Guidelines for the Use of Voice Alarm Systems Based on the Analysis of Normative and Legal Documents Used in Selected European Countries

Purpose: The aim of this publication is to present the results of theoretical research – evaluation of normative and legal documents used for the design and installation of voice alarm systems (VAS) in selected European countries. The aim of the research was to analyze and compare the functioning of voice alarm systems in Poland against the background of selected European countries. Introduction: Voice alarm systems are systems installed in buildings that enable the broadcast of warning signals and voice messages for the safety of people in the building. Mandatory use of voice alarm systems in selected buildings became applicable in Poland on January 16, 2006. In Europe, these systems have been present before. Over the years, there has been development of both the devices included in the systems, as well as the normative documents and legal acts that describe these systems. Methods: Within the research process, theoretical research was used, such as: analysis of literature and legal documents, synthesis, generalization, inference, comparison and analogy. As part of the research, documents from such countries as Poland, Great Britain (mainly England), Sweden, Norway, Germany and the Netherlands were analyzed. The selection of individual countries was guided by the level of development of these systems in a given country and the availability of source documents. Conclusions: The presented analysis of the requirements for the use of voice alarm systems shows how different the approach to the use of this type of systems is. Depending on individual experiences and the administrative structure of a given country, a variety of regulations, whether legal or normative (not always normative documents issued by state standardization institutions), can be seen in the field of voice alarm systems application. Unfortunately, one can get the impression that voice alarm systems are still not as popular as fire detection systems. The definition of the requirements for buildings in which the use of voice alarm systems should be obligatory and the requirements for the determination of the required level of speech intelligibility consti- tute the basis for the consistent development of this type of fire protection equipment. Such requirements should be specified either in legal regulations or in normative acts dedicated to voice alarm systems. Keywords: safety of evacuation, evacuation of buildings, voice alarm system, EN 54-16, EN 54-24, guidelines Type of article: review article