Know Why it Works That Way

Fire Alarm Engineers, Installers, Technicans, and Inspectors get Answers from Douglas Krantz's Technician's Corner

The rules and codes show how a fire alarm system is supposed to work... at least when it's finished. However, those working on the system require a knowledge of how it functions in order to design the system, install it, test it, and service it.

Basic Electrical Skills

A basic understanding of electricity is required. Knowing about DC and AC electricity and Ohm's Law shows how a fire alarm system sends signals back and forth, and how it powers and controls devices.

Life Safety Upgrades

The fire alarm system, though, in addition has the goals of Supervision (self-testing and letting the building owners immediately know when something's wrong with the system), Redundancy (if one method fails, another method is standing-by to take over), and Survivability (even during a fire or other disaster, the system still works).

How does the Fire Alarm System Work?