Manual fire alarm activation

For other uses, see Fire alarm (disambiguation).
Simplex single action "T-bar" pull station
A manual call point in the European Union (EU) with standard EN 54-11
An activated manual call point in Japan. Telephone jacks are visible beneath the open cover.
German manual call point with paint from NOTIFIER (Honeywell)

Manual fire alarm activation is the process of triggering a fire alarm through a call point, pull station, or other device. This usually causes the alarm to sound the evacuation signal for the relevant building or zone. Manual fire alarm activation requires human intervention, as distinct from automatic fire alarm activation such as that provided through the use of heat detectors and smoke detectors. It is, however, possible for call points/pull stations to be used in conjunction with automatic detection as part of the overall fire detection and alarm system. Systems in completed buildings tend to be wired in and include a control panel. Wireless activators are common during construction.

When a fire pull station or call point is activated, codes usually require evacuation begin immediately. There are certain exemptions like system maintenance and security lockdowns, where manual activation outside the control panel may be overridden.[1] Security alarms, emergency door releases, industrial fire suppression systems, and hazardous material leak alarms are all examples of specialty systems which are sometimes activated with similar manual initiating devices to a fire alarm. They may be linked to fire alarm systems to varying degrees.

  1. ^ tmagna (2022-03-30). "Which fire alarm signal should be used?". Consulting - Specifying Engineer. Retrieved 2023-02-05.