ESI's Blog
Monitoring Your Commercial Fire Alarms
One of the most important features of a sound and effective commercial fire protection plan is having the right fire alarm monitoring service available to detect smoke, excessive heat, or fire breakout at the onset. The actual fire alarm security system, if manufactured of commercial-grade components and properly installed, is only as good as the monitoring that takes place when the systems become activated. Buildings are vulnerable to the devastating effects of a fire that can engulf a commercial property in a matter of minutes. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has created minimum codes for states and municipalities to govern the installation of commercial or business fire alarm equipment, but these codes are set at a minimum standard. At ESI, Emergency Systems Inc, we exceed the standards set for fire protection by incorporating specific elements into an effective alarm system plan which is based on a number of factors.
- Size and Makeup of the Building.
- Location and Proximity to Other Structures.
- Type of Business or Services Offered
- Expected Level of Occupancy
- Level of Fire Alarm Services Required
If you are looking for a commercial fire alarm company in Jacksonville fl your search has ended.
Our level of service starts with a professional assessment followed by a design and implementation strategy to fit your businesses specific requirements. For over 40 years, ESI has been the commercial leader in fire alarm design, installation, repair and even re-engineering components, all accomplished by highly trained and experienced security technicians.
Let’s discuss the different types of fire alarm systems available and their unique feature offerings:
- Manual verses Automatic Systems
There are two very distinct fire alarm systems to choose from, manual and automatic. A manual system requires an individual to physically activate the fire alarm when a fire or smoke breakout is detected or suspected. This physical activation is accomplished by using a pull station located at different key locations throughout the dwelling.
When the alarm is activated, a loud sounding horn and strobe light is generated to give a warning that a fire or smoke event is in progress.
Automatic fire alarm systems incorporate heat and smoke detectors that automatically notify a commercial fire alarm monitoring station, and at the same time sounds the alarm that the system detected a breakout event is in progress.
2. Conventional Fire Alarm Systems
A conventional system divides the building into individual sections or zones. These systems can be either manual or automatic with each zone containing many fire alarm detectors and or pull stations. Conventional fire alarms are usually incorporated in smaller buildings and are less expensive. One drawback is that first-responders are only directed to a floor or building area not the specific activated station.
3. Addressable Fire Alarm Systems
This type of fire alarm system actually allows the individual activated device, smoke detector or pull station, to have what is called a unique address where one can identify the individual device that was activated. Being able to recognize the specific tripped device is of great advantage to first-responders not having to spend time trying to locate it. Additionally, service technicians can easily find a defective device with this unique address registration.
4. Commercial Fire Alarm Monitoring Stations
One of the most important components of an effective fire alarm safety plan is having a highly trained, monitoring technician on the job 24/7. In the event of a fire, smoke or excessive heat event, having a system monitor to react to the alarm activation is critical in saving time, money, assets, and deployment of emergency services.
Our centrally located, modernized, monitoring station facility is staffed by the security industry’s most experienced and highly trained personnel available.
When every second counts, you can count on ESI to deliver the most effective and cost-effective solutions to fire prevention, safety, and monitoring. Our vast experience and award-winning service have established us as the leader in providing security alarm solutions in Jacksonville and surrounding communities.
Give us a call at 904-388-3975 for a free, security alarm analysis. We provide a complete line of security alarm components and applications for fire, water suppression/sprinkler, burglar, panic and silent alarms, cellular boosting, video surveillance, CCTV, access control/keyless entry devices, motion-detecting, electric gates, perimeter security, a local monitoring center and much, much more.
For over 40 years Harvey Hudgins and his team of expert security technicians have been the commercial design, repair, and installation leaders for all types of security shields for business, office, home, governmental and municipal agencies all over Florida and South Georgia.