Studies reveal that many people do not know how to react to conventional alarms such as bells or sirens.
Many assume that it is a test or false alarm, whle others remain confused and unsure of what to do.
But, in the event of a fire or major alert, rapid and orderly evacuation is the highest priority.
The Novigo platform from Siemens is a sophisticated audio streaming voice system for automated and live messaging.
An essential element of ensuring life safety is the ability to manage phased and orderly evacuation in the event of an emergency.
The Novigo voice alarm system not only delivers high-performance messaging across multi-level, multi-occupancy estates, but also operates as an advanced public address system.
Novigo delivers comprehensive messages about the nature of the incident, and the appropriate action to take, using clear language, minimising the potential for panic or confusion.
Novigo is highly scalable and exceeds relevant British and European standards.
The solution is fully configurable, with the capacity to extend to 4,000 network nodes. It can be divided into zones to ensure appropriate messaging across particular areas, and is capable of integration to third-party systems via an application programme interface.
Importantly, its advanced audio facility offers studio sound quality and significant storage capacity for automatic and live messaging, as well as multiple background music files.
Novigo can be used in either emergency or standard mode.
Emergency situations demand automatic or manual evacuation announcements, warnings and instructions. Standard operation offers live broadcasts delivering information on organisational activities or pre-recorded communications such as advertising and marketing campaigns.
Ben Jeater, technical product manager for the solutions division of Siemens Building Technologies UK, said: “Novigo combines the highest safety standards with advanced audio and the latest networking technologies.
“All audio matrices and control points, as well as the common network, have been designed to ensure a robust and resilient voice alarm solution that can be scaled from a standalone unit to a wide-area system.”