Gulf Construction Online - Johnson Controls enhances fire alarm systems

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FireClass Essential Panel’s four-zone model.

Johnson Controls enhances fire alarm systems

01 January 2024

Johnson Controls, a global leader for smart, healthy and sustainable buildings, has enhanced the Autocall ES Net Life Safety Network to offer long-distance connectivity between customers’ buildings, better visual alarm safety and increased cost savings.

The new ES Net Network Bridge device allows fire alarm system data to travel over a customer’s existing network infrastructure by creating a secure VPN tunnel, improving system visibility and control across distant buildings and campuses.

“These latest features allow us to offer customers a complete Autocall ES Net package,” says Anna Khanova, Vice President, Global Product Management of Johnson Controls. “Large facility, campus and enterprise operators looking for a network with better safety and response, lower installation and expansion cost, and increased quality and reliability will find Autocall ES Net to be the ideal integrated fire and life safety solution.”

Long-distance connectivity

The ES Net Network Bridge improves system-wide monitoring and control in facilities and campuses where life safety networks are often widely dispersed. By connecting multiple buildings over long distances with high-speed, high-bandwidth, high-resilience connectivity via existing network infrastructure, facilities can eliminate the need to run new or additional dedicated wiring for the fire alarm system.

“With this enhancement, the Autocall ES Net now provides a singular, shared pathway for secure, encrypted data transfer across all networked devices, including panels, detectors, strobes and alarms as well as system health,” a spokesman for Johnson Controls explains. “This gives an operator complete, centralised, multi-building visibility from a single workstation, allowing more effective response and more simplified system reconfiguration.”

The ES Net Network Bridge meets the NFPA 72 Class N pathway specification, which specifically addresses the use of IP network infrastructure used for fire alarm and emergency communication systems.

Autocall Network Bridge ... for large facilities.

An IP-based, UL-listed fire and life safety network, Autocall ES Net optimises system design and installation flexibility with impressive network capacity, speed, performance and resiliency. Its combined features make it ideal for large commercial facility managers looking to simplify their life safety operations while taking advantage of robust features that help meet codes and the needs of users, occupants and first responders, according to the spokesman.

He continues: “For example, ES Net provides compliance with NFPA 72 requirements for synchronised notifications without extra wiring, modules or programming. This feature is especially helpful in large open buildings like airports, sports arenas, atriums or malls where multiple strobes are connected and visible at one time.

“It also allows in-building emergency alert audio and fire-fighter telephone communication to be sent digitally over the life safety network, providing crucial communication capability for first responders. This makes it easier and more cost effective for users to implement audio messaging throughout their facilities and meet codes like Life Safety 101 and NFPA 72 which mandate voice evacuation messaging in certain facilities.”

Johnson Controls has also recently introduced its new FireClass Essential conventional fire alarm control panel. The cost-effective panel is simple to use, install and maintain right out of the box, with little to no training required for set-up and operation, says Tony Gryscavage, Director, Product Management, Fire Detection Products at Johnson Controls.

“We designed the new Essential Panel with simplicity, functionality and affordability in mind. It’s the perfect product to round out our complete portfolio of conventional detection panels and devices,” says Gryscavage. “With this new Essential Panel offering, FireClass can offer customers the latest conventional technology at a competitive price, providing compliant fire detection that’s simple to use and fits any budget.”

The panel’s compact, plastic construction features durable covers and a straightforward, easy-to-understand interface that is simple to configure and operate. It offers a delayed option to minimise false alarms and walk testing to confirm reliable operation. Additional features include disable capability for sounders and conventional zones as well as buttons for silence, resound and reset.

The FireClass Essential Panel is available in two- and four-zone models. Each zone can support up to 32 devices, with a maximum of 64 devices for the two-zone model and 128 devices for the four-zone model. The panel supports all FireClass 600 and 700 series conventional detectors, sounders and devices. It meets EN54-2, EN54-4 approvals and is listed as part of the EN 54-13 system certificate, the latter of which goes beyond the basic standards that most conventional panels must meet.

The Essential Panel is ideal for both new construction and retrofit applications, Gryscavage points out.