Before construction begins on a new building, the governments of most countries, including those in the United Kingdom, require plans for the addition of a fire control panel. Typically, a detailed description of the operation, type, and placement of the fire control panel must be forwarded to the appropriate agency before any work on a new building can commence.

The purpose of a fire control panel is to act as the controlling component for a fire alarm system. It protects the occupants of a building by receiving information from environmental sensors, and by providing for the automatic control of fire alarm equipment. Some panels also supply electrical power to other components of a fire alarm system, such as sensors, relays, or transmitters.

Although conventional panels are not usually used to protect large structures, they sometimes appear in smaller buildings, such as retail shops, restaurants, and schools. The conventional panel type of fire control panel contains multiple initiating circuits, and multiple sensors are wired to each circuit in parallel. The number of circuits contained within a panel determines its effectiveness and accuracy. Each circuit represents a specific zone of the building it protects - the fewer the zones, the less accurate the information provided by the alarm system. This can directly affect the ability of emergency personnel to respond to a fire - although they can see that a fire exists in a specific zone, they may not know which room it is within the zone that contains the fire.

Before the development of conventional panels, coded panels were frequently used to protect buildings from fire. This type of fire control panel first appeared in the 1940s, and was used throughout the 1970s. Coded panels shared many features with conventional panels. Both types used the “zone” system to allow emergency responders and occupants to identify the location of a fire. Unlike conventional panels, though, coded panels featured distinct “code wheels” to indicate in which zone a fire had been detected. A unique code pattern was programmed for each zone - in many buildings, these codes were posted near certain manual pull stations. While some older colleges and hospitals still use coded panels, this type of fire control panel is not widely used in new buildings today.

Before addressable fire control panel systems were developed, multiplex systems offered improvements over coded and conventional panel systems. These panels often appeared in large buildings and complexes constructed in the 1970s and 1980s. In the early days of multiplex systems, these fire detection systems were essentially large conventional panels. Later in their development, these panels offered more sophisticated features, such as the ability to control other components in addition to fire alarms. Some multiplex panels controlled HVAC systems, door locks, and electronic systems, even in the absence of an emergency situation.

Today, the most commonly used fire control panel types are addressable panels. These panels provide a higher degree of flexibility in programming, and also feature single point fire detection. They also feature “loops,” called Single Line Circuiting loops, which can control and power numerous types of devices. These loops can support sprinkler systems, smoke detectors, and manual pull switches, all of which are directly connected to the addressable panel.

A sophisticated fire control panel is essential to the safety of occupants in public buildings. Choosing the correct fire control panel will help occupants evacuate, and emergency personnel respond, more quickly in the event of a fire.

Tags: Home Security