Whether users are designing and engineering a new facility or renovating an existing building, there are many decisions to be made and a lot of them have long-term consequences.
With every major choice made, users need to weigh multiple factors: the safety, comfort, and sustainability of the building; the initial capital expense; the design and installation effort required; the importance of value-added features; the long-term total cost of ownership; the ease of maintenance and expandability; the availability of service and support, and more.
fire alarm and life-safety system
In many cases, users and those who manage the facility will have to live with the consequences of our decisions for a long time.
One of the most critical decisions is the choice of a fire alarm and life-safety system. To make the best-informed decision, the user must consider all factors. Here are 10 vital questions to ask before making a final choice.
QUESTION #1:
Does the vendor have the experience to provide the facility with optimal protection and value?
The prospective vendor has proven experience with the type of facility and its unique requirements
Every facility is unique. Some industries and environments have conditions that call for specialized fire protection equipment, such as high dust or noise levels, or the presence of high-value assets or flammable substances.
Others, such as hospitals and university dormitories, are 24/7 environments that require special care to avoid disruption to occupants.
Make sure the prospective vendor has proven experience with the type of facility and its unique requirements and offers a full portfolio of products, solutions, and services to satisfy them.
QUESTION #2:
Does the vendor offer design services or provide resources to help in designing and engineering the system?
When users design and engineer a fire and life-safety system, they don’t want to be starting from scratch. Look for a vendor that can design the system or support them with all the resources users need to simplify and accelerate the process, from templates and specification tools to videos and webinars.
It is also to the advantage of working with a company that understands the applicable codes and standards and can help users design a system that will meet the requirements enforced by the local AHJ (authority having jurisdiction).
QUESTION #3:
Are the system components easy and affordable to configure and install?
An addressable fire alarm system allows multiple devices to be linked in a single circuit
Fire protection products are not created equal, particularly when it comes to configuration and installation. Conventional fire alarm systems require the use of heavier-gauge wiring, and dedicated wiring runs from each device to the control unit.
That means larger conduit sizes and more wiring, which can make configuration and installation challenging and costly.
By contrast, an addressable fire alarm system allows multiple devices to be linked in a single circuit and often allows less costly, lighter-gauge wire and smaller conduit to be used. This can greatly simplify configuration, and the cost and effort to install.
QUESTION #4:
Is notification device testing easy and non-disruptive?
With some fire alarm systems, each device on the system has to be manually tested to ensure its proper function. The larger the network, the more resource and time-intensive the effort, and the greater the risk of human error. Testing can also be disruptive to occupants. However, many addressable fire alarm notification devices are self-testing, requiring fewer resources and less effort.
In addition, testing of addressable devices can be conducted at any time without any disruption to building occupants. In addition, each device has its address on the fire alarm system and the intelligence to communicate with the fire alarm panel.
So when a situation occurs, users know the precise location ... and an alarm or appropriate message can be delivered to that specific area to help ensure the safety of building occupants.
QUESTION #5:
Is system management user-friendly and intuitive?
Make sure the system provides important life-safety information and includes features that make it easy to operate
Once the system is installed and operating, there’s a good chance user will have non-experts in charge of its daily management. That’s why the system should be as easy and intuitive to operate as possible.
Make sure the system provides important life-safety information and includes features that make it easy to operate, such as color graphic information displays, touchscreen controls, and pan-and-zoom for precise navigation.
An integrated life-safety information management workstation can serve this purpose and help manage the overall environment. Ease of use also means ease of servicing.
- Real-time visibility
For example, some fire alarm systems offer remote diagnostics, providing real-time visibility into system operations and performance, and automating the detection and notification of abnormal conditions. This can speed up servicing and minimize downtime. Another measure of user-friendliness is mobile access.
In a mobile world; no one should be tethered to a desktop to do their jobs anymore. Mobile access can keep users in touch with the system via a smartphone or other mobile device, which is especially helpful if users manage the fire and life-safety systems for a campus or a widely dispersed group of facilities.
QUESTION #6:
Are the initiating devices smart enough to minimize false alarms?
Look for a fire alarm system with intelligent devices that feature “drift compensation
When a conventional sensor gets dirty, its sensitivity may be affected, creating the potential for annoying nuisance alarms. Look for a fire alarm system with intelligent devices that feature “drift compensation.”
These devices can evaluate environmental data and will compensate for contamination to maintain detector sensitivity and increase immunity to nuisance alarms.
QUESTION #7:
Is the system expandable, upgradeable, and scalable?
Users don’t want a fire alarm system that’s frozen in time or destined for obsolescence. When new technological advances become available, they will want to take advantage of them.
In the future, users may reconfigure or expand the facility or want to add new devices to the network. It’s important to ensure that the fire and life-safety system is both forward- and backward-compatible so that it can leverage the existing infrastructure, and be easily and cost-effectively modified, expanded, upgraded, and scaled to meet evolving needs.
QUESTION #8:
Is the vendor able to provide inspection, maintenance, and repair services?
The system will require regular inspection and maintenance, and if necessary, repair services
Getting the system installed and operating is just the beginning. To keep it performing optimally and in compliance with all applicable codes and standards, such as NFPA 72, it will require regular inspection and maintenance, and if necessary, repair services.
Does the vendor have the local resources, expertise, and round-the-clock availability to perform these services?
QUESTION #9:
Is the vendor able to integrate components of the system for easier management and better response?
The value of an integrated fire and life-safety system is greater than the sum of its parts. When all components of the system work in concert with each other from fire alarm and mass notification devices to access control, video surveillance, and building automation systems, the user can tailor the solution to meet the specific needs, manage it as a complete system (rather than a collection of devices).
This will help ensure a more integrated and effective response. the fire and life-safety system vendor should have the integration expertise to make it happen and build a comprehensive solution.
QUESTION #10:
Does the system include features that make it easier to comply with industry and government regulations?
Fire alarm and life-safety system should provide automatic, secure data storage right within the control panel
Inspection and test reports are essential to ensuring compliance with fire and life-safety codes and standards, and applicable regulations (such as The Joint Commission requirements for healthcare institutions).
Users could file that information manually and create reports from scratch but that’s time-consuming and subject to human error. The fire alarm and life-safety system should provide automatic, secure data storage right within the control panel.
- Compliance platform
In addition, users stand to benefit if the vendor can utilize a compliance platform that keeps all of this important information in one place. This technology makes life easier for the building manager and enables collaboration to help ensure the safety and compliance of the buildings. There are many factors to consider when choosing a fire alarm system for the facility.
But with the protection of the people, property, and assets at stake, it’s a decision the user wants to get right. Answering these 10 questions will help users zero in on the best system that will not only meet all of the present safety requirements but will deliver on future needs as well.
