Research has shown that, in an emergency, people will react without confusion or panic if they receive a clear, intelligible message.
Bells and sounders only give a warning - they do not indicate the nature of the emergency. Phased evacuation using clear, easily understood pre-recorded messages ensures that even untrained personnel are evacuated speedily and efficiently. Fire microphones allow the emergency services or building management teams to redirect evacuating persons via a safe route, and facilitate real time control of a situation.

[quote=douglasdocherty]
Research has shown that, in an emergency, people will react without confusion or panic if they receive a clear, intelligible message.
Bells and sounders only give a warning - they do not indicate the nature of the emergency. Phased evacuation using clear, easily understood pre-recorded messages ensures that even untrained personnel are evacuated speedily and efficiently. Fire microphones allow the emergency services or building management teams to redirect evacuating persons via a safe route, and facilitate real time control of a situation.
[quote]

Never really thought about it in that way before, but totally agree!
Been working with the S-Quad since its launch as well, and never really gave it a second thought.

Not wanting to look in to deeply, but I think I have been going through the motions with my job!

It only works as well as if it is allowed to.
My bro was flying back home from Luton last week when the fire alarm went off in their area.They were evacd into another area where the nice voice system was telling them that there was a fire alarm in another part of the airport and to stay here to await further instruction.As this was being relayed some human part of the ground staff was causing confusion by trying to corral everyone into another area that was telling people to evac into the area that the voice evac was telling everyone to stay put (ie - where my bro was and where the ground staff was chasing everyone from!!).

That sounds more like human error or mis-training/judgement on the ground staffs part, still worrying though.

Exactly - it made the whole automatic evac strategy confusing.

That happened to us at white rose in leeds. Its a huge huge shopping centre. I was there with my sister and bro-in-laws and we walked through primark to get into the main area. The shops fire alarms started. Then this womans like "can I have all staff to the front of the store please" and these men were running around with microphones looking like they were actually doing something. One man was messing with a keyswitch outside the store closing the shutters for some strange reason.

Then it stopped. 20 minutes later we here the main buildings PA system announcing that there is an emergency and we need to stay where we are for further instructions.

Then single shops fire alarm sounders started going so some people decided to go downstairs and get out. We stayed put and got comfy. Then it was announced again that they were investigating a bomb threat which shocked me, i was like "lets get the hell out of here" and then 2 mins later they were saying that it was a fire alarm and that we all needed to evacuate immediately.

Where is the staff when you need them?! Too busy not knowing what to do and running round closing their shops like idiots!! That could have been serious and there are thousands and thousands of people in there. Its one big big complex under 1 huge roof.

Total waste of time and they make evacuations waaaayyy too difficult. They need to be used correctly and befor ethey start announcing, they need to find out where the alarm originated from! Didnt even manage to get my phone fixed haha

I met a Gentleman through an ongoing project in Glasgow(rather large Vesda job as happens), he is part of a body whom plan for major incidents(nationwide). The stories he told of some of the people who are responsible for all of our safety were quite frightening.

The story about the national we were working for, what they were charging him was even more frightening.