Personal Annunciation Device (PAD)

Many industrial and commercial plants, government and private research facilities, and industrial facilities perform potentially dangerous processes. Automated warning and alarm systems alert personnel to dangerous or abnormal conditions inside or near a plant so the personnel may take prompt protective action such as evacuation, co-location, or shelter in place. Such automated systems include simple fire and smoke detectors that detect the presence of fire or smoke and immediately activate a connected, audible alarm confined to a specific area of a plant. Many systems include a central hub for receiving detection signals from detectors located throughout a plant. In some systems, the central hub also is connected to a network of alarms including audible alarms — both siren-like and information-based — and visual alarms, including flashing emergency lights and textual-based information screens.