automatic security Fire Panel

automatic security Fire Panel,A fire alarm control panel (FACP), fire alarm control unit (FACU), or simply fire alarm panel is the controlling component of a fire alarm system.

Wireless Control Panels

Wireless Control Panels form the core of a Wireless Fire Alarm System, regulating communication between devices and providing status information and configuration options to engineers and users.

Similar to Addressable Systems, each device has an address and can be assigned to up to 100 virtual zones which will be displayed on the control panel if there are faults or fire events. Wireless Control Panels are also used to test the entire system, configure auxiliary systems such as monitored inputs, and store event logs which can be downloaded to a computer for analysis.

Zerio Plus 8-Zone Wireless Control Panel

• Configure up to 8 Virtual Zones
• Fully addressable for up to 240 devices
• Compatible with USB keyboards for easy programming
• Certified to EN 54 Parts 2, 4, & 25 and BS 5839 Part 1
• 255 Event Log memory.
• Connects with up to 240 addressed devices

• Configured by USB keyboard or built-in keypad
• Group devices in up to 20 zones
• 4 programmeable relays and 2 monitored inputs
• Certified to EN 54 Parts 2, 4, & 25 and BS 5839 Part 1

The design, features, and code requirements of addressable and conventional fire alarm control panels

Known as a fire alarm control panel (FACP), fire alarm control unit (FACU), or fire panel, these appliances choreograph the activities of countless life-saving appliances to facilitate safe evacuation and swift emergency response during a fire.

In this article, we’ll take a look at how a fire alarm control panel features in a complete fire alarm system, what’s required by the International Building Code (IBC) and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), and what these standards mean for choosing a fire panel.

If you’re simply looking to buy monitoring and notifying devices compatible with fire alarm control panels, check out our line of alarm bells and accessories and our electronic switches for fire sprinkler systems.

What does a fire alarm control panel do?

Fire alarm control panels perform a wide range of life-saving and property-protecting tasks. Some activate fire suppression or fire sprinkler systems, while others don’t.

Some transmit a signal used to alert first responders, while others simply sound alarms in or around the building.

Every fire panel acts as a middleman between devices that watch for hazards and devices tasked with alerting people to danger or problems with fire protection systems.

Here’s how that works: when a fire starts, a smoke detector, heat detector, hand-activated pull switch, or manual call point sends a signal to a fire panel.

Fire sprinkler systems equipped with a flow switch or alarm pressure switch – devices designed to detect sprinkler activation – can also transmit a signal to the panel when water begins to flow through an activated sprinkler system.

The fire alarm control panel responds to any of these signals by lighting up or making noise, activating local bells or other signals, and/or sending a signal to fire officials or a private monitoring company tasked with notifying the authorities.

Many of these panels aren’t equipped to activate or send water to fire sprinkler heads, which usually activate one by one in response to rising ambient temperatures.

However, panels installed with some deluge sprinkler systems, for example, can open or close a deluge valve, which allows fire suppressant to be distributed to many sprinkler heads simultaneously.

Panels for fire alarm security systems in some facilities go even further, locking or unlocking doors, disabling elevators, turning off the electricity, or shutting off or turning on ventilation.

Fire panels can also be integrated with building management systems and security systems. In these cases, the functions of a fire panel take priority over the other systems and “the other systems cannot interfere with the operation of the fire alarm.”

For example, if an access control system locks down certain outer doors in a building due to an external security threat, that command would need to be overridden in the event of a fire evacuation.

The below video shows doors and horizontal fire shutters that close automatically in a fire emergency; in this case, access control and fire safety systems should be integrated: