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FREE Customized Price QuotesFREE Access to a Purchasing AdvisorFire Alarm Systems Overview: We walk you through the purchase process to help you get the Fire Alarm System you need.
Buying a fire alarm system is not something you should take lightly: in addition to the serious safety issues, there are specific legal codes that govern what goes into a commercial fire alarm system. Make sure you're working with a licensed fire alarm dealer before spending a dime.
Fire alarm systems for businesses are much more comprehensive than residential systems, in part due to the national fire code NFPA-72. Before selecting any fire alarm provider, make sure you know what local and state requirements you have to follow in addition to NFPA-72, and check that the dealers you speak to are adequately informed on all of them.
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Then you can choose to speak with one of our Purchasing Advisors who can walk you through the process and handle any issues or questions that arise. Our Advisors provide these services and more:
- Verify your information and give an overview of the purchasing process
- Provide purchasing tips and send buyer's guides
- Provide supplier profiles and ratings
- Mediate issues with suppliers
Fire alarm systems typically consist of these elements:
- Control panel. Ties all the elements of the system together, provides status reports on each zone. The control panel is also connect via phone line to a monitoring service, just like a burglar alarm.
- Fire detectors. Detectors can work in one of several ways, but are most commonly either smoke or heat detectors. Often, a combination of both provides the best protection. Carbon monoxide detectors are another key safety feature.
- Signal boxes. "In case of fire, break glass!" Manual fire alarms are another important part of your fire alarm system: if someone sees a fire start, pulling a manual alarm can lead to a much faster response than waiting for a passive detector.
- Horns and lights. Strobe lights and loud bells or horns together do the best job of getting people's attention and making them leave the building. Your alarm vendor should be able to determine exactly how many of each you need for optimum coverage.
- Backup battery. Fire can easily disrupt your main power supply – a backup battery ensures that the system will always be able to respond.
Who's manning the phones?
No matter what combination of sensors and keypads your alarm system uses, the most important single aspect of the whole setup is the monitoring service you use.
When your alarm is tripped, it sends a signal to the monitoring service. An operator there will then call a pre-set phone number to ask if there's trouble. If they don't get the designated contact, or if that person can't confirm that everything is under control, the monitoring service will call the fire department.
These monitoring services have round-the-clock coverage and can respond to trouble calls in just seconds. It's worth taking the time to interview them on the phone and ask about their training policies, response times, and experience – don't just take the word of the hardware salesperson.
Also make sure you get an alarm system that can be used with multiple providers: don't get locked into using one monitoring service because your control panel is proprietary.
False alarms
One of the biggest worries about fire alarm systems that are connected to a monitoring service is the risk of false alarms. Fire departments in many communities will start fining you after a few false alarms – if that's not an incentive to get a reliable system set up, consider that your false alarm could keep firefighters away from other legitimate calls.
Sprinkler systems
Sprinkler systems represent another side of fire safety: combating the effects of the fire once it starts. In most cases, sprinkler systems aren't really designed to extinguish serious fires. Instead, they cool the air and slow the spread of a fire, both of which help increase people's chances of escape.
Sprinkler systems are most commonly installed when a building is built, since they require extensive plumbing work. Updating or installing a new fire alarm system may require an inspection of your sprinkler system, though, so be prepared.
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