Fire and security equipment provider Johnson Controls will release advanced smoke sensors that meet the latest updates to UL 268, which calls for significant improvements to smoke detection technology
The new UL 268 seventh edition standard, which is due to take effect in June 2021, requires smoke sensors, detectors and smoke alarms to pass more than 215 new or revised performance tests, including three new challenging tests: a cooking nuisance alarm test, a flaming polyurethane foam test and a smouldering polyurethane test.
The UL seventh edition of the polyurethane tests better represent the type of smoke and flame produced in modern building fires due to the increased use of synthetic furniture materials that can ignite and burn faster than other materials. The cooking test was added after research has shown that people often turn off smoke alarms due to noise alarms caused by cooking and shower steam.
The new TrueAlarm sensors provide earlier detection, better fire type recognition and fewer nuisance alarms. They use sophisticated algorithms to analyse particles and determine whether they are generated by an actual fire rather than smoke or steam from cooking.
Sensor alarm points can be programmed for timed, multi-stage operation per sensor. A lower percentage alert can cause a warning prompt to investigate the issue while a higher programmed percentage will initiate an alarm.
Wayne Aho, senior product manager, Sensors, Johnson Controls, said, “The design of our new sensors is based on decades of fire detection experience and demonstrates our commitment to creating the most innovative and reliable products in the industry.
“These re-designed smoke sensors reduce the number of nuisance alarms while providing early notification, when needed, to help building occupants evacuate quickly and safely during a fire event.”
The ability of the redesigned TrueAlarm sensors to intelligently differentiate between high-risk fires and burning food or steam is especially important for commercial spaces such as hotels, dormitories, hospitals and other facilities that are prone to nuisance alarms.
