The Vocia critical paging and mass notification system has been recognised for adhering to one of the world’s most stringent voice evacuation and fire alarm standards. The announcement regarding Vocia – which was developed ‘from the ground up’ to deliver a networked, no-single-point of failure approach to voice evacuation – was made at the recent InfoComm trade show.
Biamp president Steve Metzger is seen here receiving the EN 54-16 Certification of Conformity from Graham Orme, international director for approvals body BRE Global.
The EN 54-16 standard is aimed specifically at ensuring that voice alarm control and indicating equipment provides the best possible communication within public facilities. Biamp says that the new Control Interface (CI-1) device helped to pave the way for Vocia earning EN 54-16 approval. The CI-1 works with the Life Safety Interface (LSI-16), an emergency interface between the Vocia critical paging system and emergency and fire alarm systems.
Graeme Harrison, VP of international sales for Biamp Systems, commented: “When Biamp considered entering the life safety market, we knew compliance with the European Union’s life safety codes would be necessary to meet the requirements of buildings of the future. Coupled with our internal research, as well as today’s market demand for Vocia, we knew Vocia would be flexible enough to fit any project requirements. Vocia’s decentralised, networked approach to voice evacuation makes it the solution for university campuses, transportation facilities and other venues, today and tomorrow.”
Regarding overall demand for the Vocia system, Harrison told IE: “Biamp has seen strong customer demand for Vocia since it was launched earlier this year, and we will continue to invest globally in the life safety market moving forward. Vocia’s decentralised, networked architecture makes it the ideal solution for critical paging and voice evacuation needs. Whether it’s for university campuses, transportation facilities or other venues, Vocia delivers the solution needed for installations of varying sizes.”
Vocia is now available with several new features designed to simplify the installation and maintenance process for systems integrators and end-users. For example, the Vocia CobraNet Bridge software feature allows Vocia to communicate with Audia, as well as with any CobraNet device that uses explicit bundle numbers.
