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ZONING AND ANNUNCIATION An annunciator panel displays information about the location and type of alarm. This assists the fire service with their initial response and may help track the spread of smoke or heat. A building may have multiple annunciators to serve multiple entrances. Or, there may be different annunciators for different users, such as the fire department, the security force, and building management staff. This manual focuses on annunciator features appli- cable to fire service use. Designers should always consult the fire department on the design and loca- tion of these devices. The location of an annunciator is critical to its usefulness. Typically, the best location is at the main entrance where the fire department plans to initially respond, In some large buildings, it may be beneficial to have duplicate annunciators at differ- ent locations. For buildings, such as high-rises with fire control rooms, the annunciator is usually locat- ed within these rooms. However, depending on the room's accessibility, designers may choose to place an additional annunciator at the main entrance. (Fig. 6.3) Control panel with alphanumeric annunciation display. i i i • Each building should have its own annunciator, even if a single fire alarm control system serves multiple buildings. Fire service operations would be delayed if it were necessary for one unit to report to a given building to check the annunciator, then relocate (or direct another unit) to investigate origi- nation of the alarm. In large complexes, an addi- tional master annunciator could assist the fire service in locating the building where an alarm originates. Annunciators display alarm information in dif- ferent ways. Some have lights or LEDs that are labeled (Figure 6.2). Alphanumeric annunciators have a readout-type display that may be pro- grammed to show very specific information describing the alarm signal (Figure 6.3). A printer is yet another means of annunciation. It is usually used in conjunction with other devices. In very simple systems, the control panel serves as the annunciator. In such cases, its location and fea- tures should meet all annunciator requirements. FIRE -SERVICE FEATU.R.ES- O.F BUILDINGS AND FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEMS S1 167 (Fig. 6.2) Simple fire alarm control panel with lamps and zone labels for annunciation.