A Guide to Commercial Smoke, Heat and Carbon Monoxide Alarms

If you Have a Commercial Business, Smoke, Heat and Carbon Monoxide Fire Alarms are Essential safety Devices you Should Have Installed on Your Premises. 

Commercial Smoke Alarms incorporating multi-sensor carbon monoxide fire detectors detect smoke, heat and carbon monoxide in the air to alert building occupants should a fire occur. If you own a commercial property, it is your responsibility to ensure that your staff and customers are safe, so a smoke alarm that incorporates smoke, heat and carbon monoxide detection is an essential fire safety measure for your building.
 

How do Commercial Smoke Detectors Work?

Smoke alarms work by using dedicated smoke sensors that signal to the building’s fire alarm system if a dangerous level if smoke is detected the air. Once the control panel has been alerted to a rise in smoke, it will trigger alarms that are in place to prompt an evacuation of the building.

Smoke detectors, sometimes referred to as photo detectors, are normally used in benign environments where any potential fire will be slow burning. However, with the responsibility of occupant safety placed on the owner of a business property, commercial fire safety systems usually involve more than just smoke detectors.
   

How do Heat Detectors Work?

Heat detectors work in one of two ways, either by detecting the rapid rises in indoor air temperatures associated with a fire condition, or by sensing when air temperatures reach a dangerous predefined threshold (Usually sixt degree centigrade).

These detectors come into their own in environments that preclude the use of smoke detectors, such as those that have a high level of dust in the atmosphere.

How do Combined Heat and Smoke Detectors Work?

These detectors take the best of both smoke and heat detection to provide more accurate fire detection. The device still monitors smoke in the air, but the heat sensing element of the device can be used to increase the sensitivity of the sensor's ability to detect smoke particles, thereby making the devices more accurate and improve their response times.

These detectors are often used in light industry, retail and office settings.

How do Carbon Monoxide Fire Alarms Work?

When a fire burns in an enclosed room like a storage cupboard or office, it gradually uses the available oxygen and replaces it with carbon dioxide. As the carbon dioxide builds up, the fire burns incompletely and releases carbon monoxide.

Commercial carbon monoxide fire detectors identify the carbon monoxide atmosphere profile associated with a fire and send an alert to the building’s fire panel. Carbon monoxide fire sensing elements are generally used in multi-sensor fire detectors that monitor for smoke, heat and carbon monoxide levels and are always connected to a fire panel network.

How do Multi-Sensor Fire Alarms Work?

In order to provide the most accurate, and false-alarm resistant fire detection, multi-sensor fire detectors provide the rolls-royce of fire protection solutions.

Inside a multi-sensor fire detector, the device monitors the air for both the presence of smoke particles and carbon monoxide gas profiles associated with a fire condition, but also senses rapid rises in air temperature. All three elements are used to determine whether or not a fire condition exists in a building.

The combination of three different sensing technologies significantly reduces the threat of disruptive and potentially costly false alarms, and provides fast, accurate fire detection. This ability to reject false alarm conditions makes the multi-sensor detectors the ideal choice for hotel bedrooms where steam from bathrooms is a common source of false alarms. 

Multi-sensor detectors are designed for use in environmental conditions that are challenging, such as in industrial, retail, transport hub, and healthcare settings.

Smoke Alarms and Multi-Sensor Carbon Monoxide Fire Detectors: What’s the law?

UK law states that all business premises must have ‘an appropriate fire detection system’. This means that in the event of a fire, your building should automatically detect the fire and alert occupants quickly. 

While some smaller buildings may only need a simple smoke or heat alarm, larger properties with more than a single floor or buildings with elderly or vulnerable occupants require a fire panel network. This means that all of your fire detection components, including smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, and multi-sensor detectors are connected to one single interface.

When it comes to the safety of your building’s occupants, integrating multi-sensor smoke alarms incorporating carbon monoxide detection into your premises will ensure that your staff and customers can safely escape, while eliminating false alarms from burning food or rising steam.

At Johnson Controls, we offer a huge range of fire safety technology to protect your building, including multi-sensor smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors, and total fire panel systems. To learn more and speak to one of our experts on your fire safety needs, please get in touch using the form below.