Gent by Honeywell - Fire Sensor Application Guide & System Design

Fire Sensor Application Guide - System Design Product Selector

System Design - System Category & Selection

The general steps for the Designer are:

• Ensure the Fire Risk assessment is complete
• Confirm level of protection or system category is correct (listed below)
• Confirm the 'Cause & Effect'
• Agree any 'Variations' with all relevant parties
• Complete the specification drawings
• Sign off the G1 Design Certificate required within BS5839-1:2002 System Categories are fully described within BS5839-1:2002 and vary depending on the Risk. These are commonly referred to as Category M, L5, L4, L3, L2 or L1 or Life protection of P1 or P2 for Property protection. Below is a small portion of advice taken from notes associated with one of the Approved CPD training seminars that relate specifically to fire detection design.

Detector Selection & Siting
Selection and siting of sensors (for further advice please refer to clauses 21 & 22 of BS 5839-1:2002)

The objective is to select the correct sensor for the appropriate application, to provide the earliest warning of fire without the risk of a false alarm. It is therefore worth trying to visualise the type of fire that is likely to occur in a particular room or area and also to familiarise oneself with the application and the risks that could give rise to a false alarm.

It should also be remembered that a Vigilon system can incorporate a whole range of different sensors using S-Quad multi-sensors. These can be set up for different applications and can be switched from ‘state to state’ should particular risks be present for short periods of time.

This should be read in conjunction with the application/risk charts, please visit www.gent.co.uk for the S-Quad Selector, which is available to download.

Obviously conditions may vary depending on the particular application and if there are any doubts, please contact Gent for further consultation.

• Voice Alarm (VA)
• Voice messages are more effective than tone signals alone.

Research has shown in an alarm situation:

• 13% of people react in timely manner to bell tones
• 75% people reacted quickly to a voice message explaining the nature of the emergency

In addition to this it was found that people will naturally use the entrance they used to enter the building to leave even if it is not the closest.

VA systems provide clear directions to people in the building in an emergency. Live messages giving exact instructions in a complex building where people are not familiar with the layout meeting the needs for general communication.

Gent by Honeywell will provide FREE advice on Fire Detection and Voice Alarm system design recognising the responsibilities imposed on the Designer. This is available through our Network of Approved System Integrators.

The service our Sales Support Team can offer is:

• Fire Detection design & application advice
• Voice Alarm design
• Acoustic design & modelling using the Ulysses tool
• Central Battery & Static Inverter design, sales support & commissioning
• Aspirating design & application support
• Factory Acceptance Testing
• Site survey & application support
• Site training