Protecting your business, whether it is a warehouse or a factory, is non-negotiable. While many people protect their buildings using traditional methods like fire alarms, there are other better and more advanced ways. For large buildings and factories that are at high risk of fire, they can significantly benefit from fire detection cameras. The good thing about them is that they detect fire quickly, specifically during their initial stages. Fire can spread very quickly, and mere seconds can make a significant difference. With fire detection cameras, early detection is possible, leading to quick response. This prevents fire from causing severe damage. In this article, we will understand what a fire detection camera is and why you should have them in your building.
What Is A Fire Detection Camera?
A fire detection camera senses fire and alerts other systems to prevent fire spread. They are different from hidden cameras in fire alarms. They are specifically made to detect fire and communicate wirelessly with a control panel to trigger alerts. Fire detection cameras are mostly used in large industrial buildings. They work by sensing the temperature and smoke within the building. They notice when the temperature rises beyond normal to prevent it from causing a fire. Most fire detection cameras can sense fire more quickly than traditional smoke detectors.
Today, there are wireless fire detection cameras that work by using infrared technology to sense temperature change. They turn thermal radiation or heat into a picture to help you visualize the temperature of a location. They then take this data and communicate wirelessly to the control panel to trigger alerts or alarms based on the camera’s heat settings. Fire cameras are more effective when combined with other fire prevention methods, including fire detection systems and fire extinguishers.
Importance of Fire Detection Cameras
Speed
Unlike traditional fire alarms, fire detection cameras work at a high speed. We all know that it only takes a few minutes for fire to engulf a building. This means that fast detection can save lives and properties. While most traditional detectors take about one minute, fire detection cameras detect fire in as little as ten seconds, making it possible to implement prevention measures as early as possible. Most modern fire cameras can detect heat, not just fire and have the ability to discover a fire even before it starts. The early warning makes fire detection cameras invaluable.
Accuracy
When using traditional smoke detectors, you can get false alarms triggering unnecessary tension. The presence of dust or particles can cause traditional fire detectors to send false alarms. With fire detection cameras, the possibility of getting false alarms is low as they only send alerts when there is a likelihood of fire. They have a lower threshold temperature below the full alarm temperature, allowing them to prevent unnecessary alarms.
Specification
Fire detection cameras are capable of helping know the specific location where there is a risk of fire. A thermal fire alarm camera provides you with a warning that a particular area is heating up before the system goes into a full alarm. With this information, you can assess where the problem is and prevent the alarm when no actual fire is present. If you plan to place a camera in a factory or an area that gets very hot, you should take this into account when setting the threshold or when monitoring the system.
Ability to View
Unlike traditional fire alarms, which only inform the operators where the fire is occurring, fire detection cameras help the operators to actually see the fire. One can even remotely see and know how big or small the fire is. The fact that they take pictures and videos of the area in which they are placed and send them to the control centre gives the operator a clear view of the real situation. This allows for an immediate response that matches the situation.
Early Warning Capability
The ability to detect fire in its early stages and send alerts even before the fire breaks minimizes property damage. Since they can sense fire in less than ten seconds, it helps put off the fire before it gets big and prevents properties from being destroyed. They identify temperature rise and the presence of smoke particles and provide immediate alerts that enable quick response. The building occupants can have more time to evacuate safely and efficiently and prevent stampede and injuries. Small fires can be prevented from becoming big and destructive, thus saving lives.
Minimize Property Damage
Immediate detection of fire symptoms enables the relevant parties to provide faster intervention measures that can significantly limit the extent of property damage. Important assents can be safeguarded by preventing fire and smoke. This saves the building or business owner from incurring hefty financial implications due to the destruction of expensive properties. Since fire detection cameras can detect fire early, this can save irreplaceable items like vital documents and sensitive data that can be lost in an advanced blaze.
Legal and Insurance Requirements
In most cases, building codes and insurances require buildings to be installed with fire detection systems like alarms and cameras to protect them against the risk of fire. When you have a modern and well operating fire detection system with cameras and alarms, insurance companies can minimize fire risks losses and in turn, reduce the cost of insurance premiums for policy holders. Moreover, some countries have building codes that require big buildings to have fire detection systems. Some insurance policies may also demand this as a condition to offer coverage to clients.
In conclusion, fire is hazardous and can cause costly damages and even be fatal. Research shows that more than a hundred thousand people die annually as a result of fire while more than three hundred get injured. This makes it vital to ensure buildings are protected from the risk of fire by installing the necessary measures. Since the modern technology has made it possible to increase fire safety with availability of gadgets like fire detection cameras, it is wise to install them to be on the safe side. The benefits of fire detection cameras is the ability to detect the possibility of fire even before it starts making it possible to prevent damage and loss of lives. They identify the exact area when fire is coming from and sends alerts to control panel which allows relevant parties to offer quick response.
