Hochiki’s New Low Cost Voice Alarm System

The new system boasts many of the features found on more costly voice alarm systems on the market, and is built to the same exacting quality standard that is the hallmark of all of Hochiki’s detection solutions for life and asset protection. FIREvac also incorporates a number of innovative cost and installation labour saving features. For example, to integrate FIREvac with an existing fire alarm and detection installation, all that is required is the addition of two modules, such as the Hochiki CHQ-DRC dual relay controller, to the Hochiki ESP – Enhanced Systems Protocol – analogue addressable loop.

Despite being targeted at small to medium sized installations in shopping centres, commercial offices, leisure centres and hospitals, FIREvac is extremely versatile. The compact, wall-mounted control panel incorporates a digital message store that designates the order of messages played, and ensures that the fireman’s microphone can override any background music, paging or pre-programmes messages with the following messages: alert, evacuate, and fire. The FIREvac panel also houses two high-efficiency 60W Class D amplifiers, and an EN54-compliant switch mode power supply unit / battery charger.

A FIREvac installation can be either single or multi-zone, depending upon the size, layout and occupancy of the building. A multi-zone installation can include virtually any number of FIREvac master panels, each linked to the fire detection and alarm installation via two dual relay controllers.

Audio coverage can be enhanced for larger open areas by the addition of up to ten FIREvac slave panels for each FIREvac master panel or zone. These will repeat all of the fireman’s microphone and digital message broadcasts made at the master panel to which they are connected. Localised control of paging and background music is possible, as each slave panel has its own paging and background music input. Another performance-enhancing feature of Hochiki’s new FIREvac is that both the master and slave panels can be supplied with a ‘hot swap’ amplifier.

Commenting on the relevance of the launch of FIREvac, UK Sales Manager, Graham Lowe, says: Voice evacuation has long been recognised as making a major contribution to life safety, but has been previously the preserve of organisations with large buildings or complex campus sites. With the launch of FIREvac, Hochiki is making the technology available cost- effectively to smaller organisations at a time when there is growing awareness of the value of voice evacuation in the event of terrorist attack”. He continues: “Our new voice evacuation system has already attracted a lot of interest from building occupiers who, being aware of their responsibilities under the Fire Safety Order, are anxious to provide their employees and customers the best available fire safety protection”.

Hochiki Europe (UK) has been active in the fire safety market since 1986, and is a subsidiary of the Tokyo-based Hochiki Corporation that was founded in 1918. Today, Hochiki Europe is headquartered in Gillingham in Kent and designs, manufactures and markets a broad selection of premium-build fire detection and alarm products and systems throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Further information is available by telephone on +44 (0)1634 260133, or via email at sales@hochikieurope.com

The company’s website is at www.hochikieurope.com