Operation of Fire Alarm system at Stata
1) An alarm signal is sent to MIT Operations Center who immediately notifies Cambridge Fire Department. 2) Two (2) rounds of four standard "slow whoop" alarm tones will sound and the visual alarm signals will activate at 50 flashes per minute. 3) The "slow whoops" shall be followed by a canned voice stating: "ATTENTION PLEASE. THE SIGNAL TONE YOU HAVE JUST HEARD INDICATES THE REPORT OF AN EMERGENCY IN THIS BUILDING. WHEN THE EVACUATION SIGNAL SOUNDS AFTER THIS MESSAGE WALK TO THE NEAREST STAIRWAY EXIT AND LEAVE THE FLOOR. DO NOT USE THE ELEVATORS. ALL DISABLED OCCUPANTS SHALL FOLLOW THE BUILDING EVACUATION PLAN." This message is repeated once. 4) The evacuation signal, which is a "slow whoop" tone, transmitted in a temporal pattern of three pulses with a silent period of approximately 4-seconds between each group of pulses. 5) The evacuation signal is only given to the floors indicated on the evacuation sheet, which is dependent on the floor of activation. (e.g. if the alarm is received from D-7, then only D-8,D-7,D-6 & D-5 receive the evacuation tones) The evacuation tones continue until the system is reset by the firefighters, or MIT Facilities, per the CFD directions. 6) The visual strobes will continue to flash throughout the building until the system is reset 7) The rotating fire beacons (2, one at Gates and one at Dreyfoos) outside will operate. 8) All coiling fire doors will be closed, after a 15 second delay. They will have to be manually reset after the system is back on line. This should also include any magnetic hold-opens in paths of egress, such as the double doors leading to building #36. 9) Unlock all stairway and egress doors 10) If the alarm device that is activated is a smoke detector in an elevator lobby, the elevators will automatically be recalled to the main egress floor. ( in the case of the two towers, that is the first floor) If the alarm device activated is in the elevator lobby of the recall floor, then the elevator is recalled to a predetermined, pre-programmed, alternate floor. There will also be a recall to the egress floor of the elevators if the device activated is a heat detector from either the top of the elevator shaft, or the elevator machine room 11) The affected floors should not be re-occupied until given the "all clear" by the CFD. For more information, see the Massachusetts building code for fire protection systems. Chapter 9 of the code (pdf format). (The verbal part of the alarm is described in section 917.9.1).
