User Manual

18
Siemens Switzerland Ltd
Building Technologies Division
Hospitality TV
The television set in each guestroom can be utilized as an ‘annunciator’, as it can
be switched on automatically via the hotel’s hospitality TV-system. Emergency
messages and evacuation instructions (and even prerecorded spoken messages)
can be transmitted by state-of-the-art systems. In more basic systems the word
FIRE can be displayed in a flashing format, possibly alternating with evacuation
instructions or an escape route plan.
Hotel telephone
The in-house telephone system may also be used to inform guests about
emergency situations (e.g. in a similar manner to the automatic wake-up call
service). Each guest could also be called by the front desk and personally
informed: a list could then be compiled of rooms that did not respond. Such a list
would be useful for the fire brigade when checking the completeness of an
evacuation.
3.2.4. Alerting the public fire department
The municipal fire department may be alerted in one of two ways:
• Automatically via the fire detection system by remote transmission.
• Manually from the hotel front desk or control room by telephone.
In certain regions the initial alarm may be transmitted to an Alarm Receiving
Center (ARC) which, in turn, will notify the local fire department.
3.2.5. Alarm strategies
General alarms A general alarm is a defined audible signal which is sounded throughout the
building. The alarm is automatically activated by the fire detection system, or
manually from the hotel front desk (or control room). In the majority of buildings
this should trigger the immediate and total evacuation of the building.
Staged alarms Staged alarms are based on systems capable of generating an ‘alert signal’ and a
different ‘evacuate signal’. Such systems may be applicable in large or complex
buildings. Generally those people potentially most at risk are those closest to the
point where the fire was detected or where the manual call point was activated.
These people should leave the building immediately and therefore an ‘evacuate
signal’ will be sounded in this area. In other areas of the building an ‘alert signal’
will be sounded, indicating that people in those areas will only have to leave the
building if it becomes necessary, see phased evacuation.
As mentioned earlier, systems based on the interpretation of different acoustic
signals may be useful for office buildings (or similar) where employees can be
trained to recognize and understand the difference. In hotel environments,
however, guests are unfamiliar with the system and are unable to interpret the
alarm signals correctly and reliably. Only a voice alarm system (including live
voice messaging) can be recommended for hotel applications.