How a fire alarm system works
A fire alarm system uses detectors to sense fire, smoke, heat, carbon monoxide or other harmful gases, depending on the detectors fitted. It warns people through sound and visual signals. Smoke and heat detectors can activate the alarm automatically, and a strobe provides a flashing warning light. Systems with voice messages can also tell people inside the building not to use lifts.
Main components
Detectors identify signs of fire, while manual call points let people raise an alarm. The fire alarm panel is the central part of the detection system. A complete system has:
- Smoke detectors, which detect smoke
- Heat detectors, which detect heat
- Multi detectors, also called smoke cum heat detectors, which detect both
- Flame detectors, including UV detectors, which detect flames
- The fire alarm panel, which controls the detection system
- Manual call points (MCPs), which let people activate the alarm
- Hooters, which produce an audible warning
- Repeater panels and response indicators
Conventional, semi-addressable or addressable
A conventional system is a long-established option designed for small facilities. Systems range from 2 to 100 zones and identify fire by zone, and the level of information available depends on the number of circuits used. Semi-addressable systems are another type. An addressable system gives each detector or device an individual address. It includes a fire alarm panel (FAP), smoke detectors, heat detectors, multi detectors, isolators, manual call points and hooters.
Which one should you choose?
Cost and information pull in opposite directions, so the decision rests on your building:
- Small shops, offices and stores: conventional gives a working system at the lowest cost
- Mid-size buildings with several floors: semi-addressable or addressable, depending on the budget and growth plans
- Hospitals, hotels, towers and large factories: addressable, so staff can see the exact device and the system can run programmed actions
- Buildings you expect to expand: choose a system that grows, because replacing a panel later costs more
Where fire alarm systems are used
Fire alarm systems warn occupants when detectors sense signs of fire or someone activates a manual call point. Application areas include:
- Industries
- Hospitals
- Hotels
- Function halls
- Airports
- Towers
Brands, design and standards
Essatech supplies, installs, commissions and maintains fire alarm systems in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam. We also serve Vizianagaram, Vijayawada, Kakinada and Srikakulam. We deal in Ravel, Morley, Firelite, Apollo, Agni and GST fire alarm systems. We design, build and maintain systems in line with NFPA requirements and local codes, and supply, installation and commissioning follow NFPA requirements, the National Building Code (NBC) and local codes. We assess your site to decide where detectors should be installed.
What you get from Essatech
One team handles the job from survey to maintenance:
- A free site survey and a system recommendation
- A design with drawings and a device schedule
- Supply, installation and wiring by our licensed team
- Commissioning, with every device tested and the cause-and-effect actions checked
- Maintenance and yearly testing, if you want them
For builders, architects, MEP consultants, corporates, industries, hospitals and defence
Builders and architects should involve us at the design stage, so conduits, panel space and device positions are planned with the ceiling and the services. Industries need systems that shut down plant and handle hazards, commercial building owners need a system that meets approvals and grows with the building, and hospital owners need addressable systems that show the exact room and control lifts and air handling. MEP consultants can pass us the fire alarm specification and we return a priced layout against it. Corporates need a system that works across floors and tenants. Defence establishments, including Navy and Army sites, can ask us for a plan and quote, subject to their security and vendor-registration rules.
What decides the cost
Fire alarm system quotes vary because buildings do. These factors decide the total:
- System type and the number of zones or addressable points
- The number of detectors, call points and hooters
- Cable length and how easy the building is to wire
- Extras such as voice evacuation, repeaters and links to other systems
What to send us for a quote
Share these through the quote page or on WhatsApp:
- Floor plans or the number of floors and rooms
- The type of building and what happens inside
- Any existing panel, with make and model
- Your location and the date you need the work done
Service across both cities
We install systems in towers, hospitals, hotels and factories in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam. Contact our offices to book a site visit.
Talk to our local team
Share your location, type of building and what you need. We will suggest the right equipment and explain installation and maintenance.