2019/11/22 by Halliwell, R. E., Sultan, M. A.
#Fire alarm response #Réponse aux alarmes incendie #affaiblissement acoustique #alarm sounding devices #avertisseur d'incendie #fire alarms #smoke detectors #sound attenuation
paper · doi:10.4224/40001423
Fire alarms can save lives in a fire emergency only if people hear them. If alarm sounding devices are to used effectively, attention must be paid to where they are located in the building. A simple expression has been developed to calculate the attenuation of the alarm signal from a smoke detector as it propagates through a residential building, with the path viewed as a series of connected rooms. Attenuation depends on floor area and type of furnishings in each room. Corrections are applied if the house does not have forced air heating or if a number of doors are closed. The expression can be used to determine the optimum location for alarms.