General Alarm
General building alarm and notification systems for non-fire events — panic, duress, environmental, and mass notification — installed, integrated, tested, and documented.
We design and install general alarm and notification systems for the events that fall outside fire and intrusion: panic and duress buttons, environmental sensors (water, temperature, freezer, sump), door-prop and equipment-fault alerts, and mass-notification horns, strobes, and voice paging. Devices tie back to a monitored control panel with zoned inputs, supervised wiring, and battery backup, and integrate with your access control and cameras so an alarm pulls up the right door and footage. We run and label low-voltage cabling to each device, set notification paths to staff, monitoring, or mobile, and where audible/visual notification appliances are used we install them to applicable life-safety standards. Every zone is tested and handed over with a zone map and response runbook.
What's included
- Panic/duress buttons, environmental sensors, and equipment-fault inputs
- Zoned control panel with supervised wiring and battery backup
- Horns, strobes, and voice paging for mass notification
- Integration with access control and CCTV for event-linked views
- Notification routing to staff, monitoring center, and mobile
- Low-voltage cabling, labeling, and device addressing per zone
Deliverables
- As-built zone map and device-to-input schedule
- Tested punch-list sign-off per zone and notification path
- Operator response runbook and admin training
Frequently asked
How is this different from a fire alarm system?
Fire alarm is a code-regulated life-safety system under NFPA 72, typically permitted and inspected separately. A general alarm handles non-fire events — panic, duress, water/temperature, equipment faults, and mass notification — and is configured to your operational needs. Where the two must interact, we coordinate with your fire-alarm vendor so neither system is compromised.
Can a panic button alert both staff and a monitoring center?
Yes. We program multiple notification paths per zone, so a duress activation can simultaneously alert on-site staff, push to mobile devices, and signal a central monitoring station. We define and document the routing and escalation with your team and verify each path during commissioning.
Can it integrate with our cameras and door access?
Yes. We tie alarm inputs to your access control and CCTV so an activation can pull up the associated door and camera view and, where appropriate, trigger a lockdown. Integration depends on the platforms in place, which we confirm during the site walk.