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How Fire Alarm Systems Work

Summary: To date there are two types of smoke detectors, Ionization and Photoelectric detectors. Read on how fire alarm systems work

Have you ever wondered how that little round objects attached to the ceiling ever detect smoke? We see it every day, yet a vast majority of us dont know how fire alarm systems work. While were talking of alarms, do you know that a tiny nuclear reaction takes place within that tiny cylindrical object 24/7? Come along and well take a closer look on how fire alarm systems work.

To date there are two types of smoke detectors, and the most commonly used are the ionization detectors. They are cheap, require little space, and are far more effective than the other type which are the photoelectric detectors.

Ionization Detector

Inside the Ionization detector houses a small amount of Americium-241 and two plates of opposite voltage. The voltage is usually provided by a cell and all are housed in an air flowing metal chamber. The actual body of chamber functions as the negative plate and the positive plate covers the Americium. So what does this element do? The Americium generates alpha particles. These particles ionize the oxygen and nitrogen atoms of the air inside the chamber. The event is simply knocking off electrons in the air. As the electrons are knocked off, the air atom gets positively charged and attracts to the negative plate, while the electron gets attracted to the positive plate. Meanwhile, the electrical circuits within the detector senses if there are no disruptions to the pattern.

Because the chamber is open, air passes through freely and gets ionized. But when smoke enters this Ionization chamber, it disrupts the ionization process and the electrical horn within the unit is sounded.

About Americium-241

This element is radioactive, meaning it produces radiation. But the amount within the Ionization Detector is considerably small that the radiation it produces wont pose harmful effects. Plus, the radiation emitted is mostly alpha radiation which has the penetration factor of only a few centimeters. Several inches of air completely blocks it; a paper can effectively block it. Being housed in a metal cylinder would surely pose no harm. Still, discarded Ionization Detectors should be disposed properly. After all, it is still a radioactive element.

Photoelectric Detectors
Photoelectric detectors arent used as largely because they arent that sensitive as most require a substantial amount of smoke to go off. Photoelectric detectors consist of two channels, one is to emit light and the other detects it. If smoke particles are present in the air, this will interfere with the signal and the alarms goes off.

Most fire alarm systems are wired together so if one gets an alarm, all fire systems goes off. Some are even wired together with a water shower that automatically goes off in case of fire.
Alarm System Monitoring

An alarm system monitoring company observes and monitors the security of its clients. If there is a breach in the security system, the monitoring company notifies the local law enforcement agency through the company monitoring system. In some cases like fire and carbon monoxide poisoning, the alarm system monitoring company will notify the nearest fire department or medical facility.
Some of the alarm system monitoring companies employ emergency situation specialist or security specialist in order to determine what sort of action needs to be done on a particular situation. Some monitoring companies have monitors and speaker systems installed on their clients home or establishment for more effective communication with their clients within the premises of the emergency situation. For example if the security alarm systems detects fire, the security system will then activate an audible alarm in the house or building and then sends an alarm to the alarm system monitoring company stating the emergency. The situation specialist will then contact the occupants of the building or house through the speaker system to notify them of the situation. The situation specialist will then contact the nearest fire department. In case of burglary, the security specialist will advise the burglar to stop and discontinue the burglars intention as the local police has been notified. However, almost all of the procedures for each emergency situation are automated, all the specialist has to do is to monitor the situation.
The alarm system situation specialist will also determine if the alarm is false or not, since most alarms are triggered by pets and insects.
If you want your security alarm system installed by an alarm system monitoring company, always make sure that the company that you have chosen is certified by independent agencies for quality and experience, and most of all, reliability Alarm system monitoring companies these days have various services offered. These services are: Medical Response Monitoring; Critical Conditioning Monitoring; Intrusion Alarm Monitoring; Fire Alarm & Sprinkler Monitoring; Elevator Telephone Monitoring; Auto Dialer; Hold-Up or Panic Alarm Monitoring; Open & Close Reporting; Open & Close Signal Tracking Supervision; Exception Reports; Duress Monitoring; and PIN or Passcode Management
Types of Fire Alarm Systems

There are many types of fire alarm systems readily available on the market. All types of fire alarm systems have essential function in detecting and containing fires. Some types of fire alarm systems are interfaced with an auto dialer that will automatically notify the fire department and emergency rescue personnel in an event of fire.
Wired fire alarm systems are of three types. These are the conventional fire alarm system, addressable fire alarm system and the analogue addressable fire alarm system.
The conventional types of fire alarm systems are composed of a number of detectors and call points. These fire detectors and call points are all wired and connected to the fire alarm system control panel by zones. These zones help identify where the fire started or where the fire is located. An audible alarm system is also connected to the control panel which gives off an alarm (usually a very loud bell) in an event of fire
One of the other types of fire alarm systems is the addressable fire alarm system. These systems are very much the same with the conventional fire alarm system. However these systems can pinpoint the exact location of the fire, unlike the conventional system wherein the location of the fire is determined by zone. The control panel of this fire alarm system is programmed to provide specific information when a particular detector is activated. The sounders or audible alarms of these systems are similar to the conventional ones.
Analogue addressable fire alarm systems are more recognized as The Intelligent Fire Alarm type of system. There is also a number of types of analogue fire alarm system determined by operational procedure. Analogue fire alarm systems are more complex and consist of more components than the other types of fire alarm systems. This is to determine and avoid false fire alarms from occurring.
Some fire alarm systems have fire sprinkler systems, automatic detection system, evacuation system and environmental monitoring. The fire sprinkler system prevents the fire from burning out of control. Most of the time, the sprinkler system puts out the fire. The automatic detection system is composed of smoke and heat sensors which detects the fire. The evacuation system is composed of horn strobes, strobe units and manual pull stations. These are designed to set off audible and visual warnings. The environmental monitoring system is an alternative type of fire detection system. These systems use the standard fire devices and are wired and connected to environmental sensors.
Always consult the local fire prevention agency if you need advice on what type of fire alarm system you want to install in your home or establishment.

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