Conventional Alarm Panels

Conventional fire alarm systems are one of the long-standing types of fire detection systems used in various industrial, commercial and residential buildings today. Designed to detect fires and alert occupants to ensure safe evacuation, they have several key characteristics:

• Zone-based Detection: Conventional fire alarm design divides a building into multiple zones. Each zone is wired to the central control panel and has its own set of detectors and notification devices.
• Simplicity: These systems are relatively simple to operate, making them an effective choice for smaller buildings or for less complex situations.
• Cost-Effective: When compared to an equally sized facility, generally conventional fire alarm systems are more affordable than addressable systems, especially for smaller installations.
• Dependability: Conventional systems have been in market for many years and are considered quite reliable in various applications.

How They Work

1. Detection: When a fire starts, heat or smoke is detected by one or more of the initiating devices (smoke or heat detectors) or a pull station can be manually activated in the event of a fire.
2. Alarm Activation: The initiating device sends a signal to the control panel.
3. Zone Identification: The control panel indicates in which zone a device has been triggered by illuminating a ‘labelled’ indicator on the panel.
4. Alerting Occupants: The panel sends a signal and activates the notification devices (bells, horns or strobes) alerting occupants to evacuate.
5. Response: The fire department is notified either manually by occupants or automatically through a connected ULC fire monitoring service.

While Conventional alarm systems can be cost-effective and are reliable and easy to maintain, they provide limited information at the panel thus increasing investigation time and are not as easily scalable for larger more complex buildings when compared to Addressable fire alarm systems.