Delivering the right message
In an emergency situation, one broad reaching message does not always apply to every floor or section of a facility. Also, different scenarios demand different messages. The forthcoming NFPA 72 code will allow mass notification systems to take precedence over fire alarms. For example, these systems will be able to override the fire signal and tell people to remain in a building to protect them from terrorists outside, or to move to a shelter for protection from an impending tornado.
Notification for Education
New school fire alarms are utilizing speakers with audio evacuation and messaging instead of standard horn strobes. In a emergency situation at a school a station can be triggered that delivers messages such as “school lockdown, stay in your classroom and lock doors”.
The Sound of Safety
The NFPA 72 code also addresses the issue of intelligibility. Connecting Gamewell-FCI panels using a simple twisted wire pair affords the marketplace’s greatest degree of intelligibility and fidelity, according to Gamewell-FCI project engineer, Dick Aldrich. He explains, “The sound reproduction is near high fidelity quality, so that messages are delivered clearly and are better understood. The speed of the message delivery is also unsurpassed – the system can be ready to broadcast a voice message within one or two milliseconds for near-instantaneous communication. Also, a system with a fiber optic communication network defies jamming or any other kind of outside interference.”