Fire alarm control panels perform a wide range of life-saving and property-protecting tasks. Some activate fire suppression or fire sprinkler systems, while others don’t. Some transmit a signal used to alert first responders, while others simply sound alarms in or around the building. Every fire panel acts as a middleman between devices that watch for hazards and devices tasked with alerting people to danger or problems with fire protection systems.

These fire alarm control units are, like fire alarm systems, often classified in the fire protection industry as either “conventional” or “addressable.”