by Warren Johnson
aeSolutions developed the FGS 1400 MK II fire panel as a pre-engineered, FM approved system
capable of meeting all the above requirements. It is a scalable solution utilizing a SIL 3 capable certified safety PLC which can be fault-tolerant to minimize nuisance trips. The system contains the PLC, power supplies, battery set, battery charging panel, HMI, and engineering workstation with cause & effect programming capability. The system supports both local and remote I/O. It supports digital and analog initiating devices (smoke and gas detectors, manual fire alarms, supervisory switches), notification appliances (bells, horns, lights, text displays), fire safety functions (designed to increase the level of life safety or control the spread of harmful effects of a fire), and suppression devices.
The system can capture and display a wide range of field device diagnostics (open/short circuits, out of range signals, power failures, manufacturer specific diagnostics), event summaries, and historical trends. A proprietary fire command / supervisory station allows an operator to view and control multiple systems from one location. System configuration is limited to authorized users with password access.
The system incorporates many cybersecurity features. Only known devices are allowed communication access, and all communication traffic is logged for analysis as needed. The system can be logically isolated with provisions made for access at a demilitarized zone level for data collection, 3rd party and technician access, and protection against denial of service broadcast storms.
To learn more about the development and features of the aeSolutions FM approved FGS 1400 MK II fire panel, read the full paper here.
