Connect Alarm Management

Large buildings contain a variety of alarm systems: security, fire, technical, heating, etc. The operator of such a building is often faced with an array of different control panels. Frequently these are installed in different locations, mainly for reasons of convenience. There is an onus upon the building operator to monitor these alarm systems and react quickly and correctly, especially in the case of life safety or security systems. This problem can become even more acute when a site comprises more than one building, each of which contains several alarm systems.

Drax's Connect family of Alarm Management solutions allows the building operator to bring together the myriad of disparate alarms into one or more common locations, and present them in an easy to use format so that they may be dealt with quickly and efficiently. See example diagrams of real-life systems.

The Advantages of Alarm Management
The advantage of using an alarm management system is that the user/operator does not need to learn how to use a bewildering variety of control panels, each with their own methods of operation and idiosyncrasies. They just need to be trained on one easy-to-use system. Instead of having to learn and remember what to do when an alarm occurs, the alarm management system can tell them exactly what to do and who to contact, displaying instructions tailored to the specific event. No more sticky labels stuck on the front of the panel. Nor more scruffy bits of paper pinned up next to it. Just clear and unambiguous instructions.

A typical example is when an alarm management system is installed in a telephone switch room. The telephone operator needs to be trained only to follow the instructions shown on the screen and then accept the alarm. Acceptance is as simple as a single key-click, a mouse-click, or even using a touch-screen. Of course, the acceptance is recorded in the history.

True Alarm Management
However, true alarm management offers much more than this basic function of displaying alarms at a common location. It also offers the ability to record and analyse both alarms and non-alarm events. Frequently a second alarm management workstation may be installed to provide the building's engineers or management with the tools they need to analyse alarms and faults, review events, assess problems, and plan their maintenance and false alarm prevention strategies. Of course, the basic alarm display and more sophisticated analysis and control tools may be combined in a single workstation at a single location, if such a solution fits the site.

An alarm management system should never affect the ability of the standalone systems to carry out their normal functions. For example, a fire system must always be able to ring its bells. In this way the various standards in the different alarm disciplines are maintained, but the distribution and presentation of alarm information is greatly enhanced.

A good alarm management system will offer:

• Clear unambiguous display of alarms. Click here for examples.
• Multiple display locations - multiple workstations
• Customisable display formats, including graphic maps
• Programmable instructions - what to when an alarm occurs
• Ease of use by relatively untrained operators
• The ability to record and analyse faults from the alarms systems
• The ability to control alarm systems
• The ability to record service tests
• Prioritisation of alarms when multiple inputs occur
• Reporting and analysis tools
• Integration of alarms from different disciplines - e.g. security and fire
• Integration of alarms from different manufacturers in a single discipline
• Integration of alarms from different networks
• Controls to provide interaction between alarm systems
• Network backbone solutions to collect alarms from remote locations
• Gateway connectivity, for full alarm panel information and control
• Input/output connectivity, for legacy or simple panels with no gateway connection possibilities

Drax's Alarm Management Solutions
Drax have developed a range of products - the Connect Family - designed to build bespoke alarm management solutions. These can vary from a simple graphical or text-based repeater display for one or two alarm panels through to a network running through several buildings collecting alarms from many different pieces of equipment. These products include.

Connect AMX1 - Drax's alarm, management workstation is available in a variety of different formats: from a Lite version to provide an enhanced 'repeater' facility, through to a full blown system with multiple display workstations, printers, pagers, and SMS messaging. See an example diagram. Read more…

Connect AMS-Net - Industrial networking, with modules to collect alarms from legacy equipment and gateways to collect full alarm information from more modern systems. See an example diagram. Read more…

TCP/IP Networking - A network backbone solution which can use either your existing Ethernet network infrastructure or can be used to build a dedicated security network. Read more…

Connect Angel - a guardian angel that alerts your key personnel when a critical event occurs. Read more...

Connect SMaRT - A sophisticated service management tool which provides enhanced reporting capabilities and enables its user to collect alarm, event, fault and test information from remote sites. Read more…

SmartCube - an intelligent device which sits on a remote sit collecting alarm and event information, and reporting it back to an AMX1 or SMaRT system.