells or horns that are activated when the system
triggers an alarm. Other sensors associated with the burglary functions connect to
doors and windows or monitor rooms for motion or body heat. The control panel
operates from house power but also usually contains an emergency battery which can
operate the system for about 24 hours during a power outage.
The basic requirements for the number and locations of alarms are exactly the same as
with the self-contained alarms discussed previously. The difference is that a fire alarm
system gives you more flexibility to locate additional alarms and additional bells or horns
(or flashing lights, should a person in the household be hearing impaired).
Fire alarm systems that provide remote monitoring services can also be used to provide
medical alert services. Here a person with health problems who lives alone carries a
radio transmitter that can trigger the system in case they need assistance. Signals
received at the monitoring station are identified by type (fire, burglary, medical alert) so
that the proper response can be made.
Why Have a Residential Fire Alarm System?
The primary advantage of a home fire alarm system is increased reliability and the
ability to place alarms and bells exactly where needed. However, the reason most
people have them is that they wanted a burglar alarm system and the cost of adding fire
alarm features to a residential burglary system is relatively small.
Another advantage is that they are the only way to obtain remote monitoring services.
This becomes important in cases where family members may not be capable of
escaping from a fire without assistance. For example, if you have an older or physically
impaired person in your home and a fire started when no one was home to assist that
person, alarms alone might not be enough to assure their safety.
A feature of most monitoring services is the ability to keep special information on the
residence which comes up on the computer screen whenever an alarm is received from
that home. Thus, if there is a disabled person in the home who needs special
assistance this fact will be known to the operator and can be passed along to the fire
department when they are called.
A home fire alarm system is usually part of a total security system providing burglary
protection in addition to fire protection. Such a system supervises doors, windows, and
spaces within the home for break-in and may provide monitoring services by dialing
your telephone to report a fire or intrusion to a security office, where it will be reported
to your local police or fire department.
Due to their relatively high cost, these systems are generally found only in larger
homes. The system can cost $1000 or more to install, with 24-hour monitoring service
adding $15 to $20 per month.
Components of the System
These systems consist of a central control panel to which smoke alarms and heat
detectors are connected, along with bells or horns that are activated when the system
triggers an alarm. Other sensors associated with the burglary functions connect to
doors and windows or monitor rooms for motion or body heat. The control panel
operates from house power but also usually contains an emergency battery which can
operate the system for about 24 hours during a power outage.
The basic requirements for the number and locations of alarms are exactly the same as
with the self-contained alarms discussed previously. The difference is that a fire alarm
system gives you more flexibility to locate additional alarms and additional bells or horns
(or flashing lights, should a person in the household be hearing impaired).
Fire alarm systems that provide remote monitoring services can also be used to provide
medical alert services. Here a person with health problems who lives alone carries a
radio transmitter that can trigger the system in case they need assistance. Signals
received at the monitoring station are identified by type (fire, burglary, medical alert) so
that the proper response can be made.
Why Have a Residential Fire Alarm System?
The primary advantage of a home fire alarm system is increased reliability and the
ability to place alarms and bells exactly where needed. However, the reason most
people have them is that they wanted a burglar alarm system and the cost of adding fire
alarm features to a residential burglary system is relatively small.
Another advantage is that they are the only way to obtain remote monitoring services.
This becomes important in cases where family members may not be capable of
escaping from a fire without assistance. For example, if you have an older or physically
impaired person in your home and a fire started when no one was home to assist that
person, alarms alone might not be enough to assure their safety.
A feature of most monitoring services is the ability to keep special information on the
residence which comes up on the computer screen whenever an alarm is received from
that home. Thus, if there is a disabled person in the home who needs special
assistance this fact will be known to the operator and can be passed along to the fire
department when they are called.
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Note: All fire safety information obtained from the U.S. Fire Administration web site
| Copyright 1996 - 2011 by TurboSystemsCo |