Because System Sensor has been listening to your current needs and looking ahead to what the industry will require, we are now making SpectrAlert® Advance speaker data available to model systems in EASE (Enhanced Acoustical Simulator for Engineers) software. EASE enables professionals to model voice system intelligibility and determine optimal speaker placement. While only a few fire and life safety system designers are currently utilizing modeling software for voice systems, we believe the use of these tools will become more widespread, especially as designers work to align their systems with the new intelligibility requirements published in NFPA 72, 2010 Edition.
As Tom Trask, an acoustical engineer with Newcomb & Boyd, discusses in this month’s Q&A, many public forums with large, reverberant spaces, such as stadiums, have paid a great deal of attention to acoustics: When your business literally depends upon being heard — whether it’s for a sporting event or a concert — your facility’s system must deliver quality sound.
Acoustics have not played as prominent a role in average commercial, industrial and institutional facilities for building-wide communications — greater emphasis is placed on being “loud enough” than on the quality of the messaging. However, when messaging entails fire and life safety notification, it is imperative to communicate at a sufficient sound and quality level. Rising interest in mass notification is partly responsible for the greater prominence of voice evacuation systems, and these systems must deliver much higher intelligibility than basic intercom or public address systems.
System Sensor is continuously listening to our customers about what works — and what could be improved — in our product lineup. Supporting EASE software with our published speaker data is a new initiative for us, but System Sensor understands its importance in the marketplace and the implications for the type of work you do.
Our product developers and engineers diligently strive to make improvements, and it’s through tried-and-true, in-the-field feedback that we gain necessary insights to focus our efforts on what matters most to you and your customers. We invite you to share your comments and suggestions on the reply card inserted in this magazine, or call us at 800/736-7672.
Christa Poss
Marketing Manager, Audible Visible Business Unit, System Sensor
Tags: A/V Notification, Editorial
Posted in Audible/Visible Notification, Editorial, Spring 2010
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