Using GSM SMS controller alarm Configurator to develop cost effective, intelligent fire safety system in a developing country
This addresses fire protection in developing countries like Ghana, but it is incremental as it applies existing GSM and microcontroller technology to a specific domain.
The paper tackles fire safety in Ghana by designing a system that detects smoke, cuts electricity, triggers an alarm, and sends SMS alerts to owners and fire services, with a prototype tested in real-time.
Electricity supply to facilities is essential, but can cause fires when care is not taken, and can destroy the properties within some few minutes. The need for fire protection is therefore essential. This paper address-es this pertinent issue facing Ghana as a developing country. At the fire outbreak, the designed system re-sponds to the smoke and cuts off the electricity supply. When a fire is detected, an alarm is turned on and Short Messaging Service (SMS) alert is sent to the owner. After ten to fifteen seconds, the system, resends SMS to the owner and the National Fire Service (NFS) safety officer giving the exact location. The call alert is sent to the owner of a facility and fire safety personnel respectively, when the system is not reset. A microcontroller serves as the command center of the cost effective, intelligent fire safety system. The circuit is designed and simulated using Proteus software, and programing was done using Global System for Mo-bile Communications (GSM) SMS Controller Alarm Configurator software. The prototype was constructed and tested in real-time. The proposed system is cost effective and will help policy makers, and save lives and property when implemented.