Firefighters called to large buildings frequently have trouble spotting the fire, or knowing where they are in relation to it. Now industry's largest standard screen conveys more of the information that the fire community has expressed a need to see.
Introduction
An often-expressed concern of firefighters around the world is their unfamiliarity with the information made available to them with fire detection panels as they enter a building responding to a fire. Now, through an international cooperative effort, introduction of the FireFinder generation of detection systems takes a major step toward creating an operator interface screen for fire detection systems
The most critical information firefighters wish to know as they rush to respond to an alarm includes: Where is the fire? Where are we in relation to it? How do we get from here to there? What will we find when we get to that location?
Firefighters and fire marshals also want to know whether the alarm was sent by a smoke detector, a heat detector, a waterflow detector, or a manual station, because that helps define the type of event they're going to encounter. And of course they would like to know the types of hazards that are present in the area, and the people typically in this area of the building, who may need help getting out.
In general, the fire alarm industry has done an excellent job of building intelligent detectors that respond quickly. But it has not done as good a job in terms of presenting information about the building and about the fire events to the firefighters responding in an emergency.
The Status Quo
Most fire systems today offer a short text message that describes the location of the alarm. With only 30 or 40 characters worth of space, it's usually abbreviated to the point where it might as well be coded. If the panel serves a large building, it may be virtually impossible to pinpoint the alarm location. Unfortunately, detailed descriptions of alarm locations within a building are often abbreviated to the point of being difficult, if not impossible, to decipher -- costing precious time in locating the fire. The consequences of knowing there is a fire and not being able to find it in a large building can be devastating. In many cases, firefighters say they hate to waste time studying the uninformative screen message.
Of course, the idea of providing generous fire- and building-related information is not new. PC-based graphic enunciators and command centers offer both illustrations and graphic maps of the building, as well as virtually unlimited information.
But a strange computer to a firefighter is not usually friendly to an occasional user in a hurry. And the cost of such an installation often puts it out of reach of competitive bidding. In other words, costs have been controlling the amount of information offered to firefighters by today's detection systems.
Bigger, Better Information
A new, intelligent fire detector system brings generous amounts of understandable information into the average system without the cost of a PC. The new system offers considerably more of the information that fire officials say they require. Its bigger, better 6 in. standard screen is the largest in the industry short of a computer.
This improved operator interface screen communicates in hundreds of easy-to-read, large-text characters, eliminating the need to abbreviate, and displays up to five events simultaneously, using standard hazmat icons for safety. It employs shading to highlight critical information and two type sizes for emphasis, with further information easily accessed via a lighted "More Info" button. Simple graphic maps are incorporated for clarity. Also available are standard NFPA fire safety symbols to provide information about the type of fire service equipment available in the alarm area.
The system provides easily recognizable standard symbols to indicate two main pieces of information: Fire Service Equipment in the area of the alarm -- showing sprinkler standpipe connection points, gas valve shutoffs, electrical panels; Area Contain -- a second set of symbols/icons unique to the area of the fire alarm being reported that advises the responder, using universally recognized NFPA 170 symbols, what to expect: e.g. handicapped personnel, hazardous materials, if the area contains an exit, explosive materials, biohazardous materials, etc.
Shown above are some of the graphics standard NFPA Fire safety symbols that could be displayed in the "Fire Service Equipment" info screen. And shown to the right are examples of graphic symbols that might be displayed in the "Area Contains" info screen.
Designing the Interface
Clearly, response to a fire alarm is a stressful situation, underlining the importance of making the interface as easy to use as possible. To achieve this, fire system designers worked with industrial design staff experienced in cognitive research and human factors. The researchers provided user interaction studies based on mockups of proposed screen designs, and the designs were modified based on the reactions of system users.
Screen details were also reviewed with fire service personnel. They liked the concept and helped fine-tune design and operation of the interface. "It's about time," was a common comment. The KISS principle should always be kept in mind -- Keep It Simple Siemens!
Accommodating Several Levels
Besides first responders, the operator interface had to accommodate several other levels of users. For building operators, everything was made easy and step-by-step, as intuitive as possible. Eliminating the need to know individual device addresses as the sole means of performing system maintenance is incorporated to simplify the maintenance process navigation by building area, floor, or even device messages.
For the maintenance employee with limited training, the "details" button accesses information on possible wire break and system faults.
For well-trained service personnel, provisions are made for a variety of diagnostics accessible from a touch screen. Prudent use of the touch screen on the operator interface -- depending on the system user's level of access and familiarity -- allows the entire fire system operator interface to be kept simple, eliminating the need to include a variety of extra buttons, even full keyboards which in an emergency situation confuse and complicate the most basic operation the system is required to perform: locating a fire.
Further Advantages
The new system stresses ease of installation and service, reducing overall installation time and total lifecycle cost of the system to the user and installer. It features a well thought out, color-coded hardware layout and quick-disconnect wiring terminations. Intelligent device wiring is polarity insensitive and existing lines can be used, helping to reduce installation costs and minimize the business disruption associated with installing new conduit and wire in existing buildings.
System packaging is consistent in terms of standard modules and footprints, with ample room for wiring and removable terminals. Functions have been combined into single modules to minimize space, and a 12-amp power supply is designed into the control unit. The detection interface/loop accommodates up to 252 devices per loop, each address having the capability of several subaddresses for control and logic activation. The system's new software configuration tool is Windows based with drag-and-drop functions and advanced compile checks with logic to insure that system design parameters and NFPA code requirements are not violated.
The system is available with and without digital emergency voice evacuation. The voice system model carries eight channels of digitized audio, providing the ability to locate a complete voice system command center or remote paging microphone at multiple locations throughout a building, with the ability to page and send emergency information throughout the entire building as needed. The voice system is designed to provide a high level of system intelligibility to insure that all live voice pages and spoken messages can be clearly heard and understood by building occupants.
The Universal Screen
The new FireFinder generation of detection systems incorporates what Siemens Fire Systems and its predecessor companies, Siemens-Cerberus and Cerberus-Pyrotronics, learned in designing and installing some of the largest projects in the world. Important components of the system are the result of international cooperation between Siemens' units in Munich, Germany; Mannedorf, Switzerland; and Florham Park, NJ.
Conclusion
The company involved the fire community and other life safety leaders in the conception and design of the system, to make it better, faster, and easier for firefighters and fire marshals to use. This new generation is intended to be an important step toward an industry-standard user interface that is clear, easy to use, and virtually intuitive, informing and enhancing the safety of firefighters around the world.
