All buildings need to have fire safety equipment in order to ensure the safety of the people who occupy the building. Fire and smoke inhalation kills hundreds of people every year. Even those who survive may have huge emotional scars from what they’ve been through as well as disfigurement from severe burns.

Fire equipment requirements vary from city to city, but every city has building and fire codes making such equipment mandatory. In general, each building needs a high-quality fire alarm system that will detect even a tiny bit of smoke and sound an alarm so that everyone can safely evacuate the building. The system will come with an appropriate number of fire alarms which can be spread throughout the building. That way, no matter where a fire should break out, there’ll be an alarm nearby to sound the alert.

Special fire alarm cables are available which make it safer to hook up your fire alarm system. If cables that connect the unit burn too easily or become disabled too soon, people can die. Therefore, fire marshals who have extensive experience with fire equipment and the problems it can face in a fire situation designed a cable that withstands heat and fire long enough to alert the people in the building and allow them time to escape.

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With rising crime rates, it’s no wonder people all over the country are having security systems installed in their homes. Many new construction homes are being built with the technology already in them. In these multi-functional systems, there is a fire alarm box. This box needs to be mounted on a wall in the main passageway to the front door.

Your fire alarm is only as efficient as you are. You need to get in the habit of activating it every time you leave the house. Even if you think you’re only running to the mall for a couple of things, set the alarm first. It won’t do you any good if it is sitting there inactive while you’re gone. Since an average home can become a total loss within four minutes of starting to burn, you short trip would give your house plenty of time to burn down while you’re gone. Is setting the alarm really that much work?

It’s critical that everyone in your family knows that setting the fire alarm is a priority and expected of everyone. Give each family member lessons in how to use the fire alarm box correctly. If everyone gets into the habit, then you’ll know that the box is activated and ready to protect your family at all times. The thought is enough to bring real peace of mind.

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Bells make the fire alarm system. Without them to peal out the warning of danger on the horizon, there would be no point to a fire alarm system at all. A fire alarm system is designed with some kind of detector that picks up the slightest indication of smoke. It then passes this info to the control unit which will process it and activate the bells. The bells in turn notify people that there may be a fire. Other fire alarm systems do the same thing, but with horns.

That the unit has bells instead of anything else isn’t really an issue in the protection the system will provide. It can work with bells, horns, sirens, or even strobe lights. It only matters that it’s fully operational. Due to its importance, you need to make sure your system is always in good repair. Check it periodically with this in mind.

It is recommended that facilities which are capable of hosting 100 or more people be able to use the fire alarm bells most effectively. For larger or more complicated structures alarms with sirens and audio evacuation systems might prove more beneficial. Bells are often used for home applications, because they’re loud enough to be heard all over the neighborhood.

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We should never underestimate the power of fire. We picture a fiery hell, because a death by fire is our worst nightmare. Fires can start for any reason from defective wiring to arson, but the results are always the same – loss and devastation. The only control we have over a fire lies in detecting it early. By installing a fire alarm and detection system in your home, you can know you’ve taken the needed steps to protect your family.
 
Why you need a Fire Alarm and Detection System

What could be simpler than installing a fire alarm and detection system to protect your home and damage from the devastation of a fire?  And yet, there are thousands of homes and families which don’t even have this basic precaution in place, often with tragic results. Whether they use being too busy, not being able to afford it, thinking it’s unnecessary as their excuse, it isn’t going to matter if a fire happens.

Let’s face the facts. There’s no magic bubble surrounding your home and family that will keep you safe from fires. They can happen anywhere at any time. Without an alarm, even a small mistake could result in a major catastrophe. One afternoon, for example, you stick a tray of cookies in the oven. All of a sudden you remember the kids got out of school early today. Forgetting all about the cookies, you take off for the school. You’ve just given that tray of cookies an opportunity to burn and spark a fire. When you get home, you find flames coming out the kitchen window, because you didn’t have a fire alarm to alert the proper authorities there was an emergency. By the time you arrive, it’s already too late to save anything.

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One talent most of us take for granted is the ability to amass stuff. We buy it, receive it as gifts, and even pick up freebies which we really never use, but we just can’t get rid of them because we might use them sometime, so they begin to pile up. Our stockpile of stuff also includes things we value such as photos, family heirlooms, furniture, clothing, and on and on. If we have an office or a workplace, it probably looks much like home being crammed with stuff like it is. In addition, both places have people in them, too.

When Fire Enters Your Life

We all fear fire, and rightfully so.  It is one of the most terrifying and devastating phenomena in all of nature. We’ve learned to live with the fear, because it’s with us all throughout our lives, wherever we may go. When a fire happens in the building you’re in, everything in that building, including all human occupants, are in very grave danger.  Everything we’ve worked for all our lives is about to be extinguished.

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An Edwards fire alarm system is the cream of the crop when it comes to fire alarms. Their products offer all the quality and reliability you could want in equipment you’re protecting the lives of your loved ones with. Edwards equipment is always in strict compliance with universal and state fire codes. When you buy an Edwards fire alarm system, you know you’re buying the best.

Edwards is at the top of the field when it comes to durability and reliability. All Edwards equipment has a 5-year warranty, but they wouldn’t need it, because their alarm systems have the reputation for longevity. There are very old buildings all over the country which were built with Edwards alarm systems in them, and now, one hundred years later, those same alarm systems are still as trustworthy as ever.

Many people today are astounded at how long an Edwards system can last. After all, nothing else remains reliable that long. In fact, if you get ten years out of a modern appliance, you’ve really doing something! Edwards systems last so long, because the company is passionate about producing only equipment that’s going to last. They stake their name on it.

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During the winter months you can hardly turn on the TV news without hearing the tragic story of a family who died in their home because they didn’t have a working fire alarm to help them get out in time. A fire alarm has become a necessity in both home and business applications. These devices react quickly in emergency situations, and early detection is the key to saving lives and property.

The GE subsidiary, Edwards Signaling and Security Systems is known for being one of the top marketers of quality fire alarms. They have been in the business for so many years that their name has become synonymous with high quality signaling devices.

After having been in business for over 150 years, Edwards Signaling and Security Systems company is still proud of its fine reputation in the fire alarm industry. Although the company was acquired by GE in 2005, the Edwards name still goes on. After all, why should you change something that isn’t broken?  Edwards has always carried top honors for its commitment to quality and customer satisfaction.

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Business fires are very destructive not only to the facility and its owner, but also to employees, customers, and families. They cause loss of property, loss of jobs, loss of livelihood, and even loss of life. Although a building can always be rebuilt, sometimes there is too much emotional trauma and scarring to allow the owner to do so. Most of these problems could have been minimized, if only there had been an alarm system to alert the fire department sooner.

The Importance of Early Detection

With a fire, early detection and reporting are the most important things that can happen. Commercial fire alarm systems can help you on both counts. Not only will they detect the fire with its first whiffs of smoke, it can also notify fire officials immediately and reduce the amount of time it takes them to arrive on the scene. The difference between losing and saving your business is decided during that critical first five minute timeframe.

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Even back in the early days of industrial America, a need for fire safety measures was already being acknowledged. In the textile mills, with their highly-combustible materials, sprinkler systems of perforated pipe were installed. These first systems were not automatic and had to be worked by hand. So, in 1872, Philip W. Pratt patented the first automatic sprinkler system. It was an improvement on the hand-operated system, but not much. This system was followed in 1874 by an improved one which offered the first practical sprinkler head. The inventor, Henry S. Parmalee, installed the prototype in his own piano factory.

The only people who were interested in installing these primitive sprinkler systems were men employed in commercial enterprises, but they didn’t do it to save lives. By having sprinklers installed, their insurance companies gave them reduced rates. Since the discount was enough to more than offset the cost of the sprinkler system, they quickly had them put in. What a way to make a profit! Things stayed this way until the 1940s when stricter building codes required that schools, hospitals, hotels, and other public buildings have sprinklers installed, too.

The Fire Sprinkler Becomes Mandatory

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Nothing is sadder than hearing of little children being killed in house fires, unless it’s knowing that there were smoke alarms in the home, but the batteries didn’t work.  These terrible tragedies don’t have to happen, but they do. If someone fails to check the smoke alarms on a regular basis, lives are lost.  It’s up to every homeowner to figure out a way to remember to check smoke alarms  on a regular basis.

Statistics show that it takes under four minutes for a fire to go from tiny flame to raging holocaust. Every home needs at least one working smoke alarm that will detect the first whiff of smoke and sound to alert the family to danger. Every family should have a home evacuation plan, too, so that everyone in the family will know what to do if the alarm goes off. 

You should get in the habit of checking your smoke alarms at least once a month. That way you’ll be able to catch it if one of them isn’t working properly. By making regular alarm checks, you’ll be exposing your family to the sound of the alarm.  Practice what to do when the alarm sounds so that your children become comfortable with both hearing the sound and responding appropriately to it.

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