Life Safety There Had Better Be Smoke and heat detectors are leading saviors in life-safety systems saving lives and mitigating property loss. Know the factors to match the optimal device to the given application. By Shane Clary 52 the Latest in Detection F ire can cause death and destruction of lives, property and mission. For people, injury or death can occur by means of thermal exposures that results in burns or by the inhalation of the products of combustion, smoke. A building can be severely damaged by both the results of heat from a fi re, or by the deposits of smoke within the structure. Th e mission of a commercial business can be stopped or altered if a fi re occurs. Th is article reviews the means for the detection of heat and smoke. It is through the early detection of these two byproducts of a fi re that lives, property and mission can be saved and damage from the same reduced. Code & Design Considerations Th e earliest form of detection was through heat detection. Th is method is still in used toSecurity Sales & Integration APRIL 2023 day. Th e second method is through the use of smoke detection. Th is discussion will not be comprehensive in reference to NFPA 72, Fire Alarm and Signaling Code. Th is set of standards has been in existence for more than 100 years in one form or another. Th is article will only refer to the 2022 edition. Th e National Fire Alarm Association is midway through the work for the 2025 edition. Before diving into the forms of heat and smoke detection available today, a balanced approach to fi re detection should always be considered. Th is is through the installation of a fi re suppression system within the property to be protected. Th e Automatic Fire Alarm Association (AFAA) has worked with both the National Fire Sprinkler Association (NFSA) and American Fire Sprinkler Association (AFSA) in this regard. securitysales.com RODIN ANTON/STOCK.ADOBE.COMhttp://www.securitysales.com