How to Achieve a Single Pane of Glass for Multiple Fire Alarm Systems

For facility managers of multi-building networks or campuses, it can be a challenge to see the status of all the fire alarm systems at one time. Often, the fire alarm systems vary from building to building, with different product ages, types, and manufacturers. This can force facility managers to toggle between system software.

On a daily basis, this absence of holistic system visibility means facility resources are often not deployed efficiently because of the travel that is required to diagnose system faults.

And, during emergencies, this lack of integration can create delays in decision-making and provide incomplete information to staff.

Fortunately, there is a solution. The FireWorks Graphic Annunciation Platform is a little-known software platform from industry-leader, Kidde. The FireWorks Platform The Fireworks Graphic Annunciation Platform delivers single-point visibility of multiple fire alarm systems without additional infrastructure or equipment replacement.

FireWorks brings disparate fire alarms and those that are not networked under one incident management platform. It works with any fire alarm control panel to provide facility managers with clear, concise, and coordinated site incident information. The system pinpoints the scene of concern with a detailed map of the building and event location. And, it color-codes each message according to its priority which alerts the viewer instantly to any change of status or newly logged incident. This speeds up response time during emergencies and delivers efficiency during routine maintenance.

Benefits

Among the most compelling benefits of FireWorks:

  • Graphic annunciation software provides map-based incident location.
  • Dynamic event-driven user interface delivers easy-to-follow notifications.
  • Email event notification to multiple recipients for instant communication with off-site personnel.
  • Full history reports can be created and distributed, including custom incident and status reports.
  • Password-defined user access and event filtering to control who sees what.
  • Multiple workstations can be added to the same network to provide redundant operations for improved survivability.

Real-world Example: School District

By deploying a StarLink Communicator at each building’s existing Fire Alarm Panel, the panel can communicate simultaneously to the Central Monitoring Station and the FireWorks Incident Communication Platform.

Because FireWorks is platform-agnostic, it can integrate with any fire alarm panel, regardless of manufacturer or age, although some provide higher levels of integration than others.

As existing fire alarm panels require replacement, the Kidde product can be utilized to deliver enhanced system monitoring and additional system integrations.

The FireWorks Platform provides:

  • Real-time incident notifications
  • Historical recording of incidents
  • Optional email notifications are available

System status is transmitted via the cellular data network and provides alarm, trouble, and supervisory statuses of the system. Incidents are logged and posted to appropriate display areas.


FireWorks does not impact the functioning of the fire alarm system, and communication to the Central Monitoring Station is not impacted by the deployment of FireWorks.

For more information on how to deploy FireWorks at your facility, please reach out to the CM3 team.