I’ve noticed that buildings in my area with speaker/strobes tend to have them in the bathroom, unlike those with horn/strobes which usually (with exceptions) just have remote strobes in the bathrooms.
Maybe, because it will allow you to “finish” without feeling like you are going to die. I know if I was in a restroom with a horn, I would be freaking out, which might cause some “complications”.
With a speaker it is usually a softer sound. A horn in a restroom may be too loud. And a horn singals to leave the building, as does a strobe, but if its a building with speakers the action may be to go to another floor, or not go anywhere, or the speakers may be used for a non-fire emergency, so it is important for everyone to hear the specific instructions.
I didn’t think about that. JoshA is correct. The whole point of voice evac systems is usually to play a specific message for a special situation/building.
I can see voice evac systems being originally made for complex buildings, then even small buildings started using them.
Yeah I guess that’s right. The voice might be difficult to hear from outside of the restroom.
My college redid their fire alarm system by replacing the 4051s (sob) with Advanced Speaker/Strobes and they are everywhere. Even in the classrooms and the rest rooms. However they aren’t as loud as a 4051.
Well, of course they’re in the restrooms and classrooms. Especially with newer, quieter alarms, it can be hard to hear signals that are just placed in the hallways. In addition, deaf students wouldn’t be able to see visual signals.
I’ve only heard them once and they sort of sound like the P.A. system when they speak over it. I didn’t even know it was a fire alarm until they started their evac message.