RiskXtraSeptember2018

FIRE SAFETY
End-to-End Fire Protection
Integrating fire alarm
and voice evacuation
systems into networks
on an IP-level
emerges as a futureproof
strategy with
significant benefits
uk.boschsecurity.com
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The combination of fire alarm and voice
evacuation systems has emerged as the
status quo over the past few years across a
wide range of sites. Significant safety benefits
arise from combining fire alarms with clear voice
alarm capabilities as studies have demonstrated
that voice alarm with clear instructions
significantly improves fire evacuation times when
compared to mere noise alarms.
Future levels of technology and automation in
buildings and industrial facilities are only going to
rise. Electrical hazards, combustible chemicals and
complex as well as extensive cabling have further
increased the fire loads. Smouldering cable fires
develop slowly and over extended periods of
overheating, subsequently placing high demands
on an addressable system of panels for fire
detection at an early stage. These IP-based
solutions are ideally combined with voice
evacuation to move people out of dangerous areas
as fast and efficiently as possible.
Need for IP network integration
However, the combination of fire alarm and voice
evacuation doesn’t equal integration of these
systems on a network level. In many installations,
fire detection and emergency PA technologies
currently co-exist as separate systems, which can
prove to be somewhat roblematic.
Bosch covers fire detection and evacuation with
a suite of compatible solutions. The company’s
modular Fire Panel 5000 Series includes highquality
panels and peripherals designed for
accurate and early detection and high immunity to
false alarms. A typical network can encompass 20
panels with up to 32,000 detection points. At
Munich Airport, the company has installed 19
panels and 18,000 automatic fire detectors.
On the other side, Bosch’s proven Plena,
Praesideo and PAVIRO voice evacuation systems
deliver clear voice messages, including prerecorded
warnings for emergency situations. In
terms of scalability, the Plena Voice Alarm System
supports small applications with up to six zones
and 254 fire detectors, while PAVIRO supports
medium-sized venues with up to 492 zones and
2,000 detectors. Praesideo secures larger
buildings and complex configurations.
Interfacing these two technologies is simple.
Without the need for additional hardware or
cables, Bosch’s Smart Safety Link creates a standalone
interface between voice evacuation and fire
alarm systems in buildings of all sizes. It requires
no installation of additional General Purpose Inand
Outputs between voice evacuation controllers
to distribute the alarm trigger, in turn bringing
down installation times.
Enhanced functionality and scalability
Aside from ease of installation, Bosch’s Smart
Safety Link achieves new levels of building safety
by creating a single IP-based interface (or multiple
interfaces) between the company’s performanceproven
fire alarm and voice evacuation systems.
Fully customisable to client specifications, the
scalable system supports a new generation of
dynamic evacuation protocols for a fast and
targeted emergency response.
These protocols include phased evacuation or
multi-staged dynamic evacuation targeted to
specific zones in a building (for instance to give
priority to evacuating people in closer vicinity to a
fire). The system provides targeted acoustic and
visual signals to guide people to safety and can be
configured into six-to-500 zones depending on
building size and complexity. This also allows for
evacuating large buildings such as Shopping
Centres, train stations or industrial facilities in
several phases in order to ensure orderly vacation
of the building and prevent panic or delays.
The system is also highly scalable. With only
one fully-expanded panel, complex medium-sized
systems with up to 4,000 detection points can be
created. The networking of several panels lends
itself to wide area coverage at large sites and
between facilities across property lines.
In addition, the combination of Ethernet and
controller area networking allows the greatest level
of flexibility for all kinds of applications, as well as
the connection of even more panels in a single
network structure.
The system can exchange data with
infrastructure solutions such as the Building
Integration System via open IT standards including
OPC. This unlocks a range of possibilities for
integration with other critical infrastructure
systems (such as video surveillance infused with
intelligence and building automation).
Ultimately, investing in the integration of fire
alarm and voice evacuation systems provides
buildings of all types and sizes with end-to-end fire
protection, from early-stage detection through to
an orderly evacuation. It also affords system
operators the peace of mind of knowing that their
systems are future-proof in light of fire safety
legislation as well as technological progress.
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