Kidde Commercial Introduces Evolve Series Fire Alarm Systems to Right-Size Fire Safety

Kidde Commercial launched the Evolve fire alarm platform, a next-generation control panel that introduces enterprise-level fire safety capabilities and sophistication for small to mid-sized environments.

Evolve packages best-in-class performance with simplified installation and operation, meeting the needs of a growing market segment prioritizing enhanced protection and ease of use and adding an important tool for safety professionals, specifying engineers and installers.

Many small and mid-sized environments, including schools, health care systems, hospitality centers, and retail locations, increasingly require advanced fire safety and emergency notification capabilities that exceed regulatory minimums. Specifiers and installers too often lack solutions that meet those needs without introducing complicated electronics and controls to organizations that lack trained on-site personnel. Evolve bridges that gap, delivering the capabilities modern organizations desire in a package that streamlines installation and service and simplifies operation.

“The systems at the top of today’s commercial fire safety market are designed for large facilities and mission critical environments with specific and often unique attributes. Those systems do their jobs well but tend to be over-engineered for smaller and mid-sized applications,” said Wally Ortiz, Global Product Management Director, Kidde Commercial UL. “This segment of the market traditionally has been forced to overspend for features that go unused or settle for entry-level systems that meet code but not real-world demands. Evolve is engineered for them.”

Evolve is designed to be easily installed and maintained and is backward compatible, enabling fast, easy replacement of legacy panels and electronics without replacing existing wiring and conduit.

It comes with an intuitive, large 10-inch touchscreen so installers, technicians and even end users can quickly and easily operate the system. The touchscreen reduces the clicks required to access reports by 40% and, because it is easy to operate, it significantly cuts the training needed for installers and operators.

The base panel comes with six fully programmable virtual switches, all controlled through the touchscreen display. Organizations can add up to 72 physical programmable switches, each assigned to its own five-color programmable LED to enable quick status appraisals. These switches allow the user to quickly and easily enable or disable multiple zones, functionalities or alerts as needed while growing and expanding to meet facility needs.

Evolve is designed to future-proof fire alarm systems and protect organizational investment by enabling easy additions and software upgrades to increase functionality and extend the life of the panel. Initial upgrades to enable networking features and integrated audio capabilities are planned soon.