How Fires Were Prevented in the Ancient World? The Evolution of Fire Alarm Systems
Hello! My name is Ilya, I am the head of the labor protection and ecology department
in Selectel
. Since the beginning of 2024 in Russia
about 13 thousand fires. The cause is both faulty electronics and children playing with fire. Today, the main way to prevent fires remains the alarm system. Especially when the effectiveness of extinguishing depends on every second.
I won't lecture you in this article. Everyone knows that playing with matches is bad. Instead, I'll tell you the history of fire safety technologies. Where it came from, how arson was punished, and what tools were used to notify residents and services. More details under the cut.
Fire safety rules
People have always had an interesting attitude towards fire. In the Middle Ages, it was boldly used to sort things out with strangers, but on their own territory they were careful with it. For example, they tried to make fires far away from houses.
Today, various fire safety rules and instruments have been preserved: from ancient times to the present day. Let's take a brief excursion through history.
The Law of Hammurabi
At the beginning of the 20th century, French archaeologists were excavating in the ancient city of Susa, in what is now Iran. There they discovered a black basalt pillar. It was engraved with text – the Law of King Hammurabi.
External appearance of the column. Source.
The pillar dates back to the 18th century BC. If you believe the translations, it is there that fire safety is first mentioned. Let's look at the most interesting points.
- If a fire breaks out in a house, and the person helping to extinguish it raises his gaze to the owner's good, then he must be thrown into this fire.
- If a fire breaks out in a house and a person steals fire-fighting equipment, it should be thrown into it immediately.
As we can see, the rules boil down to two things. “Neighbors are obliged to help put out a fire.” If you stole property during a fire or organized arson, you will be lynched on the spot.
More than 3,700 years have passed, but nothing has changed fundamentally. When a fire is detected, we are obliged to inform the fire department and evacuate. And appropriation of someone else's property and arson are a separate article, but without execution.
Statutes of the princes
There are several documents that contained fire safety requirements. The earliest one is “Russkaya Pravda”. It provided for liability for arson: everything that was acquired by hard labor was taken away, and the villains and their families were exploited for the benefit of the state.
Several centuries later, Vasily II issued a decree. It listed the rules for handling fire sources at home and in production. For example, do not place candles near cotton items and do not leave them lit overnight.
Then came the decree of Ivan III, which specifically described fire safety requirements. For example, it was forbidden to leave candles, stoves and other elements with open fire unattended. The decree also required that forges, weapons and pottery workshops be located away from residential buildings.
These documents became the prerequisite for the emergence of the fire-watch service. Previously, the main persons in fire extinguishing were the residents and owners of buildings themselves, but their methods were ineffective.
Fire and patrol service. Source.
To streamline the work of the fire and guard service, the territory was divided into sections. The group of guards was led by a chief with the position of “lattice clerk”, and above him were “roundabout heads”. The current structure is relevant to this day: a certain territory is assigned to the fire department, which is guarded.
The system was further improved, but people continued to be the “fire alarm”. They watched the city and, if necessary, sent a signal to the nearest watchtower and surrounding residents.
Modern requirements
Today, the rules for installing fire alarms are regulated by the requirements of the Russian Federation. Public buildings are required, as are new residential buildings, although the rules may be limited there.
As in the decrees of the princes, fire safety requirements are described in state documents – GOSTs. We will not talk about each in detail, we will show only the main ones.
- GOST R 59636–2021 “Automatic fire extinguishing installations. Guide to design, installation, maintenance and repair. Methods of testing for operability.”
- GOST R 59638–2021 “Fire alarm systems. Guide to design, installation, maintenance and repair. Methods of testing for operability.”
- GOST R 59639–2021 “Fire Warning and Evacuation Management Systems. Guide to Design, Installation, Maintenance, and Repair. Performance Test Methods.”
Special requirements and clarifications are contained in the codes of fire safety regulations.
Evolution of fire alarms
Over the time of use, sensors have undergone significant changes both in the mechanism of operation and in appearance. Below we will briefly describe the most popular alarm options: from a person to home systems.
Human
Timely detection of a fire largely determines the success of firefighting – and nothing has changed in thousands of years. The burning rate was the same, and it remains the same. In the fire safety system, the main cog was a person. But there is a human factor: people without the right tools can respond untimely.
Alarm bell
With the development of industry, fire protection required a new level of technological development. In the middle of the 19th century, new devices appeared. A weight was suspended from a rope to a bell. In the event of a fire, the rope burned, the weight fell, and the bell was activated.
Alarm bell. Source.
Scientists tried to modernize the bell. Anything that could amplify its sound, even explosive devices, came to hand. If everything is already burning, a small firecracker won't make it worse.
“Alarm”
The fire alarm of the second half of the 19th century was a device resembling a mechanical alarm clock. Inside it was a hammer that rang when the cord broke (burned out) and stopped by a ratchet mechanism.
Device with one sensor. Source.
A cord was made of fusible or easily flammable material, which was pulled into the rooms of the building under the ceiling. When the cord burned, the lever of the alarm was lowered under the action of the weight and the alarm sounded an alarm.
A device with five rope sensors. Source.
“Kettle”
In 1867, scientists developed a heat detector that used a symbiosis of physical processes and electrical circuits. The device looked like a vessel with water. Inside it was a plug with a rod, which during boiling rose to the top and closed the contacts from above.
Heat detector. Source.
Detector
All devices had a significant drawback – a long response to fire. It would take a long time for the cord to burn or the water to boil, and the fire had to be extinguished immediately. To solve this problem, Francis Robbins Upton and Fernando Dibble developed an automatic fire alarm.
The new design used a different operating principle. A thermostatic coil would detect abnormal heat sources, the circuit between the battery and the magnet would close, and a hammer would strike the bell dome, warning people in the room.
Schematic diagram of the device by Francis Robbins Upton and Fernando Dibble. Source.
Modifications for the detector
Soon, various modifications of Upton and Dibble's device began to appear. Most of them consisted of bimetallic plates that changed their size depending on the ambient temperature.
The design had two plates of different thicknesses – when ignited, the thin one deformed faster and shorted the target. Over time, an adjustment screw was added to the device to set the response temperature.
Telegraphs
Our compatriots kept up with the times: in 1875, they introduced a telegraph-based alarm system. When a fire broke out, the device transmitted a signal via wires from sensors to the fire station to inform about the emergency. Over time, telegraphs gained popularity and began to spread to other cities.
A manual alarm device with telegraphic signal transmission, known as a Gamewell indicator. Source.
The main advantage of the detector is the speed of receiving information and reducing the response time. Modern alarms have the same principle, but use new data transmission protocols.
Smoke detector
Science is unpredictable: you study one thing and discover another. There are plenty of examples, some of which people use regularly – for example, microwaves, penicillin, radiation. The principle of smoke detectors appeared by chance: in 1938, a physicist from Switzerland tried to develop a device that would detect poisonous gases. However, it did not perform its function. Only when the scientist lit a cigarette and blew smoke rings, the sensor “came to life” and began to signal. His discovery influenced the development of ionization smoke alarms.
Home sensors
Every year, the sensors evolved: the operating principle, design and location changed. Initially, fire alarms were installed only in factories and production facilities, which was due to their high cost. “Domestication” began in 1965, when American entrepreneur Duane Pearsall began developing and later producing inexpensive autonomous smoke detection sensors.
Experimental model of commercial sensor No. 14, front side.[b]
Experimental model of commercial sensor No. 14, reverse side.[c]
Nowadays, you can find smoke detectors in almost every home — some of the simplest and cheapest to manufacture and maintain. They consist of a light source (LED), a photocell, and a control chip. When they are not connected to a common system and operate autonomously, manufacturers add a loud buzzer and a power source.
Autonomous smoke detector IP 212-189A. Source.
The beam from the LED is directed at the inner wall of the device's housing. When smoke enters the sensor, the beam is refracted and hits the photocell, after which the system is triggered.
It seems simple, but there are nuances here too – the system does not distinguish between steam or dust and small insects from smoke. That is why the systems require duplicate sensors, complex settings and high-quality maintenance.
Fire detector operation diagram. Source.
Fire alarm systems in data center
In the data center, we use modern alarms and other devices for timely fire detection. Among them are digital and addressable alarms, as well as aspiration systems.
The sensors are most often smoke ones. They are connected to the general system: when there is smoke, they transmit information to the control center. It is better to install more fire safety systems than to deal with the consequences.
Optical fire alarm sensor. Source.
Previously, we talked about how we prepare on-duty engineers for emergency situations. From the text Find out how the fire safety system is built in Selectel.
Conclusion
Due to a frivolous attitude towards fire safety, people may be left without their own property, and entrepreneurs and employees may be left without work or business.
It is important to remember that the alarm is only the first stage in fire prevention. All the remaining work on liquidation and localization is carried out by people and fire extinguishing systems.
What information and fire extinguishing systems do you use at home? Share your options and photos in the comments!
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