Commercial Fire Alarm System Upgrade To Improve Reliability, Service Efficiency
Upgrades to a dedicated fire alarm system serving 50 commercial properties within the Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District (BCFPD) will improve overall system reliability by significantly reducing the possibility of false alarms and weather-related disruptions, Fire Marshall Jim Feit reports.
The commercial alarm system upgrade, which previously alerted dispatchers of fire-related emergencies via automated calls that traveled over telephone lines, features a network of dedicated radios that constantly communicate with each other through encrypted frequencies.
Should a fire start at any commercial property served by the system, on-site control panels trip an alarm that immediately sends a call to emergency dispatch through the radio network. Transmitted data pinpoints the exact location of the alarm to aid firefighters en route.
“Employing a network of dedicated radios to transmit emergency calls, as opposed to relying on traditional telephone lines, virtually eliminates the chance of system disruption caused by severe weather,” Feit explains. “We expect the network to achieve a reliability rate of 99%, which will vastly reduce the number of fire department responses that turn out to be false alarms.”
The upgraded system offers increased reliability due to the network’s built-in redundancies. Even if several individual radios go down, the system will continue to transmit information by automatically rerouting data along the strongest available signal path.
District officials are working with equipment supplier ADT to complete installation of the radios and antennas that comprise the commercial alarm system upgrade. The system also serves 190 businesses in the Village of Barrington.
The upgrade is being completed at no cost to District taxpayers. Properties served by the system pay a monthly subscription fee.
For more information on the commercial alarm system upgrade, contact the BCFPD at 847/304-3600. Information on District operations and activities may be found at www.bcfpd.org.
The Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District, in coordination with the Barrington Fire Department, protects the lives and property of residents within the District by providing emergency fire and medical service. The BCFPD serves portions of Barrington Hills, South Barrington, Lake Barrington and Inverness; and unincorporated Cook, Lake and McHenry Counties.