Fire Detection & Suppression Systems

Flame and Heat Detectors

• Some fire detection systems detect a fire by flame or by the heat given off. Flame detectors detect a flame through the means of optical sensors that pick up and analyze incoming ultraviolet light and infrared radiation given off by a flame. Heat detectors sense combustion heat, and can sense when a rapid rise in temperature occurs or when a specific temperature is reached.

Smoke Detectors

• Smoke detection devices detect a fire by the products given off from combustion activity. There are two basic types of smoke detectors used in fire detection systems: an ionization chamber and a photoelectric. An ionization chamber smoke detector uses a small amount of radiation to detect smoke. Photoelectric smoke detectors have a light and a sensor that are positioned at a 90-degree angle from one another. Under normal conditions, the light in the detector moves straight and never reaches the sensor, however, when smoke enters the sensor, the light is scattered and the light hits the sensor setting off the alarm.

Wet Sprinkler Systems

• Fire suppression systems work in conjunction with heat and flame detectors and with smoke detectors to suppress a fire. Wet sprinkler systems work by dispensing a high-pressure stream of water on a fire when a detector spots a fire.

Dry Sprinkler Systems

• In addition to wet sprinkler systems for fire suppression, there are also dry sprinkler systems available. Whereas water sprinklers dispense water on a fire, dry sprinkler systems dispense fire-extinguishing chemicals on a fire. Some of the chemicals used in a dry sprinkler system include carbon dioxide, argon and high-expansion foam.