Alarms and Notifications

Verifying operation of detection, alarm bells, and notification... 

Monitors should be in place that record and alarm with notification of a call list. The most common problems are brief power outages, condenser coils clogged by dust, and opening and closing doors that trigger alarms. 

A device for the detection and notification of a fire event. Fire alarms can be activated by people or antomatic devices that can detect the presence of fire. These include heat-sensitive devices, which are activated if a specific temperature is reached a rate-of-rise heat detector, which is triggered either by a quick or a gradual escalation of temperature and smoke detectors, which sense changes cansed by the presence of smoke, in the intensity of light, in the refraction of light, or in the ionization of air. The arrangement and type of fire detectors for optimum performance is usually specified by fire codes or industry guidelines. 

The existing plant emergency plan went into effect immediately with the sounding of the automatic siren alarm. Plant evacuation, head count, and confirmation that a cHticality accident had occurred were accomplished within less than five minutes. Within the next few minutes, as provided in the emergency plan, an ambulance was summoned for the injured employee and notification was made to the Plant Superintendent, other Company officials, and the USAEC. Within the first hour, the Plant Superintendent had arrived on site. The ambulance had been redirected by radio to Rhode Island Hospital in Providence when the local hospital indicated it could not handle the case because of a lack of facilities for treating radiation injuries. 

Alarm and alert notification, if preset operating windows are exceeded... 

A system for reporting fires and alerting the plant fire brigade and the municipal fire department should be provided. This system should be as simple as possible to minimize the potential for confusion in emergencies. The preferred design is a multiplex system that alarms in the control room or some other 24-hour constantly attended location and activates visual devices, such as strobes or beacons, and audible notification devices, such as a steam whistle, air horn, or tone generator. Complete systems are available from recognized vendors. 

Provide notification of fire alarm, supervisory, and trouble conditions... 

Activate Emergency Alarm Notification System and take defensive action until relieved by a more qualified employee. (Use Site notification system) First Responder... 

On-site Accident Detection and Alarm Procedures Identification and Policy for Notification of —Local Authorities —State Authorities —Federal Authorities... 

The role of the agents is restricted to error handling and does not involve error detection. In contrast to the attempt to realize alarm correlation only with mobile agents, this implementation shows much better scalability. Unfortunately, an automated reaction to identified problems often is not that easy to realize, as it usually needs a system administrator to react (e.g. in case of hardware failure). Thus, for some faults, the correlation service only sends a notification to the administrators. 

A local fire alarm system is installed within the building it protects. The alarm signals are not transmitted to a remote location. These systems usually have bells, horns and strobe lights to notify the occupants. The fire department is dependent upon the occupants for notification of a fire. 

Employees should be instructed and drilled on when and how to evacuate and where to assemble after leaving the warehouse. An evacuation plan should include a person or persons assigned to ensure that all employees have vacated the warehouse and have been accounted for. Employee notification that an emergency condition exists could be done through the use of a public address system or the warehouse fire alarm system. 

Fire Evacuation Drills - All building occupants must be familiar with what they should do during an evacuation. The most effective method of familiarizing them is to hold a fire drill at least annually. Holding a fire drill has other advantages, as well. It will provide you with an opportunity to evaluate your notification and evacuation procedures, and it will give you an opportunity to test your fire alarm system and make occupants aware of the sound. 

The emergency alarm was sounded and operators in the plant withdrew to safe areas. The operators in the Central Control Room (CCR) in each reactor are the only operators to remain at their posts. Reactors 3 and 4 were probably controlled from a common CCR. Notification of the accident was made to the Ukrainian state authorities and assistance requested from local emergency services. 

An intercom system and telephones in Rooms 104, 106, 107, 111, and 112 accommodate communications within the Hot Cell Facility. The TA-V emergency evacuation system provides immediate notification to all personnel in TA-V to evacuate in the event of a fire, radiological emergency, security problem, or other site-wide problem. The TA-V alarm may be initiated from building exits throughout TA-V. An area-wide public-address system, portable radios, and pagers supplement telephone communication and FAX capabilities to line management, SNL Incident Commander, DOE, and key ES H staff. 

A switch provided on a fire alarm system that is manually activated to indicate a fire event (see Figure M.2). The switch is configured to conspicuously identify it as a fire alarm device and is usually fitted with a tamper device (break glass, rod, or cover) to discourage or prevent false activation. It sends a signal to a central monitoring station for notification of location and activation of alarms. 

All systems should receive a visual inspection each quarter. Test or inspect each antomatic system on an annual basis. Include all systems in the preventive maintenance plan. Test all snpervisory signal devices except valve tamper switches on a quarterly basis. Test valve tamper switches and water flow devices semiannually. Test duct detectors, electromechanical releasing devices, heat detectors, manual fire alarm boxes, and smoke detectors on a semiannual basis. Test occupant alarm notification devices to inclnde andible and visible devices at least annually. Maintain appropriate documentation on all tire-related system testing. 

Carry out evacuation actions as part of the facility fire plan. Zoning of the fire alarm system remains the key action when defending in-place occupancies. Coordinate fire notification zones and publish in the fire plan. Note that fire alarm zones do not necessarily coincide with smoke compartment boundaries. NFPA 72 allows private mode operation of the fire alarm notification. This allows the staff to know the alarm origin and location. NFPA 72 modifies the requirement for placement of visible notification appliances when operating in the private operating mode. NFPA 101 now allows the use of positive alarm sequence. The sequence includes the following ... 

Above the normal power operation state is a band representing abnormal operation. The transition to this state could result from the drift of a physical variable, a component failure, or some internal or external initiating event. Operation in the abnormal state does not imply an immediate safety hazard, but it indicates a potential threat to one of the three fundamental reactor safety functions (control, cooling and containment) should further degradation occur. Consequently, alarm notification would occur locally and at the remote monitoring station. Failure to restore normal operation within a specified time period would initiate automatic reactor shutdown. 

When feasible, installing a silent or personal alarm system to notify police or private security forces when a crime is in progress (OSHA National News Release, USDL 98-179, April 28, 1998). Prompt notification and response by law enforcement may save a life. 

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