In the United Kingdom alone, fire incidents reached up to 804,000 in the year 2007. With these incidents, fatal casualties totaled to 443. Alarming as it may be, many ways have already been created and various equipments invented in order to prevent fire incidents, especially in business establishments. One of these equipment is the fire alarm system. Basically, the fire alarm is a series of fire protection devices that signal the building and the people inside it when fire is detected. Fire alarms can be found almost everywhere as a precautionary measure, from private homes to institutions and most especially to business or commercial buildings.

These are basic things which you need to know about fire alarm systems so you will have an idea on how to strategically install them in your work place. The fire alarm system mainly consists of three things: an alarm initiating device such as a smoke detector or heat sensor, a notification device which signals people of a possible fire occurring (usually in the form of a siren or an improvised strobe light for deaf people), and a fire control device such as sprinklers and fire extinguisher systems. These three devices work in harmony so that when fire breaks out in a building, building occupants are automatically aware and can therefore evacuate the premise or put out the fire before spreading at a larger scale.

Fire alarms are often referred to as "fire protection units" which mean that they can either be activated mechanically or electronically. Mechanical activation can take the form of break glass stations, buttons and the like. These are often found near escape routes or emergency exits of business buildings. On the other hand, electronic activation takes the form of heat sensors, smoke detectors, flame detectors, and even carbon monoxide detectors in a commercial building.

Some alarm systems are even designed to be directly connected to nearby fire departments, so when a fire breaks out at a certain building, these departments can easily be alerted and can quickly come to the rescue. There are a lot of varying types of fire alarm systems that will suit different types of business buildings. Also, these fire alarm systems vary in price and complexity; however, sharing one goal which is to protect the building and save its occupants in case a fire breaks out.

Once the smoke or heat detector detects an abnormal level of smoke or heat that is present within the premise, it will automatically signal the notification device. In turn, such device will alarm the people within the building through the use of a loud siren or blinking lights for deaf people. With such signal, the occupants of the building can immediately leave the premise and perhaps even help stop the fire from spreading. For larger buildings, it is much advisable to install automatic fire alarm systems, since regularly monitoring a large area may be a difficult task. More importantly, these fire alarm systems should be placed near emergency exits, windows or emergency ladders.