Which of the following is a typical notification appliance in a fire alarm system?

• A. Smoke detector
• B. Heat detector
• C. Horn or strobe device
• D. Pull station

Answer: (C)

A notification appliance is the part of a fire alarm that communicates the alarm to occupants through audible or visual signals. It delivers the actual warning people hear or see when the system is activated. The other items are initiating devices: smoke detectors and heat detectors sense danger and start the alarm, while a pull station is a manual way to trigger the alarm. They don’t themselves warn occupants; they trigger the system. The horn or strobe device is designed to provide the warning—an audible alert, a visual flash, or both—so it’s the typical example of a notification appliance. In modern systems you may also see combinations like speaker-strobes, but the essential role is to notify people to evacuate.