Fire and life safety: Detection systems

Fire detection systems are specified for the safety of the building’s occupants in the event of a fire. They may also be specified to address property protection and continuity of operations goals. Fire and life safety systems need to be specified, installed, commissioned and maintained, depending on each building type and location. Codes and standards, including those developed by the International Code Council and the National Fire Protection Association, provide design and installation provisions for fire detection systems in the event of a fire or other emergency event.
During the commissioning and testing process, there are many fire and life safety design challenges due to design budgets, complying with codes and standards, interpretation of regulations by code authorities and designing for interoperability and integration of systems that need to be addressed.