Fire Alarm Reference Library — every reference for your fire alarm project, in one place.
What an FDAS is, and how it works
A Fire Detection and Alarm System (FDAS) is the network of detectors, control equipment, and notification devices that senses a developing fire and warns everyone in the building in time to act. Every system, from a small office to a high-rise, runs the same four-step chain.
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1
Detect
A detector senses smoke, heat, or flame — or a person operates a manual call point.
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2
Signal
The device reports to the control panel over its circuit or addressable loop.
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3
Decide
The panel verifies the signal, identifies the location, and runs the programmed cause and effect.
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4
Alert & Act
Horns and strobes warn occupants while the panel triggers elevator recall, HVAC shutdown, and door release.
Direct link to the Kidde products these systems are built from
Control panels, smoke and heat detectors, manual call points, and notification appliances. Kidde is our principal brand, and its literature library is the single source for their data sheets, brochures, and submittal guides — always the current revision, published by the manufacturer.
Short answers to the questions we are asked most
Written for building owners and facility managers as much as for engineers. Where a question deserves a longer answer, the guide is linked underneath it.
What is a fire alarm system?
It is the network that senses a developing fire and warns the building. Detectors and manual call points send a signal to a control panel; the panel identifies the location and drives horns, strobes, and interfaces to other building systems such as elevator recall and HVAC shutdown. It is a life safety system first — property protection follows from getting people out.
What is the difference between conventional and addressable fire alarm systems?
A conventional system reports by zone: you know the area, not the device. An addressable system reports by device: the panel names the exact detector and its location. The trade-off is cost against how long it takes a responder to find the source, and how much the building layout is expected to change.
Read the full comparisonWhat type of detector should be used?
It follows the room, not the floor plan. Photoelectric smoke detectors suit most occupied spaces. Heat detectors belong in kitchens, parking levels, and plant rooms where smoke detectors would nuisance-trip. Multi-criteria or dust-tolerant detectors handle areas where particulates are unavoidable. Placing the wrong device is the most common cause of repeated false alarms.
Causes of false alarmsHow does a fire alarm control panel work?
The panel continuously monitors every circuit for alarm, fault, and supervisory conditions. When a device activates, the panel verifies the signal, annunciates the location, logs the event, and executes the programmed cause and effect — sounding notification appliances and triggering the outputs the design calls for. It also supervises its own power, including the standby batteries.
How often should a fire alarm system be inspected or tested?
NFPA 72 sets the intervals by device and function — some checks are monthly, others quarterly, semi-annual, or annual. Confirm every interval against the NFPA 72 edition your Authority Having Jurisdiction has adopted, the manufacturer's published requirements, and the RA 9514 / BFP conditions attached to your occupancy.
See the testing scheduleDo I need to buy the codes to read them?
No. NFPA publishes free read-only access to its codes and standards, and the Bureau of Fire Protection publishes the Revised IRR of RA 9514 as a free PDF. Both are linked on the Fire Codes & Standards page.
Go to Fire Codes & Standards