Fire Alarms – When Smoke Detectors Won’t do the Job

Fire Alarms are useful when you have a risk of fire in a confined space or an open area where airflow would make a smoke alarm inefficient. 

Sometimes a smoke detector just won’t do the job. For example if you work in a dusty factory, dust would continually be blocking the sensor making the detector useless. In a mechanic’s garage there may be exhaust fumes setting off a smoke detector often.  Mechanical workshops tend to have flammable liquids and rags around, which are a lethal combination so early detection of fire is a necessary safety measure.

Some workplaces need to be open to allow airflow or have ceiling fans to circulate the air because of the nature of the work involved. In these situations smoke detectors would not be particularly useful as most smoke would be moved away.

Computers generate a lot of heat and have fans running constantly to keep them cool. If the fan stops working, the computer quickly overheats and a fire could be the result.  Now if this is in a server room, a lot of damage could be done before the fire is discovered.

Fire Alarms are a useful tool in many workplace situations where the early detection of fire might otherwise not be possible.