In terms of fire protection, these “great indoors” present great challenges. This month’s LifeSafety addresses the challenges of protecting tenants and other occupants, assets and the environment of these indoor structures.

Occupants, including tenants, are a top priority. The building owner should think about the safety of visitors and workers when developing an Emergency Communications System (ECS). This should be an integral part of their Emergency Plan and address such things as what to do in various emergencies like bad weather, fire or a police situation. The ECS helps to communicate those plans to the building occupants in as safe and timely a manner as possible. To do this, intelligibility of speakers is incredibly important, as is clear and consistent messaging. Alert strobes, speakers and dual strobes can be key elements in an ECS system.

Minimizing nuisance alarms and preventing operating interruptions are also top priorities. A happy tenant is a long-term tenant. System Sensor intelligent multi-criteria detection reduces the likelihood of nuisance alarms and unnecessary disruptions.

When investing in large facilities, the investment needs to be protected from fire for many reasons. Whether it’s a sports stadium, a mall complete with ancillary occupancies, or an office building with a large atrium, System Sensor products safeguard these environments. You can depend on System Sensor for total protection for these “great indoors.”

By Roopa Shortt,
Audible Visible Marketing Manager, System Sensor

This month’s issue discusses how to design and install fire and life safety systems for restricted-access zones, which may have more in common with other applications than you think. Prisons, just like hospitals, use a protect-in-place strategy, which is based on the notion that it’s unwise to discharge occupants onto the street every time a detector sounds. That strategy would be intolerable for schools, yet those serving the education market can relate to how prisons must safeguard sprinkler heads and take other vandal-proofing measures.

Borrowing great ideas makes sense. Of course, planners must always keep the unique needs and applicable codes for every installation in mind. OSHA regulations, for instance, allow mental institutions to have locked doors blocking egress routes, which leads to other necessary design considerations.

Challenging the status quo with fresh approaches and new technologies is what will help all of us excel as we move forward. System Sensor is committed to building on what works with product development aimed at bringing even greater ideas to fruition in the future.

By Jackie Lorenty,
Manager of Product Marketing, System Sensor

If you don’t, this issue is still for you.

Your typical client projects need not fall squarely in the “extreme” category to benefit from innovative and integrated fire and life safety strategies that target that market segment. When you think about it, when is a project ever truly ordinary? Don’t most projects have some unusual twist or challenge that makes them extreme in their own regard?

A community center may be considered fairly ordinary. Yet if it has a multi-story atrium where smoke could be trapped and not reach standard smoke detectors, then it, too, has an extreme design feature that requires special planning. Think about the janitorial supply room in a theater, the chemistry lab in a school or the auto shop attached to a retail store. These areas present hazards that are unique within the context of their surroundings.

The thinking that goes into designing extreme fire and life safety systems also applies to more ordinary situations, and includes thoroughly understanding the environment to be protected, applying codes properly and deploying safety measures to ensure that suppression systems don’t do more harm than good.

This issue’s Ask the Expert columnist states: “Each environment has to be evaluated on its own merits to determine the best integrated solution.” System Sensor can assist you with a broad variety of solutions as you assess, design and install the proper combination of systems to do the job right.

By Todd Alford

Manager of Product Marketing, System Sensor

A pre-action suppression system, which keeps sprinkler pipes dry until a fire detection system activates a control valve, is commonly used in mission-critical facilities. As good as dry- and wet-pipe sprinkler systems are at protecting typical commercial settings, a false discharge could be disastrous for sophisticated equipment and hinder the critical processes the facilities are performing.

Before a pre-action system activates, the detection system must properly assess the situation and then inform the system to release water into the distribution pipes. But even before that point, the fire system designer needs to determine if that’s the right strategy for the application. Designers need to prepare for the worst, but understand what’s at stake before implementing action plans – especially in mission-critical facilities.

This month’s cover feature and Ask the Expert discuss relevant codes and the detectors and other technology options for protecting mission-critical facilities. For example, System Sensor offers a variety of detection options – from nuisance-immune spot detection that excels at sensing the slow, smoldering fires typical of data centers to aspirating smoke detectors that provide the very early warning necessary to mitigate risk in mission-critical spaces.

You can learn much more about which systems arm you best in this issue. System Sensor is ready whenever you are.

By Lisa Weller,

Senior Product Marketing Manager, System Sensor

By offering a diverse range of detection and notification products, System Sensor can be your one-stop source for protecting lives and property. While System Sensor has many fine products to choose from, it’s important to realize that some products are more appropriate than others in certain situations given the environmental conditions, occupancy, and structure, among other considerations. Thus, it’s imperative that fire protection engineers and other professionals make the right choices.

FAAST® Fire Alarm Aspiration Sensing Technology is a reliable and highly sensitive product able to detect a fire in its incipient stage. FAAST is invaluable for protecting mission-critical environments and irreplaceable items. Aspiration systems are not intended, however, to replace life safety systems.

In office buildings and facilities with public access areas, for instance, System Sensor spot-type smoke detection systems and notification products are ideal for protecting lives. Yet even within commercial buildings, the right choice for protection can vary. For example, BEAM detectors may be necessary in atriums to cover the peaks that typical spot-type detectors might not be able to effectively protect, or duct smoke detectors may be warranted to keep smoke from spreading through HVAC systems.

As our “Total Fire Detection” and “Intelligibility 101” stories in this issue demonstrate, fire and life safety technology choices are not only wise for covering your bases, they are critical.

By David George,

Dir. of Communications, System Sensor

All too often, companies use their Web sites to share information with customers and others in the industry and then think they have done their part in “communicating” with the market. There’s nothing wrong with using the Internet as a resource for providing specification sheets, technical information, and company and product basics. But Web sites typically keep customers at arm’s length with a one-sided type of communication and should be part of a multi-faceted plan to connect with the market.

System Sensor has put a great deal of attention on improving its Web site in recent years because industry professionals have told us that they increasingly seek information on the Internet. That interest led us to develop several site features, and we will continue to expand what we offer at www.systemsensor.com. Plus, we just launched our Twitter page (www.twitter.com/systemsensor) and invite you to follow us @SystemSensor.

We have never lost sight, however, of the importance of using a variety of ways to connect with the industry. Our technicians manning the technical support phone line continue to serve a critical role in giving our customers immediate assistance, and System Sensor is always exploring other channels for communicating.

That’s why we are revamping the Reader Service Card in this issue of LifeSafety. The Reader Service Card offers the means for you, our LifeSafety reader, to tell us which specific information you need on a System Sensor product or service. As soon as we receive your request for information, we will mail you the printed technical sheets or marketing materials you need for better understanding our products or sharing the information with your customers.

We also urge you to use the Reader Service Card to offer feedback on LifeSafety editorial coverage. We would like to know if we’re hitting the target when we report on how System Sensor products are being utilized in the marketplace and the trends that affect your business. Please feel free to tell us your honest opinion on what works — and what doesn’t.

Our appeal for honest input extends to our company, too. System Sensor wants to continue improving across the board, and we rely on people like you to help point us in the right direction.

David George
Director of Communications
System Sensor

For most applications, traditional System Sensor detectors provide ample warning. For example, when a light fixture malfunctioned in the reference library of the historic Texas Capitol building in April, the nearest System Sensor smoke detector went into pre-alarm mode, alerting security personnel to the situation. Fortunately, this warning during the incipient stage kept a potentially devastating fire from escalating beyond minimal smoke damage.

However, for some facilities, even minimal smoke damage is too much. Think of a brokerage firm’s computer server room, an art museum or a pharmaceutical research and development lab: How much smoke can these environments afford?

If a smoke detector trips the sprinkler or chemical suppression system because of a nuisance alarm or because the fire is advanced, could you live with the results? Or would the water or chemicals be as damaging to your assets as smoke or flames?

Risk management is all about making intelligent decisions about what you can stand to lose versus what you are willing to do to gain adequate protection. A fire safety system that is completely suitable in one environment may not offer early enough warning or proper coverage for another project.

That’s why System Sensor is excited about broadening its fire and life safety system line with the addition of the FAAST® Fire Alarm Aspiration Sensing Technology system. This highly sensitive aspirating smoke detection system is the new standard in the industry. By covering the high end of the very early warning protection range, FAAST is a great complement to other devices we currently carry.

Designing fire safety systems entails thorough analysis of risks and objectives and then taking proactive steps to ensure those goals are met. System Sensor understands that no one can afford to take unnecessary risks, and we proudly offer you even more options to protect life and property.

Jeffrey Klein

Vice President of Marketing, System Sensor U.S.

For those of us in the fire and life safety business, of course, it’s disturbing to know that people may purposely ignore alarms that could save their lives. There are many other human-related barriers that could inhibit response to emergency signals, including confusion, preoccupation with activities and language or cultural differences. Therefore, we should all strive to improve response in the ways we can control by recommending and installing the right combination of notification systems.

Codes are catching up with the need to provide more precise information for all types of emergencies. Today, facilities must also plan for the possibility of shootings, chemical spills, natural disasters and other events that jeopardize personal and building security.

An alarm that captures people’s attention, followed by voice messaging offering specific instructions, can be highly effective in certain applications. If building occupants hear a voice message telling them to evacuate, they will be more likely to believe that there is a true emergency. Visual cues also confirm threatening situations. SpectrAlert^® Advance strobes, for example, which are marked ALERT and have a clear lens, are ideal for mass notification.

System Sensor knows that giving people clear information goes hand in hand with being understood. That is why we are placing greater emphasis on ensuring intelligibility. On page 4, this issue’s cover story provides an overview of NFPA 72-2010, which now covers intelligible voice system design. The story also includes information on how professionals can plan for and measure systems for optimal sound delivery.

It is impossible to control every aspect of intelligibility. But System Sensor is working hard to help you deliver life-saving solutions that are within your control.

Christa Poss
Marketing Manager, AV Business Unit, System Sensor

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

The reality is, the customer’s decision usually comes down to money, and it’s difficult to justify extra expenditures in this economy. Yet some dealers are reporting an uptick in system sales. How? By solving their customers’ problems and providing systems that may carry a higher up-front cost but will save their customers money in the long run.

It just goes to show that people are willing to pay for what clearly provides value to them. Those of us in the industry know it’s important not to skimp on critical fire and life safety systems, but do our customers always know when more advanced technology can provide higher returns on their investment and increased performance?

The Rumba Room, a Hollywood nightclub, is a prime example of how site problems revealed the inadequacies of a basic system (see cover story). The club, which previously experienced frequent, costly and disruptive nuisance alarms, has now installed the System Sensor Advanced Multi-Criteria Fire Detector. This technology exceeds what the nightclub was required to install, but the payback has been enormous in both life safety protection and cost savings.

This issue also offers tips for enhancing business by expanding service options with carbon monoxide (CO) detection. “CO Detector Saves the Day” is not the type of headline you’ll typically read in a newspaper; a story about a CO incident with tragic results is more common. But if the industry does a better job of promoting system-connected CO detection, people will eventually come to understand the benefits of CO monitoring, and we’ll read fewer stories about preventable CO-related deaths.

Together, let’s educate the market about why better protection systems and services are worthwhile for personal, as well as financial, reasons. Go to System Sensor Expands Training Opportunities to read how System Sensor is adding training options for professionals. When each of us has more knowledge about fire and life safety systems, we can then share that information with customers and improve service and protection. It’s a win-win for all of us.

Todd Alford

Marketing Manager — Commercial Business Unit