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36 | DECEMBER 2018 Fire Protection Systems Fire protection systems are getting smarter and more intuitive by ROBIN BRUNET S trict regulatory requirements for fire protection, rising rates of accidents, and technological breakthroughs are some factors driving the market growth of fire protection and related systems, with the global market expected to swell from the current $60 billion in sales to $158.36 bil- lion by 2026, according to market research provider WiseGuyReports.com. This massive growth pertains to both active and passive systems, as well as detectors. But if one were to expand the protection industry to include safety, then the growth becomes even more pronounced, as the experts at Johnson Controls can attest. Wayne Aho, senior product manager – global sensors at Johnson Controls, says, "Carbon monox- ide build-up in residential, commercial, and other facilities is becoming a major concern, since more buildings are constructed to be almost air tight in order to achieve improved energy efficiency. Therefore, carbon monoxide detectors are becoming mandatory in many jurisdictions – 39 states alone in the U.S. – and last year there was a mad scramble on the part of developers to include them in projects." The advantage of Johnson Controls' line of carbon monoxide detectors is that they perform to national standards and can meet the requirements of virtu- ally any type of construction project. Another pressing issue in the fire/safety realm that Johnson Controls has effectively addressed pertains to areas of refuge – a location in a building designed to hold occupants during a fire or other emergency when evacuation may not be safe or possible. Rodger Reiswig, fellow and VP of industry rela- tions at Johnson Controls, adds, "Building codes are starting to enforce communications requirements of areas of refuge to include hands-free devices, instruc- tions in braille, and LED operation indicators. As with carbon monoxide detectors, the need for these devices is acute, considering that up until a few years ago there was never even a listing for them." Johnson Controls' solution is the new Area of Refuge Emergency Communications System fea- turing innovative audio capabilities that meet the requirements of the International Building Code (IBC) and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and also connects to a public telephone system if the central control point is not constantly attended – building occupants can contact responders using the optional Automatic Telephone Communicator, and responders can communicate directly with occu- pants through a standard phone line or VOIP using the Supervised Digital Communicator. Part of the Johnson Controls Detect 360 life safety solutions portfolio, the Area of Refuge system fea- tures addressable technology and provides significant benefits to occupants and building owners, including: allowing each remote call station to be identified and supervised by the command panel; addressable call stations that maintain their connections even if other devices on the network fail, providing greater surviv- ability; and the ability for all remote call stations to be connected to the command panel on a single circuit rather than wiring each one individually, significantly lowering installation and maintenance costs. Johnson Controls continues to distinguish itself by introducing new products that improve the efficiency of existing systems, case in point: the new Simplex ES Net Life Safety Network greatly increases the speed and ease with which fire detection and life safety sys- tems communicate and operate. The Simplex ES Net Life Safety Network harnesses IP technology with data rates up to 100MB per second and a range of net- work connection choices, including Ethernet, DSL and fiber. It gives building owners reassurance knowing as the IP standard evolves, so will ES Net, making the life safety system resilient and future-proof. Also, by allowing up to 82,000 feet between units, ES Net gives users more options to meet per- formance and budget requirements. The network's increased memory capacity and broad bandwidth helps improve uptime, ensure more consistent performance and support future expansion and enhancements. "This is a powerful solution for cus- tomers seeking a fast, reliable, and efficient life safety network," says Anil Konjalwar, senior product man- ager, fire detection, Johnson Controls. Dean Stennes, technical support and compliance manager for Houle Electric, says his company is cur- rently using – with great effectiveness – a unique enhancement to existing fire alarm systems. "Our video image smoke detection system combines a sur- veillance camera with an analytical algorithm, and it's a terrific solution when you consider that in situations when a fire breaks out in any building with 15-foot high or higher ceilings, it can take minutes before the smoke rises and triggers a normal smoke detector." Stennes says that while the analytics have been in use for some time to detect people and animals, "It has been improved to such a degree that it can accu- rately detect something as ephemeral as smoke, and with this system you can even set it so that if a certain temperature in a building is exceeded, the system issues a notification." He adds that the system is currently being used on buildings that are under construction (in itself an ideal venue, since fire protection is virtually non-existent), "but the potential for broader market usage is huge." At a time when clients want a wider than ever array of fire and security services geared towards wireless and other advanced forms of usage, Chubb Edwards is ideally positioned to meet their needs. Sound The Alarm Video image smoke detection system from Houle Electric. Onyx Series Addressable Systems from Vipond Inc. Fire annunciator panel installed by Houle Electric.

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