Fire is always a serious issue. It’s not one to be trifled with. Therefore, proper precautions need to be taken for its detection and prevention.
A number of smart devices can help to prevent and detect fires in your homes or workplaces. Traditional smoke detectors can always help in fire detections and evacuations but those are usually effective inside the zones affected by the fire. What if you are miles away from it?
Certain smart devices are capable of providing mobile alerts to you on your phone and simultaneously, to the fire department even if you are not present on the spot. Let’s go through a few of them without further ado.
Smart smoke detectors
Unlike traditional smoke detectors, these smoke detectors can provide you with alerts through alarm notifications on your smartphones even if you are miles away from the affected zone.
- How do they work?
A smart smoke detector usually has 3 different methods to detect things in a place.
Smoke can be detected by 3 sensors:
1) A photoelectric sensor
2) An ionization sensor
3) Carbon Monoxide sensor
The photoelectric sensor plays the main role in detecting smoke especially when something’s smoldering. You will notice several things in your household/workplace that smoke long before they actually catch a flame. The photoelectric sensor’s apt for detecting things like that.
Unlike the photoelectric sensor, the ionization sensor’s particularly designed to detect smoke of a blazing fire.
So you see the combinative use of a photoelectric smoke detector and an ionization sensor-based smoke detector can benefit you tremendously.
Carbon monoxide is a byproduct of almost each and every type of fire. This by-product is lethal and since it’s tasteless and odorless, it is difficult to detect at the same time. A CO smoke detector can detect this effectively and dispatch a timely warning to you for immediate evacuation.
- How would they benefit you?
Smart smoke detectors have several key benefits over traditional smoke detectors such as:
- These detectors can provide you with timely notifications of a potential fire even if you aren’t present on the spot.
- These can be wired into a security system (applicable for both business workplace/ homes) to alert the fire department and yourself in case it detects smoke in a particular place.
- You might be able to integrate a camera with these detectors to record footage that can serve as substantial evidence in your favor.
- These smart detectors can detect the presence of smoke particles in the air and simultaneously shut down your location’s air handling systems to curb the spread of smoke during the evacuation.
Smart Fire Detectors
Traditional smoke detectors can create a fair amount of false alarms that are both inconvenient and troublesome at the same time. If you face these problems extensively, you might consider installing smart fire detectors in places.
- What do these detectors do?
Smart fire detectors are actually heat detectors used to detect heat above a certain temperature (although the working principles very differently on basis of latest technologies). These can be used to monitor a fire effectively and take precautionary measures accordingly.
- Types
Smart fire detectors usually come in 2 types:
- The simple fixed temperature detector type: Used to send an alarm at a pre-set fixed temperature.
- The rate of temperature rise detector type: These send an alarm as soon as it detects a quick rise in temperature.
Note: Many of these smart fire detectors can be interconnected to one another. So you can make it into a system such that if one goes off in an area, all the alarms will go off together.
Smart batteries
These can serve as an inexpensive alternative, yet the effective option to the smart smoke, fire or carbon monoxide detectors.
A smart battery can power your existing smoke/heat detectors and provide you with timely alarm notifications in case there’s something related to the fire. You will receive those notifications on your phone even if you are miles away from the fire-affected location.
These smart batteries will also notify you the apt time to replace them.
Smart Stovetop Fire Prevention
This point is specifically valid for fire detection and prevention in homes.
Cooking fires are one of the major causes of fires in households. To be more specific, it should be said that “unattended cooking” is the major culprit behind household fires.
You can incorporate technology like “smart stovetop fire prevention” system to bring this problem under control at least to a certain extent.
- How do these work?
Smart stovetop fire prevention system uses motion-sensing technology that’s particularly designed to automatically shut down the stove based on certain situations like unattended cooking for a lengthy period of time.
If the stove detects the fact that unattended cooking is going on for a fair length of time, it begins a countdown to shut the stove down. If you return within the timeframe, the stove automatically restarts the countdown.
Smart Outlets or Plugs
Electrical short circuits are one of the most common causes of fires in commercial, industrial and domestic places. These accidents aren’t completely avoidable; there’s no doubt about it but proper precautionary measures need to be implemented to keep it at bay as much as possible.
Smart plugs AKA smart outlets can provide you with the peace of mind in case you forgot to switch off your coffee machine or your iron before leaving home. That’s because you will be able to switch those appliances off from an app on your smartphone.
Although some models automatically turn themselves off when they fail to detect the presence of human beings nearby.
Water Mist Systems
This technology is an improvement on conventional sprinkler systems. It’s considered a significant part of the future of firefighting.
Water is still the most common agent used in fire fighting. Water mist systems use the same concept with a few tweaks here and there.
These systems send out a fine mist instead of large water droplets to smother a fire. Water mist systems significantly decrease water damage which is definitely good news for businesses having costly equipment under one roof.
Take a peek at this short video to see a demonstration of this technology.
Do remember that you might have to consult a professional for proper installations. With that, we’ll bring this article to an end for now. Hope you had a good read.
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