Inter-M’s EVA voice alarm system offers EN54-certified, fully monitored, and software-driven life-safety audio — combining PA familiarity with vital redundancy, remote access, and compliance for critical environments.
When it comes to audio systems in public buildings, many professionals default to Public Address (PA) solutions. But in high-stakes environments where life safety is on the line, Voice Alarm (VA) systems are not just beneficial - they are strongly recommended and sometimes the only option to meet complex fire safety regulations, particularly in large buildings and campus sites.
Too often, PA and VA systems are confused or used interchangeably, leading to dangerous oversights in design, compliance, and functionality. So, what exactly differentiates a Voice Alarm system from a Public Address system? And why is Inter-M’s EVA Voice Alarm range considered one of the most reliable, future-ready VA solutions on the market?
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll unpack the real-world, regulatory, and technical distinctions between VA and PA systems. We’ll also explore how Inter-M’s EVA range, with its EN54 certification, modular design and browser-based interface, is raising the bar for life-safety audio systems globally.
“It’s a life-safety system. Everything about it is built for resilience, redundancy and reliability.”
Pete George, Audio Specialist, CIE-Group
A Public Address system is primarily designed for broadcasting general information: announcements, paging, background music, and sometimes crowd control. These systems are common in:
They typically consist of:
While PA systems may be robust and high-quality, they are not designed or certified to operate in emergencies. This is where the crucial differences with Voice Alarm systems begin.
A Voice Alarm System is a type of PA system built and certified to operate during emergency situations, such as fires, evacuations, or security threats. Beyond simply making announcements, VA systems:
Feature |
Public Address (PA) |
Voice Alarm (VA) |
---|---|---|
Purpose | General announcements, background music | Emergency evacuation, fire safety |
Certification | Not required | Must comply with EN54 standards |
Monitoring | None or limited | Full real-time fault monitoring |
Redundancy | Optional or absent | Required: backup power, amps, signal paths |
Compliance | Optional (BS6259) | Often necessary to meet fire safety requirements for many public access buildings (EN54 / BS5839) |
Application | Offices, shopping centres, leisure, education | Hospitals, schools, transport, high-rises |
In short: PA systems are for convenience. VA systems are for compliance and safety.
EN54 is the European standard for fire detection and fire alarm systems. It sets the benchmark for the components of voice evacuation systems in public buildings and high-risk environments, alongside the BS5839 standard which covers the design and installation of the overall system, testing, comissioning and maintenance.
EN54-certified Voice Alarm systems must:
“If you want a microphone on the system, it has to be monitored. If you have speaker lines, they have to be monitored,” says Pete. “And on top of that, you need redundancy.”
Failing to meet these criteria can result in non-compliance, legal consequences, and—most importantly - lives at risk during emergencies.
At the 2025 Fire & Security Show, Inter-M’s EVA Voice Alarm Series took centre stage, showcasing an all-in-one, scalable, and fully EN54-certified VA system.
Built for performance, simplicity, and remote access, the EVA system provides peace of mind for integrators, facilities managers, and safety officers alike.
Inter-M’s EVA system is engineered to be intuitive yet powerful, consisting of just five primary modules:
“The clever bit is all in the background,” Pete George says. “On the EVA system, everything is software managed - redundancy, monitoring, configuration - and it’s accessible via a browser-based interface.”
This not only ensures rapid deployment and configuration but also enables real-time diagnostics and remote updates from anywhere in the world.
Whether you’re installing in a small retail site or a multi-zone healthcare complex, the EVA system can adapt without major hardware changes.
“You can mix and match amplifiers,” Pete says. “We do a 240-watt amp, but you can combine different units to meet your exact zone requirements. And if you need to change things later? Just reconfigure via software.”
This makes Inter-M EVA a future-proof solution that supports expansion and upgrades without system overhauls.
Hospitals and care homes require fast, clear and reliable evacuation capabilities. EVA ensures fault-tolerant communications even in chaotic conditions.
From primary schools to universities, safety announcements must be intelligible and quick. EVA supports multi-zone paging and lockdown messaging.
Downtime equals cost. EVA’s hot-swappable amps and remote diagnostics help maintain uptime with zero disruption.
Airports and train stations demand zone-specific evacuation and multilingual capabilities. EVA delivers clarity, redundancy, and zone flexibility.
Shopping malls and event venues can’t afford confusion during emergencies. EVA offers seamless integration of music, announcements, and life-safety functions in one system.
One of EVA’s standout features is its browser-based Graphical User Interface (GUI). This allows facilities teams and integrators to:
“Whether you’re managing a school campus, transport hub, shopping centre, or healthcare site, this level of access and insight is a game changer,” says Pete.
VA systems are traditionally complex, but EVA was designed with integrators in mind. Its modular architecture, minimal cabling, and hot-swappable hardware mean:
Combined with CIE-Group’s training and support, EVA gives integrators a shorter learning curve and quicker ROI.
When compared with other VA solutions, EVA consistently stands out due to:
Feature |
Inter-M EVA |
Typical VA System |
---|---|---|
EN54 Certification | ✅ | ✅ |
Modular Simplicity | ✅ | ❌ (complex setups) |
Remote Browser Access | ✅ | ❌ (proprietary software) |
Scalable from Small to Large | ✅ | ❌ (complex setups) |
Redundancy Built-In | ✅ | ✅ |
Hot-Swappable Hardware | ✅ | ❌ |
The days of relying solely on PA systems for emergency announcements are long gone. With the rise in regulatory enforcement and increasing risk environments, Voice Alarm systems are now a non-negotiable component of any public building's safety infrastructure.
The Inter-M EVA Voice Alarm series stands out not only for meeting the highest compliance standards but for making VA deployment easier, smarter, and more accessible than ever before.
A common misconception among installers and end-users is that Voice Alarm and Public Address systems must be deployed separately. In the past, this may have been true - VA systems were strictly for emergency use, while PA systems handled daily communication needs like announcements and background music.
However, the Inter-M EVA system eliminates this separation entirely. By design, EVA delivers both Voice Alarm and Public Address functionality in a single, unified platform — offering maximum value, performance, and flexibility.
“You don’t need two separate systems anymore,” says Pete George. “EVA handles everything - everyday paging, scheduled messages, background music, plus full EN54-certified voice evacuation. It’s all managed from one software interface.”
This dual-purpose capability simplifies installations and reduces costs significantly. Instead of duplicating infrastructure, integrators can use the same microphones, amplifiers, and speaker zones for both daily communications and emergency functions - while still maintaining full EN54 compliance.
The system allows users to:
Because it’s software-driven, switching between general PA and emergency VA modes is seamless and automatic - with priority-based logic ensuring that life-safety messages always take precedence.
This integration of VA and PA into a single system is particularly beneficial for environments such as schools, hospitals, transport hubs, and retail complexes, where consistent communication is needed - but safety cannot be compromised.
With the Inter-M EVA system, facilities get the best of both worlds: day-to-day audio functionality and critical emergency readiness, all from one intelligent, robust solution.
Whether you’re designing a new facility or upgrading an existing audio infrastructure, Inter-M EVA offers the power, flexibility, and compliance needed to meet today’s safety challenges.
Contact CIE-Group today to learn more about the Inter-M EVA range, book a demo, or access training and support from our expert team.