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Fire Alarm Systems and Smoke Detectors — What’s the Difference?
Fire Alarm Service Sherman oaks
Moses Hazeltine Sherman (December 3, 1853 – September 9, 1932) was an American land developer who built the Phoenix Street Railway in Phoenix, Arizona and streetcar systems that would become the core of the Los Angeles Railway and part of the Pacific Electric Railway in Los Angeles, California, and owned and developed property in areas such as West Los Angeles, the San Fernando Valley and Hollywood, California. He also served on the Los Angeles Water Board. He was also known as M. H. Sherman and General M. H. Sherman.
Most homes in Sherman Oaks are equipped with smoke detectors, and it’s advised to keep them up to date and change the batteries every so often so that they work properly. However, you may also have heard about fire alarm systems, especially as California fires edge closer and closer to more residential portions of Los Angeles. What makes fire alarm systems so high-tech, and why might someone decide to install a fire alarm system rather than a smoke detector? Here are the most important things to keep in mind about both fire alarm systems and smoke detectors.
Smoke Detectors
Most homes in America come already equipped with smoke detectors, and the Los Angeles Fire Department has a whole section on its website about how to perform maintenance on your smoke alarm. In fact, the LAFD suggests that you have a smoke alarm in every bedroom, outside all sleeping areas, and on every floor, and to test smoke alarms monthly.
Smoke alarms and smoke detectors are there to detect fires before they have a chance to seriously injure the people in your home. They’re usually only meant for residential areas and are interconnected so that when one of them sounds, they all sound. This makes it easier for every household member to be notified of a fire, even in very large houses, and for people on the upper floors to get out of the home before any serious damage happens. Though they are very important, they’re usually fairly low-tech and are almost always used exclusively in personal homes and apartment buildings.
Fire Alarm Systems
A fire alarm system is usually used in a commercial business or in areas that are prone to wildfires. As the California wildfires get worse, many residents in more rural areas are becoming more attuned to the presence of citywide fire alarm systems. Fire alarm systems may be equipped with bright lights, a pre-recorded voice message with important emergency information, or a specific emergency sound, different than sounds for other emergencies.
Another important component of fire alarm systems is that they are usually triggered by people, rather than by an automated system. Large businesses or citywide systems usually install manual pull systems, break glass stations, or call points so that a fire alarm may be started by anyone who sees the fire. Both systems are important, and it’s likely that you see both systems on a day-to-day basis.