BRK

BRK Electronics was founded in 1958 by three business partners whose surnames, Burke, Roberts, and Kimberline, gave the company its name. The company marketed its first commercial smoke detector in 1964 and went on to develop the first battery-powered smoke detector to receive an Underwriters Laboratories listing.

BRK Brands, Inc. was established in 1976 and operates out of Aurora, Illinois, with a production facility in Juarez, Mexico. First Alert serves as the retail brand under which many BRK-engineered products, including smoke alarms and the carbon monoxide detector introduced in 1993, reach trade buyers and consumers.

Product Lines

The BRK lineup available through SupplyHouse includes smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors, and combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms for residential and light commercial installation. The brand's history includes engineering firsts such as the first UL-listed battery-powered smoke detector and the first dual photoelectric and ionization sensor alarm, technology that carries forward into its current detector lineup.

Why Contractors Specify BRK

Electrical and HVAC contractors specify BRK detectors because the brand has a multi-decade engineering record in life safety devices, starting with the first commercially marketed smoke detector in 1964. Dual-sensor technology, combining photoelectric and ionization detection in a single alarm, gives installers a way to cover a broader range of fire conditions with one device rather than choosing between sensor types. Pairing smoke and carbon monoxide detection in combination units also simplifies code compliance on jobs that require both protections in the same space.

How to Choose BRK Products

Matching a BRK detector to a project starts with confirming whether local code requires smoke detection, carbon monoxide detection, or both in a given space, since combination units cover both requirements with a single device. Power source, whether hardwired with battery backup or fully battery-operated, needs to match the electrical access available at the installation point. Sensor type, photoelectric, ionization, or dual-sensor, should be selected based on the likely fire conditions in the space, such as smoldering versus fast-flame fires.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between BRK and First Alert?

BRK Brands, Inc. is the manufacturer, while First Alert is the retail brand name under which many BRK-engineered smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are sold.

When did BRK introduce its first carbon monoxide detector?

BRK introduced its carbon monoxide detector under the First Alert brand in September 1993, expanding beyond its original smoke detector lineup.

What was BRK's first major product innovation?

BRK developed the first battery-powered smoke detector to receive an Underwriters Laboratories listing, building on the first commercial smoke detector it marketed in 1964.

What does dual-sensor smoke detection mean in BRK products?

Dual-sensor detection combines photoelectric and ionization sensing technology in a single alarm, a combination BRK was first to develop, to detect a wider range of fire types.

Where are BRK products manufactured?

BRK Brands, Inc. is based in Aurora, Illinois, with production handled at a facility in Juarez, Mexico.