Fire alarm control panels (FACP) are systems, which receive information from input devices (smoke detectors, heat detectors, etc.), process the information, and trigger an output device (audio or visual alarm).
Fire Alarm Systems fall broadly in to two groups - Conventional Systems or Analogue Addressable Systems.
'Conventional' Fire Alarm Systems, in their various forms, have been around for many years and have changed little in that time in terms of technology although design and reliability have improved significantly. However, Conventional Systems are a well-proven technology protecting many hundreds of thousands of properties worldwide. A Conventional Fire Alarm System is often the natural choice for smaller systems or where budget constraints exist. A conventional system only detects on/off signals. They use separate wiring circuits called zones to relay information to the panel regarding the condition of the initiating devices. The panel monitors the condition of the detection devices throughout the whole system, with separate zones used to help pinpoint the location of the alarm. These systems allow the use of inexpensive detection devices and fire alarm control panels
An addressable control panel is a system using a signaling technique, which allows a control unit to identify a specific initiating device or group of devices by location. Analogue Addressable Fire Alarm Systems differ from conventional systems in a number of ways and certainly add more flexibility, intelligence, speed of identification and scope of control. For this reason Analogue Addressable Fire Alarm Systems are the natural choice for larger premises and more complex system requirements.
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