Fire Alarm Glossary

Initiating devices - Notification appliances

A fire alarm Initiating device (notification appliance) is an active fire protection component which uses energy supplied from the fire alarm system or other stored energy source, to inform the proximate persons of the need to take action, usually to evacuate.. A notification appliance may use audible, visible, or other stimuli to alert the occupants of a fire or other emergency condition requiring action. Audible appliances have been in use longer than any other method of notification. Most of today's appliances produce sound pressure levels between 45 and 120 decibels at ten feet

Manual Pull Station

Constructed to be readily located (near the exits), identified, and operated.

Fire Detectors

Automatically activated devices can take many forms intended to respond to any number of detectable physical changes associated with fire:

Heat detector convected thermal energy
Smoke detector, products of combustion; radiant energy
Flame detector, combustion gasses
Carbon monoxide detector and release of extinguishing agents; water-flow detector. The newest innovations can use cameras and computer algorithms to analyze the visible effects of fire and movement in applications inappropriate for or hostile to other detection methods
Strobe light