Fire Alarm & life Safety

New Open Processor Driver from Siemens Building Technologies provides direct communication between HVAC and Fire Alarm and Life Safety systems

New Open Processor Driver from Siemens Building Technologies, Inc., provides a direct interface between the APOGEE® Fire Alarm and Life Safety system and the other APOGEE family of building automation systems. Designed for systems with multiple life safety applications, the ALS3 ensures early detection and rapid occupant notification, protecting life and property.

The Open Processor Driver allows operators, maintenance and emergency response personnel to monitor the fire alarm, HVAC (Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning) and other systems from a single workstation. With the Open Processor Driver, data from the ALS3 system is shared with the building automation system and any other integrated system. This allows the facility management systems to automatically respond to changes in the fire alarm system.

Applications include smoke control, where the HVAC system is programmed to react and contain and/or evacuate smoke from a building; ancillary annunciation via an Insight^® workstation; lighting control; door control via the security system; automatic CCTV operation; as well as any other shared building application where system interoperability is required.

"For smoke control systems, electrical supervision is required between the fire alarm and HVAC systems for every zone connection" explains the Product Manager for Siemens Building Technologies. "The unique two-way communication protocol of our Open Processor Driver directly links the two systems, enabling the systems to supervise one another. Therefore, if communication between the two systems is lost, both sides will recognize and annunciate the problem, ensuring system integrity."

Once both systems are up and running, the easy-to-install Open Processor Driver links the two systems together and begins sharing valuable data. Unlike using dry contacts where every zone has to have a separate connection between the two systems, the Open Processor Driver minimizes installation time by requiring only one connection.

The Open Processor Driver is compatible with the ALS3, version 1.4 microcode or higher. Without the Open Processor Driver, the ALS3 functions as a stand-alone fire alarm system.

For more information, contact your Siemens Building Technologies field location.

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