A fire alarm system is a building system designed to detect and alert occupants and emergency forces of the presence of smoke,
fire, carbon monoxide, or other fire-related emergencies. Fire alarm systems are required in most commercial buildings. They may
include smoke detectors, heat detectors, and manual fire alarm activation devices, all of which are connected to a Fire Alarm
Control Panel (FACP) normally found in an electrical room or panel room. Fire alarm systems generally use visual and audio
signalization to warn the occupants of the building. Some fire alarm systems may also disable elevators, which under most
circumstances, are unsafe to use during a fire. Fire detection systems are designed to discover fires early in their development when time will still be available for the safe
evacuation of occupants. Early detection also plays a significant role in protecting the safety of emergency response personnel.
Property loss can be reduced and downtime for the operation minimized through early detection because control efforts are started
while the fire is still small. Most alarm systems provide information to emergency responders on the location of the fire, speeding
the process of fire control. To be useful, detectors must be coupled with alarms. Alarm systems provide notice to at least the building occupants and usually
transmit a signal to a staffed monitoring station either on or off site. In some cases, alarms may go directly to the fire department,
although in most locations this is no longer the typical approach.
