Honeywell, a building automation and industrial technology company, has expanded its fire and life safety portfolio with integrated smoke control and new cloud-based tools for building operators and emergency responders.
The expansion adds smoke control to the NOTIFIER INSPIRE fire alarm platform. Honeywell has also introduced tools for synchronising building records, supporting occupants during emergencies and maintaining dispatch alerts during network failures.
Smoke control integrated with fire alarm system
The latest NOTIFIER INSPIRE release integrates smoke control with the fire alarm system. Honeywell said the configuration reduces the need for additional hardware and custom programming while making retrofits more practical on existing infrastructure.
The system maps each item of smoke-control equipment and its associated control and monitoring modules to a virtual smoke-control point. These points can be organised into zones that manage activation priorities, lockouts and synchronised operation.
Periodic testing is automated, with the system able to identify faulty equipment. According to Honeywell, the arrangement also reduces the number of logic equations required during programming.
The modular N16x control panel supports up to 3,180 addressable devices across ten signalling-line modules. It can operate independently and is compatible with networks of up to 200 nodes. Honeywell identifies high-rise buildings and campuses among its intended applications.
The N16x panel carries US and Canadian safety certifications, including listings for smoke-control applications. It has also received FM approval and approvals from the New York City Fire Department and the City of Chicago.
Honeywell developed the release with its customer advisory board and channel partners. John Strohecker, vice-president of alarm and detection at Cosco Fire Protection and a member of the advisory board, said the integrated configuration could reduce field complexity and shorten commissioning.
Automatic ventilation responds to carbon monoxide
A purge function changes the ventilation response when the system detects a carbon monoxide alarm. It exhausts contaminated air from the affected zone and introduces fresh air to reduce carbon monoxide concentrations.
During a fire, airflow is managed to contain smoke and limit the oxygen supply to a potential fire, according to Honeywell.
Cloud tools support emergency coordination
Honeywell has added Zone Sync and CLSS Rescue Assist to its Connected Life Safety Services platform.
Zone Sync keeps floor plans, device locations and alarm zones aligned when layouts or fire systems change. This gives building operators and first responders access to consistent system information during an emergency.
CLSS Rescue Assist is intended for incidents involving occupants who may need additional help. Honeywell said the tool gives building teams and first responders real-time visibility while an emergency is in progress.
Phoenix G2 ATX Cellular Alerting from US Digital Designs, a provider of fire-station alerting systems, has also joined the portfolio. The module provides cellular backup for IP-based dispatch alerts, maintaining a connection between the fire-station controller and the US Digital Designs cloud in the event of a primary network failure.
Its dual-SIM design automatically changes carriers when one network becomes unavailable. The module has North American PTCRB and GCF certification and carrier approvals from Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile.
