Various Types of alarm systems used for fire fighting

Mechanical device for signalling the occurrence of an unwanted condition, such as a fire, burglary, or the unnecessary activation of a fire-suppression system so that a corrective action may be taken in haste.

Auxiliary Alarm : Alarm, part of a private fire protection system, which activates a fire alarm box of a public fire department.

Refer: “Fire protection, public fire protection.”

Central station alarm : Alarm system owned, operated and main­tained by a private security firm for the protection of the premises of its customers. When an alarm sounds in the central station, the private security firm notifies the appropriate public, police or fire departments and may send its own investi­gators to the scene of the alarm.

Local Alarm : Alarm which sounds inside or immediately outside a protected property, thus alerting its occupants and/or nearby persons to an emergency condition.

Proprietary Alarm : Alarm which is similar to a central station alarm but in which the alarm is received at a central office in the protected property.

Refer: “Alarm, Central station alarm.”

Remote Station Alarm: Alarm which is directly wired to an off-premises office of a fire or police department or owner of the protected property. A remote station alarm differs from an auxiliary alarm in that, when the remote station alarm alerts a public authority, it is directly wired to the headquarters of that authority rather than relaying on the nearest alarm box.

Sprinkler Alarm: Device so designed that any flow of water from a sprinkler system equal to or greater than that from one (or a few) of the automatic sprinkler heads will result in an audible alarm signal on the premises.

Water-Flow Alarm: Alarm which sounds when a fire-suppression sprinkler system begins to discharge in order to serve as a fire alarm, or, if there is no fire, to signal the inappropriate discharge of the sprinkler system. A water-flow alarm may be either a local, central station or Remote Station Alarm.

Extracts from “General Insurance & Risk Management Glossary” published by  The Insurance Times, Edited by Dr. Rakesh Agarwal. Copyright of Sashi Publications, Kolkata. www.bimabazaar.com