Fire alarms make an enormous difference to people’s safety in the event of a fire. By sounding a loud, piercing alarm at the first signs of smoke and heat, they buy people valuable minutes to exit the building safely.
Fire alarms must be in good working order and be regularly tested, according to Gov.UK. If your organisation would benefit from support with fire risk assessment Northamptonshire, contact //isefireproducts.co.uk/fire-risk-assessments/northamptonshire/.
Fire alarms can be monitored in several different ways. Let’s have a look at the options.
Cellular Monitoring
With this system, alerts from the alarm’s monitoring panel – in a workplace, school or similar – are sent to a central monitoring team via cellular data. This method is becoming more common, since it is so reliable. In the event of a fault or issue, the monitoring team can advise and offer practical help.
DACT or Digital Communicators
This system is much like the one above, but uses traditional phone lines. However, emergent cellular technologies have overtaken DACT as the most reliable way to ensure consistent communications.
RF – Radio Frequency Monitoring
In remote or rural areas where cellular coverage is lower, it’s possible to monitor fire alarms using radio frequency monitoring. This means the alarm is connected to the central team via a private radio network.
Proprietary Monitoring
In workplaces over a certain size, an on-site team may monitor fire alarms and ensure they are in good working order. This may be, for example, on university campuses or other very large venues.