Building BIOS Architecture

Alarm and Notification Services communicate conditions requiring awareness, acknowledgment, action, or emergency response.

An alarm indicates a condition with defined operational or safety significance. A notification communicates information that may not require immediate action.

Every alarm shall define:

alarm identity;

initiating condition;

severity;

affected zone or system;

required recipients;

communication channels;

acknowledgment requirement;

response procedure;

escalation timing;

clearance condition;

retention requirement.

Notification channels may include:

local visual indicator;

local audible signal;

building display;

mobile or desktop application;

maintenance platform;

remote monitoring service;

emergency responder interface;

machine-to-machine API.

Safety alarms shall not depend exclusively upon internet access, personal mobile devices, or a single remote service.

Alarm acknowledgment shall mean only that an authorized recipient has received the alarm. It shall not mean that the hazardous condition has been corrected.

The BIOS shall distinguish:

active alarm;

acknowledged alarm;

suppressed alarm;

silenced audible output;

cleared condition;

closed alarm record.

Suppression or temporary disabling shall require authority, reason, duration, affected-zone identification, compensating measures, and visible indication.

Alarm flooding shall be controlled through correlation and prioritization without hiding independent critical conditions.