Traditionally ionisation alarms were used to detect all types of fire (although often prone to false alarms due to sensitivity), however they are currently being phased out in the industry due to their environmental impact. Thermoptek is a type of smoke alarm sensor technology found within FireAngel’s Pro Connected range of mains and battery powered thermally enhanced optical smoke alarms, the technology of choice for many UK Fire and Rescue services. According to ‘Fire and rescue incident statistics, England, year ending March 2020’, of all incidents attended by fire and rescue services, fire false alarms made up 42% compared to actual fires at 28%. That’s 231,431 wasted visits; a waste of precious resources. And if that doesn’t bother you, then consider the cost implications for end users: problems that stem from false alarms are estimated to cost UK businesses around a billion pounds per year! The intelligent alarm software in the 3030 actively monitors all sensors, allowing them to work together and provide total fire coverage. Find the alarm with the red light rapidly flashing. Press its ‘Hush’ button to silence. If that does not silence it, clean the alarm using a vacuum. Wait for 10 minutes and the issue should be resolved.

British Standard BS 5839-6:2019 also recommends the installation of multi-sensor smoke alarm technology throughout a home. If you are using an Alarm Controller Ei450 this will continue for as long as you hold down the ‘Test’ button. So, what can we learn from this? Multi-Sensors can indeed be a good solution, especially in areas prone to false alarms, but only if you buy sensibly. Look for devices from reputable manufacturers that have specific features designed to improve false alarm immunity, rather than units that simply contain two sensors that essentially work separately from each other.

INTRUDER ALARM KITS

NID cookie, set by Google, is used for advertising purposes; to limit the number of times the user sees an ad, to mute unwanted ads, and to measure the effectiveness of ads. According to ‘Fire and rescue incident statistics, England, year ending March 2020’, of all incidents attended by fire and rescue services, fire false alarms made up 42% compared to actual fires at 28%. That’s 231,431 wasted visits; a waste of precious resources. And if that doesn’t bother you, then consider the cost implications: problems that stem from false alarms are estimated to cost UK businesses around a billion pounds per year! A complete guide to multi-sensor fire alarms, their benefits and uses and how they can improve safety and fire detection. A Multi-Sensor fire device, also known as a Multi-Criteria fire detector, is a type of hybrid fire alarm that, depending on the product, can switch between either Carbon Monoxide and Heat, or Heat and Smoke. In fact, e-cigarettes have proven particularly problematic. They generate water vapour which, in an enclosed space where there are a number of people vaping, can have the same effect as steam i.e. can cause a sensor to go into false alarm. A standard Multi-Sensor will struggle to identify this.

Whilst offering improved performance over standard optical detectors, Multi-Sensors have limitations. In fact, the BRE research demonstrated that, although delayed somewhat, in all cases alarms were given from non-combustion materials such as steam, dust or aerosol. The delay might allow for any transient false alarm sources to disappear before the fire threshold is reached, but it does not entirely stop a false alarm in these instances. Furthermore, to ensure this delay, some Multi-Sensor detectors have been configured (or can be configured by the installer) to be less sensitive which is a compromise that is not always acceptable or ideal. For example, when a rise in heat is detected, the level at which the detector responds to smoke is reduced to a faster response for freely-burning fires, and the sensors combine to reduce false alarms caused by steam or aerosols. The heat sensor has a maximum static response of 65°C, while the smoke uses an infrared light source and diode to detect smoke.It should also be noted that not all known causes of false alarms could be tested by the BRE. False alarm tests covering long-term dust build up, condensation, cigarette smoke, synthetic smoke and insect ingress were not possible due to difficulties with developing repeatable tests.

We would recommend that you ensure your residence is suitable for the Multi-Sensor fire device, by assessing whether the work that you do or products you sell are in need of Heat and Smoke or Carbon Monoxide and Heat. Not all Multi-Sensors are born equal! Just because you fit a Multi-Sensor, don’t assume it will perform better than all single sensor detectors. A good quality optical alarm that has been correctly specified and installed will more than likely outperform a low cost, basic Multi-Sensor; and by outperform I refer to their ability to detect fires whilst discerning false alarm sources.

With a full name of C-TEC ActiV Multisensor Fire Detector, these detectors are manufactured in the UK and certified to EN54-5, EN54-7 and IP42 rated. Stylishly manufactured of white polycarbonate, the ActiV smoke and heat detector features two ultra-bright LED indicating strips meaning they offer 360° visibility when illuminated. With unlimited property allocations, you can set up an alarm network in the homes of your parents, a vulnerable family member, your child’s university accommodation or in your holiday home and receive notifications for all of them. One of the less well-known combination, but highly effective, is a heat sensor and two optical sensors, albeit each using very different sensor technologies. The optical alarm technology is based on particle light scattering theory, but instead of just using the standard Infra-Red light, found in optical alarms, it also employs blue LED to provide a more accurate measurement of particles within the chamber. Using a complex algorithm to calculate the ratio of these light sources, which operate at different wavelengths, the detector can determine the particle size and thus distinguish between smoke and non-combustion products such as steam, aerosols and dust. As we have seen above, this is where most typical Multi-Sensors struggle. Using this method, there is no need to lower the devices’ sensitivity to actual combustion products. Our own Nittan EV-DPH Multi-Sensor is based on this design, with the technology further developed to make the detector more sensitive to flaming fires by shifting the alarm threshold level when the ratio of the two scattered light wavelengths indicate that the particle size present is similar to the smallest size defined as a smoke particle. As well as Apollo, another one of our most popular Multi-Sensor fire detection devices, includes the ‘GENT Vigilon S-Quad Multi Smoke and Heat Detector with Sounder’. This Device includes Optical Heat Sensor Sounder technology, which provides a cost-effective solution for alarm signalling, which therefore helps save on installation costs as there is no need for additional power supplies. Moreover, it also includes synchronised messages which are transmitted through the same sensor that detects the fire. The Ei3024 is powered by 230V AC mains. In the event of mains failure, the rechargeable 10 year built in tamper-proof lithium cells will provide up to 3 months power supply in the case of a wireless RF installation or up to 6 months in any other case.