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An alarm going off in time could surely be help in at least dousing the flames before they engulf a dwelling and minimise the loss, if not avoid it.

Fire alarms come in two variants — conventional and addressable. Both these solutions work on basis of detecting heat and smoke and go off only when both of them are above a certain level.

For places where heat is normally higher compared to other rooms, heat detectors are a preferred option as one would not want false alarms raising unnecessary panic. Fire alarms are placed according to one’s requirements and also the availability of space is considered. All the fire alarms, both addressable and conventional, are fixed to a control panel or a call point. Once a fire or smoke is detected and is sensed by the equipment, signals are sent to the call point where an alarm goes off. In some cases, the control panel also pinpoints the origin of smoke or fire, thereby saving time in extinguishing fire.

Moreover, in homes that have a false ceiling, two fire detectors are installed, one on the false ceiling and one above it. So, if a spark breaks into a minor fire, one of the detectors will raise an alarm. “One has to check if wiring of the house is proper because 70 per cent of the fire accidents are due to short-circuits and this is where fire alarms, smoke and heat detectors come into play”, informs K. Shashank, Business Director of eZone.

For commercial structures, a wall sounder is installed along with the detection systems and control panel. As soon as a fire is detected, the unidirectional sounders get to work, emanating sound waves in one direction, thereby helping people to find the exit of the building. A strobe light is fixed above the sounder for visibility of the exit.

When it comes to installing fire detectors at homes, it is advisable to get what is required and not more than that. “For home usage, it would be best to fix a smoke and LPG detector and a control panel. All the equipment must be wired to the control panel appropriately”, says Shashank. “But for a residential block, the areas are divided into zones and each apartment is connected to one control panel, thereby making it easier to pinpoint any accident.”

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