2007 World Safety Conference & Expo

The National Fire Protection Assn. World Safety Conference and Exposition takes place June 3 through June 7 at the new Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. Last year, more than 4,000 attendees were at the event, a nearly 7% increase over 2005. The expo takes place on Monday, June 4 and Tuesday, June 5.

By Melissa Hillebrand, Associate Editor May 1, 2007

The National Fire Protection Assn. World Safety Conference and Exposition takes place June 3 through June 7 at the new Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. Last year, more than 4,000 attendees were at the event, a nearly 7% increase over 2005. The expo takes place on Monday, June 4 and Tuesday, June 5. Here is a sample of products from many exhibitors attending the show.

Multi-gas detection devices and controllers monitor parking structures, mechanical rooms and occupied living spaces. These detectors may be installed to activate ventilation fans when common vehicle emissions such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide reach hazardous levels. Controlled fan run-time and temperature stabilization lead to large reductions in maintenance and energy costs. The series also includes detectors designed to monitor for refrigerants and explosive gases. Rooms containing boilers, chillers, electrical systems and fuel storage have a need for specialized gas monitoring devices. For occupied living spaces, the manufacturer offers infrared carbon dioxide detectors that are mounted to the wall or duct. (Vulcain-Commercial Series by Gamewell-FCI) www.gamewell-fci.com #19

Firestop solution offers an integrated smoke seal for a variety of pipe materials and diameters. Available in four sizes, 2-, 3-, 4- and 6-in. diameters, the devices offer solutions for combustible and non-combustible penetrates. The system minimizes center-to-center pipe distances and promotes access in smaller areas such as inside wall cavities. The model’s connection system enables fast vertical connections and, with its interlocking bases, the alignment system promotes faster floor layout. The system’s modularity and accessories, including height extensions and metal deck adapters, offer simplicity and versatility to ensure proper firestopping of most standard vertical penetrations, while saving time and money. (CP 680-P/M Cast-In Place by Hilti Corp.) www.us.hilti.com #20

Audible/visible notification systems include indoor and outdoor wall strobes. The strobes have exclusive plug-in designs with universal mounting plates. The series contains wall-mount horns, strobes, horn/strobes, chimes, chime strobes and ceiling mount strobes. The system also includes 11 field-selectable candelas on wall and ceiling products. (SpectrAlert Advance by System Sensor) www.systemsensor.com #21

Network, panel and peripheral devices create integrated solutions for fire safety applications. These include a navigational tool for firefighters and emergency responders that features a PC-based touchscreen. Emergency responders can gather information to correctly pinpoint the source of the fire and the rate at which it is spreading, reducing property loss and saving lives. The series also includes a graphical workstation that integrates fire alarm systems, security, card access and CCTV into a single point of control. The digital voice command audio evacuation, paging and firefighter’s telephone system uses eight channels of audio to deliver live, high-quality emergency paging while simultaneously broadcasting multiple messages throughout an entire facility or selected areas. (ONYX series by NOTIFIER) www.notifier.com #22

Web portal allows fire industry professionals to voice their equipment needs and improvement ideas. The manufacturer says it continuously searches for new ways to enhance its product portfolio for dealers and users—from small aesthetic tweaks to new product requests. Each need and idea is closely reviewed by the

Speech intelligibility meter

product design team, the manufacturer says. (Product Improvement Process by Fire-Lite) www.firelite.com #23

Speech intelligibility meters evaluate and certify speech through fire alarm, mass notification and public address systems. The meters feature digital printouts to take the guesswork out of whether alarms are in compliance. The meters are available as standalone or integrated with STI-PA and CIS formats. Another included feature is a spectral package that evaluates the quality of noise that supports captured curves, NC curves, PNC curves, NCB curves and RC curves. (The Verifier and SoundPro by Quest) www.Quest-Technologies.com #24

Firestop devices save contractors the cost of drilling holes in floors, by providing an array of fire stopped pass-through sleeve systems. These devices are designed for use in poured concrete floors by mechanical, electrical and plumbing contractors. The firestop provides an opening for a variety of materials to pass through it, such as plastic, metal, insulated pipes, line sets and cable or wire bundles. A unique oval device is useful to plumbing contractors as it can accommodate hot, cold and drain pipes in one opening, the manufacturer says. (Metacaulk Cast-In-Place Firestop Devices by RectorSeal) www.metacaulk.com #25

Integrated fire and gas detection system offers NFPA 72 compliance for its controller, hardware configuration and software. The system operates in a network as large as 25 kilometers in length, and offers as many as 13 local gas and fire alarm panels. An optional feature includes a coaxial cable or fiber-optic fault-tolerant communication network. (HazardWatch by General Monitors) www.generalmonitors.com #26

Fire suppression system protects irreplaceable, critical assets from the risks of fire without placing people or the environment at risk. The system features FM-200 Waterless Fire Protection, an environmentally friendly clean agent manufactured by Great Lakes Chemical Corp. The complete system includes smoke detection with alarms, and is modular to ensure simple and trouble-free wiring. (CPS by Amerex) www.amerex-fire.com #27

Domed fire vent enhances thermal insulation properties. It provides natural daylight, energy efficiency and the protection of automatic fire venting. The automatic fire vent features translucent glazing, a polycarbonate material manufactured by General Electric. The domed design of the vent provides a sleek look to roofs and its multi-wall cover construction allows an increase of more than 40% in insulation performance when compared to traditional domes. The glazing maximizes light transmittance while minimizing solar heat gain and is surface treated to prevent ultraviolet degradation. The fire vent is designed to open automatically in the event of a fire, allowing smoke, heat and gases to escape from a burning building, assisting firefighters in their containment efforts. Additional standard features of fire vent include fully gasketed weathertight construction, interior and exterior pull handles for manual operation, zinc plated and chromate sealed hardware, and a flashing system for fast, secure installation in single-ply roofing applications. (Lumivent by Bilco Co.) www.bilco.com #28

Smoke detector is available in both 2-wire and 4-wire options, with or without fixed 135°F thermal sensors. The photoelectric detector includes a plug-in design that permits pre-wiring, a maintenance protocol that prompts cleaning, drift compensation and green and red LED status indicators. Also included are an infrared sensitivity reader, removal tool and retrofit adapter bracket, and a 2-wire loop test/maintenance module. (i3 by System Sensor) www.systemsensor.com #29

Fire alarm control panel is built for speed of detection and installation. It is engineered for small applications, using exclusive technologies that minimize installation time, speed alarm response and simplify maintenance and usability. The model supports as many as 318 intelligent devices—159 sensors/159 modules—on one signaling line circuit and has four notification appliance circuits. The panel also features patented intelligent device polling protocol, which exceeds worldwide code requirements for response time. (NFS-320 fire alarm control panel by NOTIFIER) www.notifier.com #30

IP communicator for fire alarm panels transmits information generated by a fire alarm panel to a central station via the Internet. The communication uses any Ethernet connection or is compatible with existing customer-provided networks to achieve faster central station connections. The communication does not require a public IP address and is programmed to use either static IP or DHCP client for automatic IP address configuration. (IPDACT by Fire-Lite) www.firelite.com #31

Addressable fire alarm control panels are designed specifically for smaller applications. The series is complete with UL’s 864 9th Edition listing, and supports as many as 198 or 396 devices. With complete networking capabilities, each panel can be connected using a single pair of wires—equaling huge cost savings. The front panel includes an intuitive interface and provides technicians with a convenient device for system configuration. The panel’s sophisticated circuitry and software reads specific sensitivity levels of individual sensors and compensates for changes due to age, dust and other environmental factors. (7100 Series by Gamewell-FCI) www.gamewell-fci.com #32

Expanded series of fire alarm products and solutions upload and download five times faster due to data compression software upgrades and an increased power supply of six amps. The series provides a quality and economical fire alarm solution, regardless of application or facility size. In addition, the VIP integrated voice panels are all-in-one products offering combined features of fire control panels plus the added convenience and utility of a voice evacuation system. The series includes the fire system manager, a PC-based system that monitors fire control panels. The manger features an easy-to-use interface that gives users the abilities to graphically capture and display fire events and conditions throughout facilities. (IFP Series by Silent Knight) www.silentknight.com #33