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Fire Alarm Notifier Provides Alert To Leave Premises
By Arthur Sneddon

All fire alarms come equipped with a fire alarm notifier to alert all occupants of a structure to the possibility of a dangerous situation. They are also a call for immediate evacuation and are designed with sound, lights or both.

Since the Americans With Disabilities Act was introduced in 1990, flashing strobe lights were also required as part of a fire alarm notifier for hearing impaired persons. Although many systems have employed strobe lights along with sound since the 1970s. The lights can also help direct people to an available exit in the event of heavy smoke from any fire.

Sounds from a fire alarm notifier are made to be distinctive as well as extremely loud so as to leave no doubt about the urgency to leave the premises. There is no difference in the sound for a real fire and for a false alarm as a system cannot determine the difference and they are designed to treat every potential fire circumstance with the same sense of urgency to exit the building.

External Sirens Alert Surrounding Buildings

In many commercial settings, the building will also have a fire alarm notifier on the outside of the building to let those is surrounding areas know about the fire alarm. This will allow them to seek safety away from the one that is on fire and possibly give them time to remove materials that may be subject to damage from the heat of a fire.

The external fire alarm notifier also comes in handy at night or at other times when the building is unoccupied to alert surrounding people of the fire alarm and of the need for action. Many residential alarms are also tied to an outside fire alarm notifier to let neighbors know of a fire and in the event the person is not home, a neighbor can contact the fire department.

All fire alarm notifiers will come equipped with a battery backup system since in most circumstances of a fire electrical service is interrupted. Batteries are designed to last long enough to sound the alarm for at least 30 minutes, sometimes longer, to insure evacuation of the dangerous situation. Batteries in a fire alarm notifier should be checked at least twice a year and replaced, typically once a year unless the manufacturer stipulates otherwise.

A fire alarm notifier using a strobe light should be placed strategically in rooms, offices and hallways to insure adequate notification of all areas of the structure to be sure everyone will have the opportunity to receive the notification immediately.

Author Details:
Arthur Sneddon, writes for various web sites, such as The A to Z of Home Improvement, about home security, fire alarms etc.

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