FIRE & SECURITY
DUNCAN ORR, REGIONAL SPECIFICATION MANAGER FOR AICO, EXAMINES THE DIFFERENCES AND BENEFITS OF DOMESTIC MULTI-SENSOR FIRE ALARMS… Not all DomesticMulti-Sensor Alarms aremade equally
O ther than professional Fire what a Multi-Sensor Fire Alarm is. Most users will not be aware of the different types or what constitutes a true Multi- Sensor Fire Alarm and more importantly that they do not always provide the same level of protection. In this article, we will look at the different types of Alarm specialists, most people would not necessarily know domestic Multi-Sensor Fire Alarms available and explore the technology and benefits they provide. So, what is a Multi-Sensor Fire Alarm? Essentially the simple definition is that a Multi-Sensor alarm uses multiple sensors within the alarm to detect a broader range of fire types as well as increase its accuracy and tolerance to nuisance (false) alarms. When Aico submit a Multi-Sensor Fire Alarm to BSI for testing we ask that BSI test against BS EN 14604 (Smoke alarm standard) and BS 5446-2 (Heat alarm standard). We also ask that BSI perform additional fire tests not usually covered within the domestic standards to further broaden the scope of detection. This is why Aico Multi-Sensor Fire Alarms list multiple product standards next to the Kite Mark on our Multi-Sensor alarms. This is what differentiates Aico Multi- Sensor alarms from others. The way an Aico Multi-Sensor Fire alarm works is that if required, it can trigger on the presence of smoke alone (as per the smoke alarm standard BS EN 14604:2005), equally it will respond to just heat alone (as per the heat alarm standard BS 5446-2:2003), but it can also intelligently use both sensors to further increase its response time and accuracy against even more fire types. It accomplishes this by varying the trigger threshold depending on the level of heat present. This results in an alarm that is very accurate at detecting a broad range of fire types, but also is very resilient at avoiding nuisance (false) alarms. There are several alarms available in
Aico alarms are capable of detecting a broader range of fires than competitors.
“There are several alarms available in the UK market that claim to be Multi-Sensor Fire alarms but, in reality, most of these will only detect smoke”
the UK market that claim to be Multi- Sensor Fire alarms but, in reality, most of these will only detect smoke (as per BS EN 14604). It is important to know that when choosing to install a Multi- Sensor Fire alarm that the alarm is genuinely more capable of detecting a broader range of fires, as well as utilise technology that will further increase its accuracy. This would be demonstrated by carrying a third-party certification mark for example a Kite Mark. The first Aico Multi-Sensor Fire Alarm was launched in 2008. Since its launch over 1.3 million alarms have been sold in the UK and it is now trusted by over 90
social housing providers to protect their tenants. We recommend that for those wanting to use Multi-Sensor Fire Alarm that they first check the third-party certification on the alarm to ensure that the alarm is genuinely a Multi-Sensor Fire Alarm. Aico Multi-Sensor Fire Alarms also feature Dust Compensation technology which further extends their reliability in a wide range of settings while retaining consistent accuracy over the 10-year life of the unit. For more information please contact, T: +44 (0)1691 664100 E: enquiries@aico.co.uk - www.aico.co.uk
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