Fire protection and other life safety equipment helps save thousands of lives each year. There are two kinds of fire alarm systems: non-addressable fire alarms, and the newer addressable, or smart system. The most basic fire alarm initiating device is a manual pull station, and the most common is a smoke detector. The market also includes heat detectors which, although the slowest to react to a fire, are a viable option when the environment does not allow for the use of a smoke detector. Bringing buildings “up to code” is a major part of the fire protection/life safety industry since it’s considered a necessity, not a luxury, in the commercial building space. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) develops and publishes codes and standards required for commercial buildings — NFPA 1, NFPA 72 and NFPA 90A are just some of the codes that integrators should be familiar with. Mass notification systems have also evolved, with text messaging, email and smartphone notifications alerting customers of fire. This section of the online Buyers Guide includes annunciators, lights and sounders, fire actuating devices, sensors and detectors, fire controls, components and monitoring equipment, indicator devices and door control and panic hardware and more.