User manual

FIRE ALARM SYSTEMS – AN OVERVIEW
T
he primary purpose of a fire alarm system is to provide an early warning of a fire so that people and
animals can be evacuated and action taken to stop the fire as soon as possible - all according to a
predetermined plan.
Alarms may be raised automatically by smoke or heat detectors, or manually by a person operating a
manual call point.
To ensure an alarm is dealt with in an orderly manner, it is important to know where the alarm is coming
from. To aid this function, fire alarm systems are usually split into zones, each covering a different area of
a building.
When an alarm has been raised, the fire alarm panel responds by indicating the zone in which the alarm
has occurred and activating all relevant sounders, bells and other alarm outputs to provide a warning of
the fire. Additional alarm outputs available on the CFP range of fire alarm panels (which may, or may not
be used depending on the requirements of the site) are:
• A Remote Output: this output is activated when the panel is in alarm and is returned to normal when
the alarm sounders are silenced. It may be used to signal an alarm condition to other parts of the fire
alarm system. If used, its function will be declared on the System Set-up Data Chart (page 13) of this
manual. This output may be disabled if required.
• An Auxiliary Output: this output is activated when the panel is in alarm and is returned to normal
when the panel is reset. It may be used to signal an alarm condition to other parts of the fire alarm
system. If used, its function will be declared on the System Set-up Data Chart (page 13) of this user
manual. This output may be disabled if required.
The building’s fire management plan should always be executed when the fire alarm panel goes into
alarm. See User Responsibilities (page 5) for further details.
Fault monitoring
For obvious reasons, the reliability of the fire alarm system is paramount. To this end, the fire alarm panel
continuously monitors all connections between detectors, manual call points and sounders and also checks
its own power supply and back-up batteries for faults.
If a fault is detected anywhere on the system, the panel responds by illuminating one or more of the fault
light(s) located on the panel front and sounding its internal fault buzzer. The panel’s fault output is also
activated, sending notification of the fault (if connected) to a remote manned monitoring centre or other
electronic equipment, as required.
Delays
Certain zones on a fire alarm system can be prone to conditions that lead to frequent and unavoidable
false alarms, a common example being a loading bay filled with vehicle smoke. In such areas it may be
acceptable to delay the activation of the alarm sounders and other outputs to give a responsible person
time to investigate the cause of the alarm. If the cause is found to be a true fire hazard, the delay can be
overridden. In the event of a false alarm, the panel can be reset. Should the delay period expire without
any user intervention, the alarm sounders will automatically sound to evacuate the premises. To ascertain
if any delays have been programmed into the panel, refer to the System Set-Up Data Chart (page 13).
Disablements
In abnormal conditions, certain parts of the fire alarm system can be temporarily turned off (disabled) to
suit prevailing conditions. For example, if there is a risk of a false alarm occurring in a zone, say from
vehicle exhaust smoke in a loading bay, it is possible to disable that zone during the risk period, then
enable it again afterwards. Another example is the disablement of outputs during a routine test or
temporary fault.
Coincidence
The consequence of a false alarm on some fire alarm systems, particularly those connected to sprinkler or
gas extinguishant systems, can be onerous. To help reduce the risk of a false alarm, certain zones on the
system can be coupled together so that the alarm sounders and outputs only activate when there is a fire
condition on both zones. The only way to tell if and how this feature has been utilised is to refer to the
System Set-up Data Chart (page 13).
CFP USER MANUAL • Approved Document No. DFU7001010 Rev 1 • Page 4 of 20
CFP 2/4/8 ZONE CONVENTIONAL FIRE ALARM PANEL