Houston commercial fire alarm systems are critical for keeping your facility safe. No matter what type of facility you manage, all buildings are at risk of a fire. This can cause extensive property damage, bring your operations to a stop, and, most importantly, put people at risk for injury and death. That’s why fire alarms are so important. They help you detect a fire as soon as possible to get people out of the building and get the fire department there as soon as possible to extinguish the flames.
However, keep in mind that there are many different requirements for fire alarm systems in commercial buildings. There are federal, state, and local laws that apply to your systems. Therefore, you should work with experts to design a system that meets the requirements and protects your people and building in case of a fire. Read on to learn more about requirements for notification systems for Houston commercial fire alarms.
If you need a fire alarm or security system for your commercial or industrial facility, contact our team now to get a quote.
How Houston Commercial Fire Alarm Systems Work
Houston commercial fire alarm systems are sophisticated systems that help alert you of a fire and, in many cases, even help extinguish or control it. Fire alarm systems work by using detection devices throughout the building to look for signs of a fire, like smoke and heat. Once one of these devices detects a fire or someone uses the manual pull station, the system knows there’s a fire and takes appropriate steps. This means initiating any extinguishing systems like fire sprinklers and sounding alarms to notify people to begin evacuation. There are several things to note about notification devices in fire alarm systems that help them notify everyone in the building.
Requirements for Fire Notification Devices
Notification devices in Houston commercial fire alarm systems are designed to alert everyone in the building to the presence of a fire. As such, there are several criteria these devices must meet. First, we should mention that there are several ways that the system may initiate the notification process. Systems must sound the alarm in certain situations. For example, when smoke detectors find signs of a fire, when heat activates automatic sprinkler systems, and when someone uses the pull station.
Fire alarms must use both visual and audible notifications. For the visual notifications, they must use a strobing light in a clear or white color. It must strobe between one and two times per second. For audible alarms, the system can use practically any sound, like a horn or a ringing. The key is that it must sound in a pattern of three and sound for at least 180 seconds (they may also sound in a pattern of four for carbon monoxide detection). They also need to be at least 15 decibels louder than the maximum noise level for the building, but no more than 110 decibels according to the ADA.
Along with the alarm sound, many facilities also pair these with voice notifications. These systems may say things like “fire, please evacuate” or another command to clarify the issue. Often, these automatic voice responses to a fire alarm are linked up during Houston intercom installation for the building.
Safety & Security Solutions from Securecomm Technologies
Keeping your building safe and secure is of the utmost importance, and our team at Securecomm Technologies is here to help you do just that. We offer a wide range of solutions for security and safety systems, including comprehensive Houston industrial security systems and fire alarms. Our goal is to provide you with a customized system perfectly tailored to your needs. Reach out now to get a free quote from our experts.