Any building owner, business operator, and facility manager must have fire safety as an important responsibility. It can be a commercial property, a workplace, a warehouse, a hospital, a school, or a complex of residential buildings, and a reliable fire detection system is essential to save lives and precious properties. The Conventional Fire Alarm Systems is one of the most common and reliable systems that are applied in detecting fire.

The importance of installing effective fire protection systems is increasingly being realized by every business and institution in Ghana. Fire hazards can be detected in time and can help avoid severe damage of property and save people in risky situations. This is the reason as to why most organizations turn to professional fire safety providers such as Garetech who is providing reliable fire alarm systems that meet the current requirements of new buildings and the need of safety.

What Are Standard Fire Warning Systems.

Traditional Fire Alarm Systems are meant to detect fire by smell (smoke), heat ( heat detectors) or manual call points and signal occupants with alarm sounds. Such systems segment a building into various areas thus that once a fire is identified each system can locate the area that the problem is being experienced.

It is common to have each zone representing a part or portion of the building like a floor, hallway, office space or a storage space. In case a detector picks up smoke or too much heat, the control panel picks up the signal and triggers the alarm with the indication of the area the alarm came up.

The system might not be able to identify what exactly was the device that sounded the alarm, but knowing the zone can help the building managers and emergency responders to find the potential source of the fire in a short period of time.

Due to their low cost and design simplicity, Conventional Fire Alarm Systems are prevalent in the Ghanaian small and medium sized buildings.

Primary elements of Traditional Fire alarm Systems.

The traditional fire alarm system comprises of various parts that are necessary to identify the existence of danger in form of fire and alert building occupants.

Fire Alarm Control Panel

The control panel is the brain of the whole system. It is provided with the signals by detectors placed in various areas and switches the system of alarms in case a fire situation is identified.

Smoke Detectors

Smoke detectors detect that smoke fills the air which is most of the time among the first indicators of fire. On detecting smoke, the device notifies the control panel.

Heat Detectors

The heat detectors are sensitive to temperature variation. They come on upon reaching a particular temperature or a sudden rise in temperature.

Manual Call Points

Manual call points enable the individuals to activate the fire alarm by hand when they detect the presence of a fire. The devices are normally placed in convenient places like corridors and exits.

Alarm Sounders and Bells

The alarm sounders generate loud alarming rings which alert everyone in the building when a fire is detected and everyone should evacuate at once.

Zone Wiring

Each zone consists of detectors and call points that are wired to the control panel in order to make the system aware of which part of the building may have caused the alarm.

The operation of the Conventional Fire Alarm Systems.

Conventional Fire Alarm Systems operation is simple, although effective. The building is divided into several zones associated with each of the sections, and various detectors and equipment are integrated into the area.

The fire alarm control panel receives the signal when one of the devices detects smoke or heat. The control panel then switches on the alarm sounders and shows the area on which the alert was triggered.

This will enable the building occupants to leave within a short time as the safety teams can inspect the reported area. The emergency responders will then be able to concentrate on the area affected to detect and contain the fire hazard.

Benefits of Conventional Fire Alarm Systems.

Conventional Fire Alarm Systems that are used by many organizations in Ghana are due to various practical benefits that it comes with.

Affordable Installation

The traditional systems are cheap in most cases than the advanced addressable systems, hence apt in small buildings and businesses.

Simple System Design

The system is convenient to the facility managers and maintenance teams as the system structure is easy to understand and operate.

Reliable Fire Detection

Such systems have reliable smoke and heat sensors which can warn occupants in time and minimize chances of fire spreading.

Easy Maintenance

The system design is less complicated so that routine maintenance and troubleshooting is not as complex.

Small and Medium Buildings Appropriate.

The traditional Fire Alarm Systems are most effective in buildings where the separation of the building into zones suffices to identify the possible fire hazards.

Constructions Which use traditional fire alarm systems.

Many forms of buildings that require fire safety make use of conventional systems.

• Popular installations encompass
• Office buildings
• Retail stores and supermarkets.
• Educational institutions
• Minimal factories and warehouses.
• Hotels and guest houses
• Apartment buildings
• Healthcare facilities

The zone based system in such settings ensures that there is adequate information needed in cases of responding promptly in case of a fire outbreak.

Significance of Fire Alarm system in Ghana.

Since urbanization is evolving within Ghana, commercial and residential constructions are emerging to be even bigger and more complicated. It is with this development that there is greater demand of effective fire protection systems.

Both monetary loss, infrastructure damage, and threat to human lives may arise because of fire incidents. In most instances, fires prove to be hazardous as they are detected at the later stages.

Installation of Traditional Fire Alarm Systems can be used to guarantee early detection. By quickly detecting smoke or heat, the occupants have adequate time to safely evacuate the building and emergency agencies can also act before things get out of hand.

To the business, it is also useful that they have adequate fire safety mechanisms to comply with safety provisions and ensure continuity in their operations.