A fire alarm control panel is a control device that detects, reports and acts on hazardous fires in buildings. This protective system is bound by many different rules and safety regulations before it can be sold. There are two main types of

panels; conventional panels, and analogue addressable panels. Fire alarm panel repair must be done by certified technicians only. Manual fire detection points such as manual pull stations, smoke detectors and heat detectors in a building are all hooked up to a control panel. When a device connected to the panel is activated, the panel will for example directly call the fire department via a so-called alarm transportation system.

How do Fire Alarm Control Panels Operate?

A fire control panel is based on two main processes:

Receive Information from Input Devices

The control panel receives information regarding smoke or heat problems in a bulding, via devices that are connected to the panel, such as smoke detectors, heat detectors, sprinkler flow switches, or the alarm is set off manually. There usually are manual pull stations in a building (or manual call points) which are usually protected by glass. The glass has to be smashed to set off the alarm, after which the panel will recieve a fire hazard message.

Process the Information

The fire alarm control panel automatically contacts the emergency services and because every fire control panel has a unique code address emergency responders are able to locate the source of the alarm.

Resetting the System

After the emergency services have checked the building (or after a fire hgas been extinguished) the fire alarm control panel will be reset to continue protecting the building.

Types of Fire Alarm Panels

There are different types of fire control panels all following a somewhat similar alarm procedure:

Conventional Panels

Conventional alarm control fire panels have a small number of circuits connected to the device.
Each circuit connected to the alarm panel covers a zone in the building.
LED lights indicate if an area or zone in a building has been activated.
he device does not show what type of alarm went off in a zone (or which device has been activated in a particular zone).

Analogue Addressable Panels

This type of fire alarm panel is more advanced than a conventional panel. There are more programming options with these devices and as single point detection is an option, it is easy to discover where an alarm device went off in the building, and what alarm device is signalling a problem. An addressable fire alarm panel usually has four to six loops and each loop corresponds with a number of alarm devices. The most common addressable fire alarm panel input devices are: