Fire Alarm Control Panels

Fire alarm control panels (FACP) are fire alarm control systems mainly used for detecting fire and thereby raising an alarm. These devices receive information from various input devices like heat detectors, smoke detectors, etc., process the information and then activate an output device through audio or visual alarm.

Types of Fire Alarm Control Panel

• Conventional Fire Alarm Control Panel: It is an alarm system that can only detect on/off signals. Conventional fire alarm control panels use separate wiring circuits known as zones to convey information to the panel regarding the condition of the initiating devices. These panels are often characterised by the number of zones or alarm points covered by the FACP.
• Addressable Fire Alarm Control Panel: It is also known as intelligent fire alarm control panel. This panel makes use of a signaling technique, which in turn allows a control unit to determine a specific initiating device or group of devices by location. Addressable control panels usually specify the number of detectors and modules that will be operated by the FACP.

Uses & Applications
There are several applications of fire alarm control panels. Some of their applications are:

• Burglary / theft detection
• Medical applications
• Computer systems
• Machine failure or malfunction
• Process control panels
• Water level & leak monitoring
• Personal safety monitoring
• Structural failure
• heat & temperature monitoring
• Power distribution
• Gas monitoring