Voice sounders give fire warnings in cinema
As part of the refurbishment of a community centre in East Dulwich, London, a 3-screen cinema with cafe-bar and courtyard garden has been created. It is served by a new fire-alarm system based on Vimpex multi-message Fire-Cryer Plus voice sounders to achieve timely evacuation of the building. The system was designed and commissioned by Southern Fire Alarms in partnership with consultant LTS International. It was installed by DW Electrical.
David Fell, sales director of Southern Fire Alarms, explains, ‘There is a high level of noise pollution in today’s modern building environment. Fire-alarm bells, sirens, sounders, security alarms, public address and mobile ringtones are just some of the cacophony of noises that bombard building users on a daily basis.
‘The confusion of tones means people can become complacent and ignore safety critical alarms. From experience we know that the addition of unambiguous voice messages that are heard and understood vastly reduces this confusion.’
35 Mini Fire-Cryer slimline base sounders were installed under ceiling-mounted fire detectors in all parts of the building. These sounders are installed on a conventional 2-wire sounder circuit.
A 2-stage alarm strategy was deployed. Stage one alerts staff using flashing beacons. After a 3-minute investigation delay, stage two initiates a full building evacuation, aided by the Fire-Cryers with a fully synchronised message.’
