Fire alarm voice evacuation system uses speakers and amplifiers to notify occupants with an alarm tone followed by a voice instead of the traditional horn or bell. Also provides ability for live voice announcements by the fire department or emergency personnel through a local paging microphone. These voice evacuation systems are most commonly installed in two types of building occupancies:
- Place of Assembly: Where more than 50 people congregate, but may be unfamiliar with exit locations, or fire emergency signals, voice systems can instruct people to remain calm, and to evacuate the building.
- High Rise: When it is impractical to evacuate a building in its entirety, zoned evacuation of the occupants is used to conduct an instructed evacuation of floors or areas within the building.