Staff should be trained in the typical causes of unwanted alarms so that they can take steps to minimise them

Regular service and maintenance on your fire alarm system will keep it in perfect condition and help minimise unwanted alarms from equipment faults

The Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA) has published the Model Agreement for its new Policy to reduce false activations from remotely monitored fire alarm systems (RMFAs).

The CFOA Policy will require all premises with RMFAs to pay a fee to be registered with the Fire & Rescue Service (F&RS) and receive a Unique Reference Number (URN). Via this registration scheme the F&RS intends to identify and monitor the performance of fire alarm systems. Systems generating an unacceptably high number of False Alarms will have the F&RS response level to their RMFA either reduced or withdrawn completely.

Why has this policy come about?

There were a staggering 441,600 false fire alarms last year*, which breaks down to over 1200 false call outs per day, over 50 an hour every day.
*statistics published by the Department of Communities and Local Government, Fire Statistics Monitor, UK, 12 months to June 2005.

The CFOA Policy has been launched to address the unacceptably high number of False Fire Alarms generated by remotely monitored fire alarm systems that they Fire and Rescue Service respond to each year. False Fire Alarms represents over 43% of all calls to the Fire and Rescue Service creating an unacceptable burden on finances and resource. Too many false alarms can prejudice the safety of building occupants, who may not respond correctly to an alarm activation in the event of a real fire if they have experienced a high number of false alarms.

The Policy Aims and Objectives

The Policy aims to:

• Prevent false alarms by improving the quality of system design, installation, commissioning, maintenance and use, and by promoting improved fire safety management

• Protect the public by reducing the number of false alarms, preventing complacency in the protected buildings and fire-fighters responding to unnecessary calls

• Intervene with systems that prove troublesome and ensure corrective action is taken – using fire and rescue services enforcement powers where necessary, whilst managing the fire and rescue service response to calls from these systems.

When is it coming in?

The policy is to be phased in over a three year period starting on 1 April 2005. RMFAs systems that generate false activations from this date will be required to register with their local F&RS, and the Policy proposes that by 31 March 2008 all RMFAs will need to be registered under the scheme.

Attendance Levels

It’s almost universally recognised that false alarms cannot be totally eradicated, but there is a need to reduce them to much lower levels. So as such, the number of false alarms that’s deemed acceptable will be proportionate to the number of automatic detectors you have.

• Attendance Level one is an immediate emergency response, resulting in an initial attendance based on a risk assessment of the fire fighting requirements that will be no less than one fire engine

• Attendance Level two in the absence of a confirmation call, the F&RS will make an attendance, based on a risk assessment of the fie fighting requirements. The attendance may be made under non-emergency conditions, i.e. normal traffic speed

• Attendance Level three No emergency response, until a confirmation of fire is received from the premises using the 999 or 112 system. Such confirmation will result in an immediate emergency response.

Note:

• Confirmed fires – those where a RMFA activation is supported or verified by a 999 or 112 call – or telephone contact to the premises by the ARC – will attract a full emergency response
• A signal from a RMFA system with a good track record of reliability will, even of the absence of any other confirmation – receive a full emergency response
• A risk based approach will take in to account factors such as time of day, i.e. sleeping risk, occupancy of the premises, ie. Mobility, age, number of people, historical and cultural importance of the building
• The Number of False Alarms allowed will be proportionate to the number of detector heads you have on your system.

What do I do if I get taken off Brigade Response?

Any changes to the attendance level by the F&RS will be communicated and time will be allowed for you to take appropriate remedial action. You would need to:

• Demonstrate measures to reduce false activations to have your F&RS response restored, which includes arranging appropriate maintenance on the fire alarm system by a qualified Fire Alarm Service Engineer. This may require significant retesting of the system to ensure it operates as originally intended and investigation in the causes of the false alarms.
• Demonstrate competence as a responsible person as described in BS 5839-1: 2002. The Responsible Person should supervise all matters pertaining to the fire alarm system, including the weekly testing of the firer alarm system and arranging a suitable service and maintenance programme. The responsible person should arrange suitable investigation, and if appropriate, action to be taken on every occasion that a false alarm occurs. The best way to demonstrate this is by maintaining a fire log book of all tests and service history, as well as recording the appropriate details regarding every false alarm that occurs. This will aid investigation.
• Revise the fire risk assessment and fire safety management arrangements for premises to take account of any changes in response, as well as advising your insurance company in the event of a change in attendance levels.
• With really problematic systems, the Fire and Rescue service may ask you to prepare and submit a written improvement plan for the reduction of false alarms and may use its statutory enforcement powers in order to improve the fire safety management at premises where it is judged to be inadequate

Useful Links

CFOA Policy Document

Managing False Alarms Guide from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister