Alarm reporting system

A method of sensing an alarm condition comprising:

• sensing a selected alarm condition;
• generating an alert signal responsive thereto;
• transmitting said alert signal throughout a selected region;
• receiving said alert signal and generating an audio indicia thereof;
• generating an acknowledge signal responsive to said alert signal;
• receiving said acknowledge signal;
• generating a verbal directive identifying the sensed alarm and location thereof in response to said acknowledge signal;
• and
• sensing a second acknowledge signal in response to said verbal directive.

An alarm system usable in a selected region having a plurality of fixed sensor units distributed throughout the region, the system being usable for detecting an alarm signal generated by one or more of the fixed sensor units, for initially signalling an operator located somewhere within the region and carrying a portable unit and for then signalling remote personnel in the event that the operator carrying the portable unit fails to respond, the system comprising:

• means, electrically connected to the sensor units, for detecting an alarm signal;
• control means, coupled to said detecting means, for processing said detected alarm signal and for generating an alert signal responsive thereto;
• means including a plurality of transceivers, coupled to said control means, for transmitting said alert signal throughout the selected region;
• a portable receiver-transmitter unit for receiving said alert signal and for generating an audio indicia thereof including manually operable means for generating, essentially immediately, an acknowledge signal responsive to said alert signal;
• means, coupled to said control means, for receiving and for detecting the presence or absence of said acknowledge signal within a predetermined period of time;
• means, coupled to said control means, for generating and transmitting to said portable unit a verbal message identifying the detected alarm in response to the detected presence of said acknowledge signal;
• and
• means, coupled to said control means, for generating and transmitting to remote personnel a verbal message in response to the detected absence of said acknowledge signal.