Duncan J White, Group Editor of International Fire Protection recently took the opportunity to meet with Bruno Stadelmann, Product Manager at Siemens Smart Infrastructure who is responsible for EN alarm devices. Based in Zug, Switzerland, Bruno has more than 13 years of experience in the fire sector.
IFP – Protecting people from fire places a great deal of responsibility on the effectiveness of the fire alarm system. What are the design teams at Siemens doing to address this?
BS – We take our mission of protecting lives, assets and business continuity very seriously. From design to manufacturing to on site testing, there are many checkpoints to ensure that a fire protection system and all its component devices are efficient and effective. We constantly incorporate research findings into our products to alert people more quickly and with a greater degree of reliability.
IFP – Could you explain a bit more in detail, what Siemens takes into consideration to ensure a faster evacuation?
BS – Safety is at the core of what we do. One of the considerations uppermost in our minds when designing our products are the specific requirements of buildings and the behaviours of occupants in the event of an emergency. A hotel does not have the same fire safety challenges as an airport building, an educational campus, or a retail complex. Each is different and should be treated accordingly, with the solutions reflecting and responding to those differences. People’s reactions are influenced by their surroundings and there are also other factors to consider, such as cultural background, which can impact on response. Also familiarity with surroundings has an important role to play: a person’s response to an alarm in an office in which they regularly work is likely to be very different to that in a hotel which they could well be visiting for the first time. Another factor is the potential for physical disabilities which can have significant repercussions for evacuation times. These are just some of the issues which need to be considered when developing an appropriate fire safety solution.
IFP – Can you provide us with examples to illustrate the above?
BS – If we take a hotel as an example. This is typically an unfamiliar environment to guests. We all know the potential for alarms to create confusion and panic. The goal is to evacuate hotel guests as quickly as possible and this requires clear instructions to avoid indecision. Voice alarm messages shorten reaction time by up to 75%. Addressing people in different languages further reduces reaction time and can help significantly in ensuring that people follow the prescribed actions to facilitate a safe, quick, and orderly evacuation.
Another example is a public building or an office where people are wearing headphones. In such situations an acoustic alarm might not be enough (this is also obviously true for a hearing-impaired person). It is important to stimulate all the senses – acoustic as well as optical alarming. At Siemens we ensure that our optical alarm devices are state-of-the-art, supporting the short LED pulse which helps us to reduce reaction time by heightening attention levels.
IFP – If we take the example of high-rise buildings, where a phased evacuation strategy is recommended. Are Siemens able to provide this type of notification system to assist a controlled and safe evacuation?
BS – Yes. In a high-rise building notifying every floor at the same time would lead to a situation of panic and disorder, with potential bottlenecks in stairwells and the safety issues this represents. That is why we use phased evacuation which incorporates both our PA/VA system and our networkable fire panels. By adopting this approach, priority is given to occupants located on the most critical floors, i.e. the floor on which the fire has broken out and those nearby that are likely to be in the most immediate danger. This ensures an evacuation which is faster, safer and offers greater potential to save more lives. There is also the capability for evacuation to be customized with each floor receiving a different message.
To find out more about Siemens alarm and evacuation solutions, visit siemens.com/evacuation
IFP – What constitutes in your opinion a well-designed alarm system?
BS – In the event of an emergency, it is important to consider if we are using the proper stimulus to alert occupants. Fundamental to a well-designed system is to consider the individuality of a building, appropriate safety procedures and the significant variable of people’s behaviour, modelling how they are likely to respond to an alarm in that specific environment.
IFP – Let’s assume that an occupancy has an optimal fire protection system in place, how do you ensure that it works, that it is reliable all the time, 24/7?
BS – When it comes to safety, there is no room for system failure or, indeed, for downtime. A building should be operational 24/7. Built into that constant protection philosophy should be the capability to reduce maintenance effort, enhance business continuity and life safety.
Our alarm devices conduct daily disturbance-free self-tests of the electrical, acoustic, and optical components. Very low levels of sound and light are emitted during testing so as not to interrupt day-to-day business activities.
IFP – Effective emergency management plays an important part in ensuring that people are always protected. The design, manufacture and installation of a system can be well controlled by Siemens, but what part do you play when it comes to educating and influencing the end user in relation to emergency management?
BS – Creating awareness around the topic is crucial. We communicate about it in every touch point we have with end customers. However, there is a limit to the ultimate effectiveness of that, in the sense that nothing equates to real training to educate people. Occupants and staff need to be trained and able to recognize an alarm and respond to it appropriately.
IFP – What can we expect to see in the future in terms of alarming and evacuation?
BS – Safe and fast evacuation will be increasingly important for everybody. This means that more alarm devices are being installed in buildings to provide the necessary levels of protection. However, this needs to be counterbalanced with the understanding that building owners are faced with the demand for buildings that are in operation 24/7. This means there is no room for downtime. To achieve this, it is key to have products which can offer predictive maintenance, with all the relevant information supplied to and from a cloud.
To find out more about Siemens alarm and evacuation solutions, visit siemens.com/evacuation
Watch Bruno Stadelmann’s latest webinar “How to alarm the right way”.
