Magazine for Fire Protection, Voice Alarms, and Care Communication

The connection is on the way… Clear message with the new audio system in the central railway station of Munich

Universal communications solution at the patient's bedA new equipment combination integrates telecommunication, light calls, and the use of IP networks

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ESSER Roadshows around the

world

Middle East, Sweden, and

Brazil

Dear Reader,

“Where would we be today, if somebody had said to Columbus: ‘Christopher, stay here. Wait with your discovery trip, until our most important problems are solved – war and famine, poverty and crime, environmental pollution and illnesses, illiteracy and racism?’” – said Bill Gates aptly for us to think about.

There is no perfection or standstill – this is what I lear-ned during my years of experience in medical technolo-gy, where I was responsible at first for product manage-ment and later for the marketing communications field in different companies. We are continuously challenged by the most different changes of economic, cultural or social nature. Now the question is: How do we proceed in this situation?

The challenges that I have been facing in my new position at Novar since January of this year are demanding as well as exciting. We have established important goals for our-selves: grow in a healthy way, offer the best solutions, stay innovative and competent and be a reliable partner to our customers. How do we achieve all these? With an experi- enced, well established team that excels in professional competence, stability, and personal engagement. I am glad to present to you a first outlook for the current year with this new “life&safety” publication. By the repositioning of the Ackermann Group toward In-telligent Life Care, the innovative FlexES fire alarm system and the loop control technology for voice alarms, we have set important milestones for the future – in a national and international respect. The expansion of the portfolio in all product lines conform to our positioning as a comprehensive supplier. By this, we could accomplish additional important reference pro-jects such as the central railway station in Munich and the airport in Kiev.

Editorial

We are also represented in the most important trade fairs in 2012 just like every year: Ackermann's Care Manage-ment System gained substantial interest in the “Care for the elderly” fair in Hannover. This edition includes a report from the “FeuerTRUTZ” congress in Nuremberg with a summary of the presentation of Marc Boebé, who explains the security used at retirement and care homes. In Frank-furt, you can have a look at the new patient handset at the “Light+Building” fair and learn about the possibility of the migration of currently unique, proprietary equipment and system solutions into the IT and telecommunica- tions world. In the se-cond half of the year, we will look forward to seeing you at the “Security” and “Me-dica” fairs, and at a clear exchange of ideas about the things that drive your daily business. We have thus great plans ahead of us. Let us approach the new challenges and exciting projects with a pioneering spirit and proven impetus. I look forward to our cooperation!

Sabine Duddeck, Marketing Communications Leader

Perfect acoustics and full control!

Novar GmbH a Honeywell CompanyDieselstraße 2 · 41469 Neuss, Germany

Tel.: +49 2137 17-0 · Fax: +49 2137 17-286Web: www.esser-systems.comEmail: info@esser-systems.com

A perfect concert experience – just as is a fast and safe evacuation – is all about acoustics! In the event of a fire, ESSER’s VARIODYN® D1 with trend-setting voice alarm directs all con-certgoers safely to the exit.

Learn more about the efficient evacuation of buildings at www.esser-systems.com

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Editorial 03Short notes! 04 Exhibitions & Roadshows New publications

ESSER Roadshows around the world 06Two strong brands with cutting-edge design 09The connection is on the way… 10New product in the range: Detached display and operator unit 14

Novar GmbH expands business management 15FeuerTRUTZ 2012 – Fire and flames in Nuremburg 16Universal communications solution at the patient's bed 19

Standard-compliant Amok alarms 20IHK awards to Novar GmbH 22

Fire Alarm Systems Catalog, German (version: December 2011; valid from January 2012), Article no. 054580

Fire Alarm Systems Catalog, English incl. FlexES English(combined catalogue) Article no. 054581

FlexES Control Catalog, German (March 2012) Article no. 054592

Voice Alarm Systems Catalog, German (version: February/March 2012; valid from April 2012), Article no. 05460

Product Information on Emergency Power Supplies 2 HE (German + English) Article no. 795967 and 795967.G0

Product Information SMC – IP Article no. D800401 (German) and D800401.G0 (English)

PI IPH – Wall module Article no. D800400 (German) and D800400.G0 (English)

Care Data Management Brochure Article no. D800405 (German) and D800405.G0 (English)

Cyclatom Cherbourg/France May 23-24, 2012Expoprotection Paris/France December 4-7, 2012 conhIT Berlin April 24-26, 2012Medica and Planerforum Düsseldorf November 14-17, 2012Roadshow Deutschland Germany October/November 2012Roadshow Frankreich France June and September 2012Hopital Expo Paris/France May 22-25, 2012Hopitech Amiens/France October 3-5, 2012 Light+Building Frankfurt/Main April 15-20, 2012Security Essen September 25-28, 2012Roadshow Netherlands May 2012 MIPS Moscow/Russia April 24-27, 2012Securex Poznan/Poland April 23-26, 2012EXPO Security Bukarest/Romania September 26-29, 2012EXPO Security Tunis/Tunesia June 13-16, 2012

Short notes!Exhibitions & Roadshows

New publications

Contents

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The flexible and practical concept supports installers, expert advisors, professionals, system integrators and end users precisely where they drive their businesses. The success concept proved to be correct repeatedly in the event series held in the United Arab Emirates, in the Sultanate of Oman and in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in October. In Doha (Quatar), Dubai and Abu Dhabi, 138 interested and expert listeners had the opportunity for a detailed assessment of the ESSER fire alarm techno-logy. The ESSER tour continued then in November 2011 in Riad. A total of 252 decisions makers participated and they followed the introduction to the innovative product portfolio of the market leader in fire alarm technology with high interest. The roadshow concept already proved to be successful in cool Sweden and in tropical Bra-zil, too. The recipe for success

attracted a large audience there, too, with presentations and professional lectures during the ESSER roadshow – the second time in these countries. The Swedish venues took place in Malmö, Uppsala and Göteborg with an audience of 70 people. In Brazil, the tour went on and in-spired the visitors in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belo. Guests in the largest country of South America included a total of 195 decision makers and they followed the pre-sentation of the innovative ESSER product portfolio with great enthusiasm.

Practice-related demonstration through realistic evacuation scenarios

The success of the roadshow was definitely comple-mented by the professional presentation of the latest fire alarm technology by Manuel Pelazas from International Sales Support. The focus was on this region and on the multi-sensor technology with the IQ8Quad product family – especially the O²T-, OTblue- and OTG smoke detectors – as well as on the latest milestone in the development of techni-cal fire protection: the fire alarm centre FlexES control.Manuel Pelazas made an impression during the presen- tation of the IQ8Quad detector with integrated alarm sys-tem first of all through the realistic demonstration of an eva-cuation scenario with a traditional alarm sounder against the case of an emergency with an additional voice alarm system. The expert visitors were particularly convinced by

ESSER Roadshows

Manuel Pelazas, International Sales Support ESSER by Honeywell, presents the IQ8Quad smoke detector to clients in Doha (Qatar)

The ESSER Roadshow received a very positive response for the presentation of the fire alarm technology in the Middle East, in the Nordic countries and in South America. The FlexES Control and the IQ8Quad Fire Alarm Series were here in focus.

Middle East, Sweden, and Brazil

around the world

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The FlexES fire alarm system and the loop con-trol technology for voice alarms allow for a com-prehensive approach to modern technology to be taken and enable the confirmation of the claim to be a reliable partner for experts and designers in the field of building security. The requirements for architecture-relevant systems are met, too. Ackermann enables, in the field of care communication, the migration of currently unique, proprietary equipment and provides

the efficiency of the product. Reduced installation costs, low requirement for external network modules and, not least, the low maintenance requirement also played an important role. The expert audience also paid special attention to

the product benefits of the IQ8Wireless product line, the wireless connection of automatic fire detectors, the MCPs (Manual Call Point), and the alarm sender. The feedback from the profes-sionals was exceptional: in the final surveys and in the personal discussions they praised the compe-tence and practicality of the presentations and confir-med that in the future they will benefit in their design and project works from the

ESSER product solutions as well as from the communica-tion of the current “state of technology”. ■

around the world

ESSER Roadshows

Light+Building 2012, the world's leading trade fair for architecture and technology takes place April 15-20 in Frankfurt/Main as an innovation platform with a cross-system offer on lighting, electricity, house and building automation and software in the construction industry. This year, almost 200,000 visitors are expected from all around the world. The innovative pro-ducts of the traditional brands Ackermann and ESSER from the Novar House will be presen-ted in Hall 11.1 at the Honeywell stand no. C50. The comprehensive product range allows the implementation of a tailor-made and reliable overall concept for almost all objects without neglecting the design aspects.

system solutions with open interfaces to the IT and telecommunications world. The user gains high additional benefits from this. At the same time, the requirements of the highest safety standards are met and economic efficiency is ensured. A new patient handset combines, as a multi-functional terminal device for patient calls, the telephone function as well as the room con-trol at the Point of Care. ■

with cutting-edge design strong brands

Ackermann and ESSER on the Light+Building 2012 fair

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Such a situation cannot occur any more at the central railway station in Munich. A professio-nal audio system was commissioned here in August 2011 by Dr. Andreas Scheuer, Secre-tary of State in the Federal Ministry for Trans-port, Construction and City Development, and Günther Pichler, Chairman of the Bayern Region at DB Station&Service AG, so the age

of “Hi-Fi” had arrived to the central railway station in Munich.

The in-stalled VARIODYN® D1

system contains in its com-plete version 74 digital output modules (DOM), 128 digital power amplifiers (2XD250), 23 emergency power sup-plies and 12 universal inter-face modules, enabling train dispatch by means of preset audio files; the train attendant can simply play the adequa-te voice message by the pressing a button on the platform. To inform the passengers, the in-stalled components were split into a total of 32 call zones or loudspeaker groups. The PAMMI software was introduced here in connection with two DCS15 digital call stations and two touch screens for live announcements in the Mf. signal control center. Two DCSF-12 digital fire briga-de call stations enable the making of voice an-nouncements by action forces in cases of emer-gency. The new central equipment room, being the center of the whole system, hosts 27 switch cabinets and enables the making of clear voice announcements in the whole traffic area.

Obviously, high quality announcements shall be ensured in all areas of the railway station; this is not an easy task if we consider the arrange-ment of the numerous additional office rooms: In the Eastern section of the main hall, several catering establishments and smaller shops are located on the ground and first floors. Addition-ally, there is an extensive shopping mall in the basement floor of the central railway station. A hotel was built in the southern part of the buil-

ding. In an emergency situation, everybody – without exception – present in the central railway station must receive the important information.

Fire brigade announcements have the highest priority

The connection of the voice announcement system to the existing fire alarm system is still in the planning stage. The connection of the two systems enables a completely automatic eva-cuation of the central railway station, although complete automation is not desired in an

Who has not yet experienced it? At the time of leaving the train, a message is heard through the audio system saying where the connecting train departs from. Very often the voice is too soft to understand the details. Bad acoustics, background noise, hall or other interference frequently limit the clear reception of important information and, therefore, the ability to react accordingly. Therefore, under certain circumstances you wait alongside the wrong track for the connecting train – and the day quickly passes by.

Clear message with the new audio system in the central railway station of Munich

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emergency because of the complex evacuati-on of the area. The automatic interface here is reprogrammed to semi-automatic operation, so that the operators in the 3S center of the central railway station of Munich receive the release of the fire alarm system played or spoken through the fire brigade intercom in a discrete fire zone by pressing the adequate flashing voice button of the intercom. The 3S central operator can eit-her speak live to the fire zone or play the pre-recorded evacuation message.

The fire brigade intercom in the fire alarm con-trol center operated in parallel has the same functionality, although with a higher priority, so that the fire brigade can always make priority announcements in case of doubt.

Perfect cooperation

Several constructional features had to be con-sidered during the expensive installation: high ceiling constructions, large glass surfaces and echo-generating elements set special challen-ges for the installer (the glass hall, for example, exhibits an RT60 reverberation time of approx. 5 seconds). TELBA GmbH, contracted for the in-stallation project, have been using the fire alarm technology and voice alarm system of the re-nowned ESSER brand successfully, as the part-ner company of Novar GmbH for years, which ensured the smooth installation of the complex technology. The implementation of the installa-tion additionally required professional electro-acoustic design and a detailed implementation plan for the voice alarm system. This deman-ding task was undertaken by AudioCoustic GbR with headquarters in Ottobrunn. To cover the areas of the

acoustically challenging transverse and longi-

tudinal platforms and the connected service hall, the loudspeakers from the Intellivox series DC280 and V90 were planned and installed by Duran Audio GmbH. The new audio system meets the requirements of the current standards and regulations as a voice alarm system according to DIN VDE 0833-4 in combination with the passenger infor-mation system. This installation is the first of its kind in a large railway station in Germany. The VARIODYN® D1 voice alarm system, which is scalable and network-ready for any imaginable project, was one of the first systems to receive

EN54-16 approval from the VdS institution. It is one of the few systems on the market with this special quality attribute, with a CPD cer-tificate also available. The customers of the German Railway are thereby provided with an excellent speech intelligibility for voice messa-ges. The new equipment has a high resiliency, too. By the application of these high require-ments on a voice alarm system, the safety of the passengers is also ensured. After the commis-sioning of the system, the number of high power loudspeakers has increased to 1500, and the total length of the installed cables exceeds 80 kilometres.

Conclusion

Marc Boebé, Key Account Manager of the Neuss-based manufacturer of the installed ES-SER technology, also charged with the task of

providing direct support to the German Railway in technology issues, is very happy about the success-ful cooperation related to the implementation of the project: “The example of the central railway station in Munich shows that high quality products in them-selves are not sufficient; the important difference is made here first of all by the

cooperation between the participants as well as the service quality.” Jan Kasperlik, expert designer of AudioCoustic responsible for the electro-acoustic design and the implementa-tion plans adds: “The VARIODYN® D1 system using high quality Duran loudspeakers enables optimal signal processing and user-dependent operations and failure management, differentia-ting between applications relevant to safety and those relevant to passenger information.” Holm Friedrich, client representative of DB Station&Service AG, Sourthern region, tells us about the current status of the project imple-mentation: “I am certain that, since the comple-tion of the complex project, the central railway

station in Munich is the railway station in Ger-many with the best audio system and provides the best intelligibility for voice announcements. In particular, if we consider the transverse and longitudinal platforms of the main hall with their special electro-acoustic features, excellent results were achieved here.” Andreas Arndt, Project Manager of TELBA GmbH that was con-tracted for the installation works, finally summa-rises as follows: “It is comforting to find that the high quality products of an innovative company guarantee a smooth implementation in the con-text of a complex technology.” ■

Audit of the Deutschen Bahn AG completed with success

In the 2/2011 issue of our customer news-letter, we reported that ESSER was qualified as a Q1 supplier to Deutsche Bahn AG. The enterprise has been operating a strong se-lection process of its suppliers for years. The trained auditors regularly reveal all aspects of a modern process management. Every two years, a QM Audit verifies whether the required quality specifications are met. The implementation of the QM handbook is cont-rolled thoroughly in all stations from distributi-on to production and dispatch. A new audit by the Deutschen Bahn AG was performed in our administrative facilities in Neuss in January. The results in terms of the quality capability for the product range of fire alarm and voice announcement systems confirmed again the maintenance of a high quality standard. This is why our company re-mains one of the preferred DB suppliers. This reward is a valuable reference in the industry, since the standards of the DB AG are among the highest in the country.

Engineer Marc Boebé Key Account ManagerGermany, Switzerland

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New product in the range

A detached operator unit of the latest generation of touch panels has become recently available as a comfortable solution for the decentralised operation of the FlexES fire alarm control center. This innovation is the most suitab-le for controlling within a network; all operation activities and system statuses can be managed from a single cen-tral location in an essernet® network with multiple fire alarm control centers.

The user interface design is similar to that of the FlexES controller and enables intuitive and fast operation. The touch panel with its black polished aluminum frame cor-

responds to a 16: 9 widescreen format with WVGA resolution. The different access levels with their as-signed authorization codes enable a user-dependent hierarchic control. The operator unit can be used up to 1,000 m away from the fire alarm control center. This provides great flexibility in the operations- and display-related information distribution in the facility. It is suitable for wall-mounted and flush-mounted in-stallation, too. The user interface is available in Ger-man, English, Cyrillic, and French and the language may be selected even during operations. The imple-mentation of further languages is under way. ■

Novar GmbH expands

business management

Klaus Hirzel assumes in his new position responsibility for the ESSER fire alarm systems and voice alarm systems in Germany, Switzerland, and Luxemburg. He has a university degree in electrical engineering and has 18 years of professional expe-rience in safety engineering. He has been working for our company since 2001, and has been active as an operations manager in these countries in recent years.

Novar GmbH expands its business management at the Neuss headquarters. After Marcus Ostländer (51) was appointed managing director of Novar GmbH effective from September 1, 2011 and took responsibility for the Intelligent Life Care business unit, he invited Martin Bemba (44) and Klaus Hirzel (45) to the management of Honeywell-owned Novar GmbH.

Marcus Ostländer has comprehensive and long-standing experience in medical technology. After finishing his studies in telecommunications in 1988, he was em-ployed internationally in different leading positions in medical technology. Before his change to Honeywell, he was responsible at Switzerland-based Roche Diagnostics for IT solutions in the fields of diagnostic laboratories and Point-of-Care diagnostics. With his international experience in the fields of sales and marketing in medical tech-nology and his technical background knowledge, Mr. Ostländer will contribute to the focusing and further development of Intelligent Life Care and the integration of the Ackermann and Envitec brands in the Honeywell Concern.The expanded business management provides the basis to reinforce the current mar-ket position of our company, to drive a stronger internationalisation of our activities, and to generate additional growth. ■

In his new position, Martin Bemba will be responsible for the global business of the ESSER brand product lines in the future. He has a university degree in electrical en-gineering and acquired the MBA and DBA degrees at Argosy University in the US. He has 24 years of experience in the fields of safety technology and in the recent years he has been successfully coordinating the product and communications strat-egy as the Marketing Director of ESSER/Ackermann EMEAI.

Detached display and operator unit

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Fire detectors with voice functionality

Multi-functional fire detectors ensure that people in the building receive a fast, distinct and effective warning that eases self-rescue by means of clear instructions. The EN 54-3 European Standard in its extended version diffe-rentiates between acoustic signal transmitters for sound output and acoustic voice signal transmitters with warning signals and dedicated voice announcers. The reason for the higher requirements is the recognition that people are more attentive in cases of alarm if the warning sound is accompanied by a clear and distinct voice announce-ment. The IQ8Quad fire detector and the IQ8Alarm alarm signal transmitter provide voice announcements together with the warning signal.

Connection to other systems

Systems that are perfectly adapted to each other enable the optimization of work processes and reduce expen-ditures. Solutions are already available today to connect different systems like fire alarm systems and voice alarm systems with communication systems like nurse calls in an intelligent way and rely on existing infrastructures.

Responsibility begins with planning

In order to increase safety in retirement and care homes, all responsible persons in the scope of the valid provisions shall consider beforehand the extent to which professional measures could be taken into account already in the plan-ning phase for optimal fire protection, voice alarm systems and evacuation during the given installations. This is becau-se every second counts and can be vital in case of a fire! ■

routes. Part 2 deals with the “residential areas”. Regar-ding alarms and evacuation, it is important to consider here the fact that people who live in the named buil-dings have limited or no hearing or sight capabilities. In order to reach these sensory disabled people, the alarm system shall operate on the “dual-sensory principle” if possible. This means that communication shall always address two independent senses at the same time. For example: Horn (acoustic) plus flashing light (optical). A vibration alarm is available for the deaf or the hearing impaired that can be integrated e.g. into cushions (during sleep) or wristwatches.

Soft start instead of shock reactions

Another important aspect for elderly persons in need of nursing is avoiding panic; in this respect it can be impera-tive that a given alarm signal does not harm the resident directly with full volume. The shock caused by the sudden alarm signal may lead to unnecessary delays. The Soft Start mode provides remedy here for fire detectors and transmitters: The slowly increasing volume prevents shock reactions at the first warning sound and allows a con-scious perception of the current situation, prevents panic reactions and eases self-rescue and evacuation. Such a "caring" alarm system is especially essential in hospitals and care homes or perhaps for heart patients.

above 80. This process of change within the framework of the demographic transition poses one of the most impor-tant socio-political challenges. The strong expansion of the elderly population will promote the construction of re-tirement and care homes. In this context, the safety tech-nology design will gain increasing significance, especial-ly for professional fire alarm systems. All design activities shall consider as of primary importance the people and the possibility to rescue them in cases of emergency. It is exactly retirement and care homes where special aspects shall be considered because of the limited mobility of the patients living there. According to the Hospice Foundation, about 50 people

die in the 12,000 care homes of Germany due to fire on a yearly basis – “Lives that otherwise could have been saved.” This was the background for the establishment of the German Disability Discrimi-nation Act (BGG), among others. According to section 1: “The aim of this act is to abolish and pre-vent disadvantaging handicap-ped people and to ensure with equal rights the participation of handicapped people in life in so-ciety and to enable them to lead a self-determined life at the same time to take into account special needs.”In order to meet these require-

ments, a Working Committee established the DIN 18040 standard consisting of two parts. Part 1 deals explicitly with “accessible public places” and refers to alarms and evacuation as well as emergency exits and escape

Possibilities of effective alarm and evacuation systems

This year's FeuerTRUTZ 2012 trade fair was held for the second time with a substantially more comprehensive set of 150 exhibitors. In the framework of the congresses run in parallel, enlightening topics of preventive fire protec-tion, Marc Boebé (Key Account Manager for Germany and Switzerland) presented safety systems that are in retirement and care homes. The presentation that is repro-duced here in the form of extracts, provides background information about the logical planning of fire alarm sys-tems in appropriate buildings with special consideration to the limited mobility of the residents.

According to the projections of the Federal Bueau of Sta-tistics, the number of Germany's inhabitants will be 17 mil-lion less than today by the year 2060. Every third inhabitant by contrast will be above 65 by then, and every seventh

Fire and flames in Nuremburg

2012

Security systems in retirement and care homes

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The future is fl exible

A new era of fi re detection technology

The new FlexES fi re detection system uniquely combines the

advantages of an innovative system with high fl exibility and

optimized services. Today and tomorrow.

Novar GmbH a Honeywell Company · Dieselstraße 2, 41469 Neuss, Germany

Tel.: +49 2137 17-0 (Administration) · Tel.: +49 2137 17-600 (Customer Service Center)

Fax: +49 2137 17-286 · www.esser-systems.com · info@esser-systems.com© 2010 Honeywell International Inc. All rights reserved.

The new integrated patient hand-set (iPH) from Ackermann is highly functional and can be installed with minimum effort. It combines telepho-ny, light calls, TV and room control functions in an intuitive, easy-to-use device. The robust design (IP 54) and service friendly construction makes the iPH optimal for applications in the clinical environment.

Hybrid solution that is flexible to use

The iPH can be used in any patient room regardless of the current in-stallation situation. The Smart wall module (WM) is used for connec-tion and has an optional connec-tion with discharge technique. This

enables the use of compliant light calls according to DIN VDE 0834 and the provision of value-added servi-ces via telecommunication infrastructures (DSL) or Ethernet LAN networks. An additional integrated Ethernet interface provides new possibilities for example for a Multimedia Bedside solution. Minimally invasive modernization

The WM Smart allows the use of most existing telephone and network cables as well as SIP compatib-le telephone sets. This is why the new Ackermann solution is ideal for modernization projects. The iPH and WM Smart provide substantial added value at the pa-tient's bedside. ■

A new equipment combination integrates telecommu-nication, light calls, and the use of IP networks

communications solution Universal

at the patient's bed

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Since the Amok runs in Winnenden and Erfurt, the topic of Amok runs has gained a distinguished status in the field of safety technology. Technical solutions are requested from different fields in order to be able to provide a better pro-tection in such situations in the future. In this context, the question emerges as to which directives and standards these technical solutions should conform to. How would this look like in practice? Are the new standards required in all cases or are perhaps Amok cases already covered by existing standards? Wolfgang Unger, Product Manager for voice alarm systems, makes the following statement in relation to these questions:

Such an existing standard could be the EN 60849 standard for “electro-acoustic emergency alarm systems”. The con-dition for using the standard in the Amok case is whether the case is included in the direct or indirect scope of the standard and whether it is in harmony with the purposes of the standard. An extract from the description:

Scope and purpose of the EN 60849 standard

“This International Standard applies to sound reinforce-ment and distribution systems to be used to effect a rapid and orderly mobilization of occupants in an indoor or out-door area in an emergency situation. This standard ap-plies to systems using tone signals and to systems with voice announcements for emergency purposes.

Note 1: The use of the system for normal sound reinforce-ment and distribution systems purposes under non-hazar-dous circumstances is not excluded.

Note 2: It is recommended that the system, when used for emergency purposes, should form part of a comple-te facility (equipment, operating procedures and training programs) for the control of emergencies.

Note 3: Sound systems for emergency purposes may be subject to approval by the relevant authorities.

The purpose of this standard is to specify the performance requirements for sound systems that are primarily inten-ded to broadcast information for the protection of lives within one or more specified areas in an emergency. The standard gives the characteristics and methods of the tests that are necessary for the specification of the sys-tem.” (Source: EN 60849:1998, page 4)

If we use this definition of the standard for an Amok case, the following situation emerges: If persons inside or out-side a building are alarmed by a voice message because of an Amok situation, it is clearly an emergency situation. Audio amplifiers and audio distributor systems are used for the output of the voice messages. Thereby, the Amok case belongs to the scope of application of the EN 60849 standard.

Further criteria that support the use of the EN 60849 standard in an Amok case:

• The standard gives the characteristics and the methods of test necessary for the specification of the alarm system. The emergency and rescue plans to regulate how endan-gered persons should behave in an emergency situati-on shall be developed object-specific depending on the construction of the building, the number and mobility of the persons present in the building or similar parameters. These are not part of the standard and are not in contra-diction to the application of EN 60849.

• The purpose of the EN 60849 standard is to specify the performance requirements for sound systems that are intended to broadcast information for the protection of lives within one or more specified areas in an emergency.

An Amok run definitely is an emergency situation. The au-dio system communicates the information necessary for the protection of human life within the preset areas. As a result, the purpose of the standard is in harmony with the application for Amok situations.

This means that an “electro-acoustic emergency warning system” according to EN 60849 can be used for standard-compliant alarming in an Amok situation.

This raises the question of how to assess with regard to the standard when a voice alarm system according to DIN VDE 0833-4 is to be used in addition to an Amok alarm system:

• According to DIN VDE 0833-4:2007-09, chapter 7.1.4.8., the voice alarm system may be used for other purposes in “non-fire alarm operation mode”. Thus, an ap-plication with an Amok alarm system is not contradictory.

• The technical requirements of DIN VDE 0833-4 are identical on a number of points with those of EN 60849, sometimes they even go further: For example, both stan-dards impose the same requirements on the systems with regard to speech intelligibility and audio volume, but for emergency current backup time the requirements of DIN 0833-4 are higher. Therefore, emergency backup opera-

tion of 24 hours plus 30 minutes alarming shall be provi-ded for an equipment according to EN 60849, while for an equipment according to DIN VDE 0833-4 emergency backup operation of 30 hours plus 30 minutes alarming are required.

With regard to emergency and rescue planning, however, a series of critical situations shall be considered: What should be the reaction, for example, if during an Amok alarm a fire is detected? How to react to the possible situ-ation, when an Amok runner uses incendiary devices and firearms?

The procedures for such emergency situations cannot be described universally in a standard that defines technical requirements for a system. Procedures, which can be dif-ferent for each object and in dependence on the local cir-cumstances, shall be considered with special care. A pre-requisite for the successful application of the concept is basically a reasonable emergency and rescue planning, adapted to the object in question.

These procedures of emergency and rescue planning can be supported in a reasonable manner by alar-ming procedures with automatic voice announce-ments or microphone announcements according to EN 60849 or VDE 0833-4.

Engineer/Businessman Wolfgang UngerProduct Manager, Voice Alarm Systems

Standard-compliant Amok alarms

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The Neuss-based Novar GmbH was honored in November 2011 by the IHK Niederrhein as the best IHK training facility. In this context, three former trai-nees were also honored for the best degrees in the Middle Niederrhein region. Altogether 154 men and 91 women are on the list of the country's best, inclu-ding eight from the Middle Niederrhein IHK region.

Veronika Rensmann, Robert Rösner and Christoph Muchewicz received their awards on November 9 at the ceremony in the Viersen festival hall. Ms. Rens-mann was awarded additionally on November 11 in the anniversary hall of Bochum with 244 other trainees as the NRW country's best. These special achievements are signs for the personal effort and good support and the com-munication of professional and company-specific knowledge over the training period. These confirm the quality of the factory training courses.

In recent years, several trainees of Novar GmbH were awarded for having completed their exams with excellence. ■

Novar has the best trainees!

IHK–awards to Novar GmbH

Gain time. Give time.

Novar GmbH a Honeywell Company Dieselstraße 2 · 41469 Neuss, Germany · Tel.: +49 2137 17-600 · Fax: +49 2137 17-286

www.ackermann-clino.com · info@ackermann-clino.com© 2011 Honeywell International Inc. All rights reserved.

Good care needs time –

• Avoidance of multiple data collection • More secure, standardized nurse call • Intelligent call and alarm management • Mobile security solutions

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Impressum:

Novar GmbH a Honeywell Company

Dieselstraße 2 | 41469 Neuss, Germany

Tel.: +49 2137 17-0 (Administration)

Tel.: +49 2137 17-600 (Customer Service Center)

Fax: +49 2137 17-286

www.ackermann-clino.com | info@ackermann-clino.com

www.esser-systems.com | info@esser-systems.com

V.i.S.d.P. Dipl.-Ing. Joachim Meisehen

Honeywell Life Safety Austria GmbH

Lemböckgasse 49 | 1230 Vienna, Austria

Tel.: +43 1 600 6030

Fax: +43 1 600 6030-900

www.hls-austria.at

hls-austria@honeywell.com

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