Fire Engineering Glossary
Technical terms spanning standards, manufacturers, commissioning, networking, testing and fault finding.
Technical guidance only. Confirm current project requirements against the applicable standards, legislation, system documentation and site-specific fire strategy.
Showing 6 of 6 matching glossary entries.
Fire detectionCause and effect matrix
The site-specific document mapping every alarm input to its required outputs (sounders, dampers, doors, plant, signalling); the reference for commissioning and testing.
An unversioned or missing matrix is a defect worth reporting in its own right.
Fire detectionCommissioning
The systematic proving of a completed installation against the design: device tests, cause-and-effect verification, sound levels, battery calculations and documentation.
Fire detectionDouble knock
Cause-and-effect logic requiring a second confirming trigger (same or second device) before a critical output such as plant shutdown or release operates.
InterfacesInterface unit
A monitored input/output device connecting the fire system to other building systems — plant, dampers, lifts, security — under cause-and-effect control.
Fire detectionOptical smoke detector
A point detector sensing light scattered by smoke particles in its chamber; effective on smouldering fires, more prone to dust and steam nuisance alarms.
Fire detectionPhased evacuation
An evacuation strategy where areas evacuate in stages rather than simultaneously, driven by the cause-and-effect programme and voice alarm or staged signals.