Research has shown that in an emergency situation people respond better to a voice alert than they do to a bell. Simon Foulkes explains more...
Research has shown that in an emergency situation people respond better to a voice alert than they do to a bell. Simon Foulkes explains more.
In the fire industry, the effectiveness of Voice Alarm (VA) systems has been well documented for nearly two decades. Every piece of independent research carried out into human behaviour in the event of a fire demonstrates a striking variation in people's responses to different alarm signals. Long standing research shows that only 13% of people react in a timely manner to bells, in sharp contrast 75% of people react in a timely manner to voice messages.
So why then are there only a relatively small proportion of buildings that use voice fire detection and alarm systems? Despite all of the hard and fast evidence that the use of clear voice messages greatly increases response time and provides the opportunity to advise occupants of the safest emergency route, installations are still pitifully low.
In the fire industry today, it's only major projects such as arenas, shopping malls and high rise buildings use VA as a matter of course for general applications and smaller buildings it's virtually unheard of.
There are several reasons which companies cite for not adopting voice systems and it seems to be largely down to the complexity of installing the equipment and the absence of real standards covering the systems.
The latter has been addressed recently with the introduction of a major new Voice Alarm standard which came into operation in 2011. The newly harmonised EN54 Part 16 covers the specific product function of Voice Alarm systems and applies to any component that is part of the core functionality of Voice Alarm. The new standard is a product specification with a defined regime for testing and it applies directly to anything that a manufacturer refers to as VA equipment or, more specifically, 'control and indicating equipment.' The standard covering installation BS 5839 part 8, is a code of practice for the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of Voice Alarm systems, but up until recently it did not provide manufacturers with any specific guidance on what should be inside their units.
The standards mean that VA systems are now subject to similar scrutiny as every other fire alarm system and have to be accredited by an approved testing house before they can be sold. A handful of companies, including Gent by Honeywell, have received this latest certification and their Voice Alarm products are now fully compliant with the standards.
Public Address Systems versus Voice Alarms
Another cause of confusion outside of the fire alarm industry is the difference between Public Address (PA) and Voice Alarm. Many people believe to provide a voice message in the event of a fire, they simply need to use their PA system.
Unfortunately PA, whilst very good for providing music and messages, is not guaranteed to work when there is an emergency. This is where the British Standards on voice alarm comes into use, as it clearly defines the requirements of a true VA system.
The three main variations of VA system that are available, dependent on the type and size of building, are standalone Voice sounders, central rack systems and distributed amplifier systems. The variety of system options, coupled with a lack of understanding in acoustics have also played their part in companies choosing standard tone alarms rather than the more effective Voice systems. In essence, people tend to avoid them because they don't fully understand the systems.
The main players in Voice Alarm provide a turnkey solution and will design, supply and commission the systems. Gent has also recently set up an additional service team to help its customers by providing expert support in acoustic design. It's important for companies to offer that extra support to customers so they can benefit from the manufacturer's experience in all aspects of VA systems, from the complexities of the acoustic design, to the speaker layouts and application of the systems.
Another element which should encourage more customers to have Voice systems installed is for fire industry specialists to offer an expert rack build service with a dedicated facility for factory acceptance tests. So, rather than selling the product that then has to be assembled by an external specialist, a system is built into the rack and is tested and proved in the factory before it is delivered. This would reduce significantly the on-site commissioning because everything, including the configuration, is done in the factory.
The benefits of Voice Alarm are becoming increasingly apparent to those outside the industry - they deliver clear, intelligible voice alarm messages as well as orderly phased evacuation in the event of a fire. There is support available for customers and the newly harmonised standards clearly define the requirements of a true VA system so we will no doubt see much more of these highly efficient systems in the not too distant future.
Simon Foulkes is the strategic product manager for Gent by Honeywell.
