Fire control panel

Fire panels, including fire alarms and fire extinguishers, are considered as the main item of a fire alarm system. All the equipment including detectors, fire alarms, sirens, speakers, etc., by connecting to the fire panels, while supplying the required electricity from these panels, during the exchange of information, they enable the detection and notification of fire and the activation of extinguishing equipment.

Choosing the best and most appropriate panel to match the project conditions and perform according to the defined needs is one of the most important principles of fire alarm and extinguishing system design, which will be possible by considering the following determining factors:

Panel zoning:

All fire alarm panels that are designed according to BS 5839 standard, divide the covered area into different parts (ZONE), to make it possible to identify the place of fire in each of the areas. Each fire alarm panel has the ability to define a certain number of zones, which is determined according to the project specifications and the number of required zones, the appropriate fire alarm panel.

Panel type:

Fire alarm panels are divided into the following types according to different detection methods and different technologies in fire detection equipment:

1- Conventional panels:

These panels are mainly used in economic systems with basic fire alarm facilities. In these systems, all equipment are installed in series in each zone, and in these circuits, the last equipment is finally connected to the panel. Another circuit is used to connect warning equipment such as flashers and speakers. In case of fire, the panel identifies the relevant zone and activates the alarm system. One of the disadvantages of these systems is the impossibility of identifying the exact location of the fire due to the presence of approximately 32 detectors in each zone.

2-wire conventional panels:

In order to solve the cabling problem related to the warning equipment circuit, two wires are used in these panels for the possibility of simultaneously connecting the detection and warning equipment in series in one circuit. In such a situation, the need to carry out separate cabling for the alarm equipment circuit is eliminated, but it is still not possible to identify the exact location of the fire.

3- Addressable panels:

In these panels, which use more advanced technology, all the equipment related to each zone are connected to a cable that leaves the panel as a loop and is connected to each equipment in series, before returning to the panel. In this method, the panel will be able to identify each piece of equipment separately and finally the corresponding zone. During a fire, the panel, while specifying the relevant zone, will determine the annunciator equipment and, as a result, the exact location of the fire.

Panels in terms of the number of zones, the number of loops, the possibility of connecting to fire extinguishing systems or other peripheral systems, the possibility of working with remote control, etc. They have a lot of variety.