How to avoid a tragedy, or why you need a fire alarm..
How to avoid a tragedy, or why you need a fire alarm.
The Perm club «Lame Horse», according to documents, was equipped with an automatic fire extinguishing system and a fire alarm system. On the night of December 4-5, 2009, a fire broke out in the club. As a result, 234 people were injured, of whom 156 died. 109 children lost one or both parents. This tragedy could have been avoided if safety concerns had been more than just on paper.
If you rent (or own) an office of 25 square meters, it can accommodate 4-5 workstations. Each of them can cost from 30,000 rubles. In the event of a fire due to a short circuit in the wiring, which is not so rare, these workstations will almost certainly be destroyed. Your direct damage will amount to 120-150 thousand rubles. The cost of restoring documentation and other important details will easily exceed this amount. It will be good if there are no casualties. All this can be prevented by installing a fire alarm system.
What types of fire alarms are there?
There are 3 types of fire alarms:
- Addressable
- Threshold
- Radio channel
By installing an addressable alarm, you will know where the source of the fire is, down to the room.
In the case of a threshold, you can find out where the fire is burning with precision down to the zone – floor, wing of the building.
Radio channel systems are addressable systems. Only during installation you do not need to lay a lot of cables, which means less time and effort is required for their deployment.
Which alarm system to choose?
If you have a small building or just a couple of rooms, it doesn't make much difference which system to choose. The fact is that the difference in price and functionality in systems for up to 10 rooms is not very different — it can reach 5,000-7,000 rubles. Therefore, in this case, you need to proceed from your financial capabilities. Remember, addressable systems are generally more reliable than threshold ones.
If you need to equip a large complex or even several buildings with a fire alarm, it's worth thinking about!
In large premises, be it a workshop, a sports or assembly hall or a hangar, it is advisable to install threshold systems, since the premises are one and it is necessary to monitor its general condition. If you have a warehouse, this approach is unacceptable — in a warehouse you need to know exactly where the fire is burning in order to quickly extinguish the fire and save as much property as possible.
In office buildings, it is better to install addressable systems to accurately determine where the fire is. If there are a lot of premises, more than sixty, then it is better to install a radio channel system and thereby save on wires and installation time. Thus, even taking into account the higher cost of fire detectors, the entire system will be cheaper.
What does a fire alarm system consist of?
A control device, smoke detectors (up to 3 per 30 sq. m.), exit signs, emergency lighting fixtures, a warning siren and wires – that’s all you need to install a fire alarm. The entire set will cost you from 10-15 thousand rubles. Agree, a small price to pay for peace of mind.
What is the alternative?
Today, technology has reached a high level. For example, some video surveillance systems can also detect fires, and quickly and reliably. However, it is impossible to say for sure that specialized fire alarm systems can be replaced with something else. And the laws do not allow such replacements. Perhaps fortunately, because video surveillance systems were originally created for other purposes.
A drowning man must save himself.
According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, there were 35,577 fires in Russia in 2010. 3,652 people died and 3,198 were injured. This is 6% less than in 2009. But this progress cost a lot of effort — the state applied many sanctions and spent huge amounts of money. Laws were passed requiring the installation of fire alarm and notification systems in all premises where people are present. But it cannot protect everyone. Many organizations suffered losses due to the forced suspension of activities — without a fire alarm, they had no right to work. Those who took care of their safety in advance calmly continued their activities. Therefore, it is better to install a fire alarm system yourself, without waiting for instructions from the inspection authorities.
P.S. A fire alarm is necessary, that's a fact. It helps not only save people's lives, but also avoid material damage. Addressable systems are more reliable than threshold ones, but they are more expensive and their use is not always advisable. If you need to install a fire alarm in more than sixty rooms, it is better to use a radio channel, if in less than ten, a threshold will be enough. Some video surveillance systems can detect a fire earlier than a fire alarm system, but it is not yet possible to replace fire detectors with video cameras. It is best to use both a conventional fire alarm and a video surveillance system in combination, rather than relying on one or the other. As the saying goes, two heads are better than one.
Full text: (http://seccom.ru/blog/46)
Author: Mikhail Trush, Technical Director of «Security and Comfort»