Spoken alarm message clears buildings effectively

A Cooper Lighting and Safety product story

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Apr 13, 2001

At this year's International Fire Expo, Cooper Lighting and Security will be unveiling a new voice sounder designed to enable buildings to be evacuated as quickly as possible in the event of fire.

At this year's International Fire Expo, Cooper Lighting and Security will be unveiling a new voice sounder designed to enable buildings to be evacuated as quickly as possible in the event of fire.

As research indicates that people respond more quickly to a spoken alarm message than to just a tone, the company is offering a new voice sounder which generates a conventional alarm, followed by a high-clarity speech message.

In addition to offering a wide range of preprogrammed messages, the voice sounder features excellent synchronisation characteristics when multiple sounders are used, thereby ensuring that messages remain intelligible in every part of the building.

Providing an inexpensive alternative to the PA systems often installed at larger sites, the new voice sounder has a provisional specification that includes a sound output of 97dB(A), a supply voltage of 18 - 30V and a current consumption of just 25mA.

With overall dimensions of 105mm (D) x 95mm (L), the sounder will be available in a choice of red or white ABS.

Also being unveiled at the exhibition is a new call point that has been designed to greatly facilitate installation and maintenance.

The call point features a self-locking screwless cover that simply clips into place after installation.

To gain access to the call point for maintenance purposes, the unit is unlocked using a push-in key.

Available in surface, flush and weatherproof versions, the call point utilises a bottom-entry test facility to avoid the access problems associated with side-entry test-key designs, especially when call points are located in the corner of a room.

The new call point is also available with an optional LED indicator to enable rapid identification of an activated device, which is a particularly useful feature in low-light situations such as pubs and clubs, where broken glass in a call point can be hard to spot.