Electronic Control Module for Fire Alarm Pull Station Protection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Active shooter events exploit fire alarm systems in schools and facilities with wandering patients, leading to unintended activation and increased risk of fatalities, as current security measures fail to prevent misuse of fire alarms and wandering patients from triggering false alarms, causing unnecessary evacuations and resource misallocation.
Innovation Solution
An electronic module that interfaces with fire alarm control panels and patient identification systems to disable manual pull stations, smoke detectors, and exit door security buttons, preventing unauthorized activation and sending alerts to authorities, thereby maintaining security door locks and avoiding false alarm dispatches.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If fire alarm systems are installed in schools and facilities to ensure safety, then life safety is improved, but the system becomes vulnerable to unauthorized activation by active shooters or wandering patients
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a control module as an intermediary device between the fire alarm system and the initiating detection devices (pull stations, smoke detectors, heat detectors). This control module acts as a gatekeeper that can disable or enable these detection devices based on signals from a wandering patient management system, thereby preventing unauthorized activation while maintaining the fire alarm system's reliability for legitimate emergencies
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary action by proactively disabling initiating detection devices when a wandering patient is detected or when security threats are anticipated. The control module preemptively places the fire alarm system in a disabled state before unauthorized activation can occur, allowing security personnel to respond to the actual threat (wandering patient or active shooter) without triggering false fire alarms
2Speed
If manual pull stations and detection devices are accessible to ensure rapid emergency response, then emergency response time is improved, but wandering patients can inadvertently activate false alarms
Solution Approach 1:
The control module serves as an intermediary that selectively blocks signals from initiating detection devices when a wandering patient is present or authorized threats are detected. This allows the system to maintain rapid response capability for legitimate emergencies while filtering out false alarm triggers from unauthorized sources
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies different operational states to different parts of the fire alarm system based on local conditions. When a wandering patient is detected in a specific zone, the control module disables detection devices in that particular area while leaving other areas operational, thereby maintaining emergency response capability where needed while preventing false alarms in protected zones
3Reliability
If security doors are locked to prevent unauthorized exit, then facility security is improved, but fire code compliance requires automatic unlocking during fire alarms
Solution Approach 1:
The control module acts as an intermediary between the fire alarm system and the security door locking mechanism. It receives signals from both systems and intelligently determines whether to unlock the doors based on the nature of the alarm (legitimate fire emergency vs. unauthorized activation), thereby maintaining both security and fire code compliance
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary action by maintaining security door locks in a secured state during periods when unauthorized activation risks are present. The control module preemptively prevents the automatic unlock function from activating when the alarm is determined to be unauthorized, ensuring facility security while still allowing rapid egress when legitimate fire emergencies occur
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic control module associated with a fire alarm control panel (FACP) and a wander detection system in communication with security system input detection equipment is disclosed herein. The control module disconnects each of the initiating detection circuits (IDC) in each of the one or more zones of the FACP, preventing manual activation of any of the security system equipment affiliated with the respective IDCs to prevent a wandering patient from otherwise activating and engaging the system. By electronically maintaining at least one leg of the normally open (N.O.) circuit in the open position, in effect utilizing the protective loop of the N.O. circuit in a strategic “open circuit” condition, the module prevents any electronic signal from being sent back to the FACP as is typically the case when a manual pull station is activated.