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Author Topic: Emergency announcement systems  (Read 13994 times)

Justice C. Bigler

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Emergency announcement systems
« on: September 27, 2012, 01:06:39 PM »

Currently researching emergency announcement systems for things like fires, building evacuations, severe weather, etc...

Ultimately we would like to have a couple of panels in different parts of the building that can be activated by a switch or push button to send announcements over the main PA and the back stage and lobby areas, served by our 70 volt systems.

Have been looking at something like the TOA M9000M2 Digital Matrix Mixer with several of the XLR input/output modules and the S-20S Digital Message Repeater for uploading specific messages for different types of events.

Anybody use these? Anyone know of competing solutions?
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Justice C. Bigler
Business Rep, IATSE Local 354
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Hayden J. Nebus

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Re: Emergency announcement systems
« Reply #1 on: September 27, 2012, 03:35:02 PM »

Currently researching emergency announcement systems for things like fires, building evacuations, severe weather, etc...

Ultimately we would like to have a couple of panels in different parts of the building that can be activated by a switch or push button to send announcements over the main PA and the back stage and lobby areas, served by our 70 volt systems.

Have been looking at something like the TOA M9000M2 Digital Matrix Mixer with several of the XLR input/output modules and the S-20S Digital Message Repeater for uploading specific messages for different types of events.

Anybody use these? Anyone know of competing solutions?

I'd be very leery of putting buttons around the building that do anything live in the PA.

Code here requires PA interrupt in the event of building emergency, so I lose a subpanel of my sequencer when the fire panel closes a connection. Behind my main PA are some artfully painted RH iconyx  that stay live and are backfed by the emergency power circuit.

We use a Symmetrix symnet system and ARC controllers for aux systems routing and page/program. Fire panel integrated fire strobe/emergency annunciators around backstage/lobbies handle evacuation notices.


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Ivan Beaver

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Re: Emergency announcement systems
« Reply #2 on: September 27, 2012, 05:07:15 PM »

In every situation I have run into (so far) the PA HAS to shut down when a fire alarm comes through.  As in physically turn OFF-not just mute.

There is a another system that does the EVAC announcements.  Although in every case (so far) the intelligibility of the EVAC system is no where near as good as the main PA. 

In Europe it is a different situation.  they have to (at least in many cases) meet a certain intelligibility score-in the US-it just has to be heard-not understood.

When that changes-there will be a lot of fire alarm guys wanting to learn about intelligibility.  Not quite as easy as simply making a loud noise.
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Ivan Beaver
Danley Sound Labs

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Hayden J. Nebus

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Re: Emergency announcement systems
« Reply #3 on: September 27, 2012, 08:30:38 PM »

In every situation I have run into (so far) the PA HAS to shut down when a fire alarm comes through.  As in physically turn OFF-not just mute.

There is a another system that does the EVAC announcements.  Although in every case (so far) the intelligibility of the EVAC system is no where near as good as the main PA. 

In Europe it is a different situation.  they have to (at least in many cases) meet a certain intelligibility score-in the US-it just has to be heard-not understood.

When that changes-there will be a lot of fire alarm guys wanting to learn about intelligibility.  Not quite as easy as simply making a loud noise.

Is this covered by NFPA ? I'm curious about the actual verbage.
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Simon Lewis

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Re: Emergency announcement systems
« Reply #4 on: September 27, 2012, 08:49:56 PM »

Have a look at firms such as Baldwin Boxall and Bosch Security Systems for details on how UK / Europe approaches VA/PA systems.

There is another device that may interest you. The FireCryer is an alarm sounder with up to 6 messages stored on board, that can be wired in with existing fire alarm sounders and specific messages selected by an additional panel.

Our PA/VA industry is a little upset about them because as sounders they do not have to meet speech intelligibility requirements. They can be pretty easy to install.

http://www.vimpex.co.uk/english/fire-cryer-voice-sounder.html

Simon
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Rob Spence

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Emergency announcement systems
« Reply #5 on: September 27, 2012, 09:06:03 PM »

My understanding is that new construction these days ( of  certain types ) has a requirement of intelligibility for the emergency announce system.
I went to a AES lecture on it last year.


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Re: Emergency announcement systems
« Reply #6 on: September 27, 2012, 09:15:50 PM »

My understanding is that new construction these days ( of  certain types ) has a requirement of intelligibility for the emergency announce system.
I went to a AES lecture on it last year.


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What about the language barrier?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOZuLD1u_K4
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Rick Earl

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Re: Emergency announcement systems
« Reply #7 on: September 27, 2012, 10:25:23 PM »

Yamaha DME 24n and 64n both have built in Wave players that can be triggered various ways. and the units are fully functional for audio.   I have a set up now in a theme park which mutes the system for emergency announcements. 
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Justice C. Bigler

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Re: Emergency announcement systems
« Reply #8 on: September 27, 2012, 11:27:55 PM »

My understanding is that new construction these days

My building is over 35 years old.
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Justice C. Bigler
Business Rep, IATSE Local 354
www.justicebigler.com

Ivan Beaver

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Re: Emergency announcement systems
« Reply #9 on: September 28, 2012, 12:48:27 PM »

My understanding is that new construction these days ( of  certain types ) has a requirement of intelligibility for the emergency announce system.
I went to a AES lecture on it last year.


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Who is requiring it? How is it enforced?

I have not seen nor heard of this yet (at least in the jobs I am associated with in the US)
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Ivan Beaver
Danley Sound Labs

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ProSoundWeb Community

Re: Emergency announcement systems
« Reply #9 on: September 28, 2012, 12:48:27 PM »


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