Integrating Fire Alarms into Mass Notification Systems

What is a Mass Notification System?
Mass notification is as old as recorded civilization. The first systems consisted of messengers on horseback or other forms of transportation from the times. Probably the most renowned of these would be Paul Revere’s midnight ride where a system of messengers rode through the night to warn of an impending British attack. Air raid sirens blasted the streets of London during World War II to warn of impending attacks by the Germans. In 1963, the U.S. government implemented the emergency broadcast system that could broadcast messages on all radio and TV stations simultaneously. Here in Hawai’i, there are outdoor warning sirens that are accompanied by emergency alerts on radio and TV.

The term mass notification was first coined when then-U.S. Secretary of Defense William Cohen was reviewing the facts of a 1996 terrorist attack in Saudi Arabia that killed 20 and injured 400 people. His conclusion was that there was a need for an automated mass notification system. This incident was the impetus for the Department of Defense to publish “DoD Minimum Antiterrorism Standards for Buildings,” which defined the standards for mass notification systems in government buildings.

Mass notification is not just a public address system. Mass notification is an automated multiple mode communication system. It can include audio public address, visual signals, email, text messages, wireless emergency alerts (e.g., AMBER Alerts) and other communication methods. The purpose of mass notification is to quickly disseminate real-time information and instructions to people during an emergency.

Mass Signaling for Fire-Related Emergencies
The Great Chicago fire of 1871 and the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911 helped shape the fire codes as we know them today. The lessons from these fires pushed the development of the first fire alarm systems. The “Midnight Ride” method of notification was no longer acceptable to adequately warn of impending danger. The first systems consisted of a single or multiple bells that warned of a fire or other disaster. Schools in the 1960s and ‘70s used the fire alarm system to warn of fire, but also to warn of tornados and other potential disasters. The fire alarm bells would be rung and then an announcement made on the public address system. Later, bells were replaced with horns for better audibility.

The first voice evacuation fire alarm system was invented in 1973 by Autocall. Solid state electronics made amplifiers smaller and more reliable, thus making them more usable for the fire alarm system. But these systems were slow to be implemented. As with any new technology, the development was expensive, and the installation costs were higher. Only the boldest of clients were early adopters, but by the late ‘70s they started to gain traction in the market. The real game changer was in 1999 when the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) incorporated voice evacuation systems into the code for all new high-rise buildings. This does not mean that the systems were required in older buildings. There are still plenty of older high-rise buildings that have fire alarm systems installed prior to 1999.

How Modern Fire Alarm Systems Fit into Mass Notification
NFPA 72, the National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code, defines four “mass notification layers.” The first layer is inside the building with systems such as a voice evacuation system, PA system, two-way radio, visual notification and digital signage. Only authorized users control these systems. The second layer is outside of the building with loudspeakers and sirens. Again, only authorized users control these systems. The third layer is notification by individual measures such as email, text, smartphone apps and automated dialing. The fourth layer is notification by public measures such as TV, broadcast radio and social networks.

The modern voice evacuation fire alarm system fulfills Layer 1 and potentially part of Layer 2 of the mass notification system. The system’s primary purpose is to automatically notify occupants of a building of a fire emergency. Since the mandate for a fire alarm system is to have audibility in all occupiable areas of the building, the system is an ideal candidate to make up part of a mass notification system for other emergencies. Hawai’i is subject to numerous adverse conditions that require mass notification. Hurricanes, severe storms, tsunamis and flooding are some of the commonplace occurrences that residences need to prepare for. Gun violence is on the rise, with incidents recently in Waikiki and other heavily populated areas. These systems are already installed in many high-rise buildings and can easily be used as part of a mass notification scheme to warn and instruct people in an emergency along with mass texting and other app driven schemes.

Why Use a Multiple Layer System?
Though text messaging and emergency alerts are very effective at giving one-way alerts and instructions to the masses, it does not give 100-percent coverage. As was learned in the Lahaina fires, many people did not receive the notifications sent to their phones either because they were not checking them, or the cell towers were already out of operation before the warning reached them. This is why alerts are sent through multiple layers. A great example of this is Hawai’i’s tsunami warning system. This is the system that can be heard being tested on the first day of each month. A siren blasts a wide signal (Layer 2) while an emergency alert is sent out over broadcast radio (Layer 4). An emergency alert goes out to all cell phones (Layer 3). One can see the advantage to this multi-layered approach; however, Layer 1 is missing from this scenario. That is where your existing voice evacuation fire alarm can fill the void. But it can only do this if there are protocols in place within the individual building’s standard operating procedures that cause operating personnel to pick up the microphone and make an announcement.

Emergency preparedness necessitates thinking about what to do when the unthinkable happens. If emergencies were predictable, they would no longer be emergencies. It behooves everyone to be prepared for the obvious emergencies we could face on this island that happens to be the most remote (by distance) part of the Earth. The old saying “failure to plan is planning to fail” certainly applies here. The take-away? Make a plan to use what you already have (voice evacuation system) to keep people safer if the unthinkable happens in your neighborhood. And if your current fire alarm was installed before 1989, consider reaching out to a licensed engineer today to have a modern system designed with an integrated mass notification system.