Where strategy looks at the overall picture, the individual tactics are used to achieve the goals. The main purpose of the booklet "Actuator Dampers in Smoke Control Systems" is to explain details of how these mechanical and electrical systems operate with respect to dampers. The Fire Marshals, Building Officials, design engineers, and contractors are often called upon to go beneath the overall operation of a subsystem and look at the details.
Where devices and wiring interconnect two disciplines, there is a tendency for those involved to have only a fuzzy concept of the whole, interrelated design.
Figure below shows the primary mechanical systems that are used in smoke control. While all the different tactics work together in the smoke control system, they can be divided into two basic groups – those that contain fire and smoke to ensure compartmentation and those that use mechanical means to manage the movement of smoke. It is this latter that is more complicated and is the main subject here.
Some system dampers are applied in other ways to control air flow and smoke. Air Handling Units (AHU) are often shut down if any smoke detector in the area they serve senses smoke. However, in engineered smoke control systems the fans may continue to run while the AHU dampers position so that all return air is dumped outside and only fresh air is brought into the building. For large spaces that exhaust smoke in case of an event, dampers located on outside walls (with ducts where appropriate) open to allow outside air to enter to replace air and smoke pulled out by exhausts.