Business owners: how you can help to reduce false alarms or unwanted fire signals
Reducing False Fire Alarms
The purpose of this guidance note is to highlight better practice, to offer both technical and procedural advice to those affected by unwanted signals from automatic fire alarm systems and to provide basic support to Responsible Persons and Competent Persons.
In the year 2023/24 South Wales fire and Rescue Service (SWFRS) attended 5982 false alarms. A large majority of false alarms were accountable to human error or action and hence there is an awareness of the cause of the actuation. By using common sense and basic checking these could have been identified prior to the FRS being called. Therefore, correct management procedures based on the premises’ Fire Risk Assessment and correct maintenance is important. The guidance within these sections is gathered from external sources following communication with related stakeholders.
Why reduce false alarms
Impact of false alarms on fire and rescue services
• Unnecessary risk to crew and public whilst responding (i.e. road traffic collisions and related accidents)
• Disruption to arson reduction, business support and community safety activities (e.g.
education, domestic smoke alarm fitting, etc.)
• Disruption to the training of operational personnel
• Demoralising to operational personnel
• Increased cost to the FRS (e.g. fuel, wear and tear on vehicles, other mobilising costs, etc.)
Impact on Businesses
• Disruption of business (e.g. downtime, time wasted, loss of business and theft)
• Cost to businesses where Retained Duty System firefighters are released to respond to the incident
• Erodes user’s confidence in the value and reliability of AFA Systems and discourage people from taking these systems seriously. This may result in a slow response in the event of a real fire or even no response at all.
• False alarms unnecessarily transmitted to Alarm Receiving Centres (ARC’s) impacts on their resources (i.e. whilst dealing with false alarm alerts, operators are unable to
deal with real emergencies).
Impact on the Community
• Diverting essential services from real emergencies, thus putting lives and property at risk
• Unnecessary risk to the public whilst responding (i.e. road traffic collisions)
• Impact on the environment due to unnecessary fire appliance movements (i.e. noise, air and traffic pollution)
• Drain on public finances
Typical causes
The following typical causes of false alarms can usually be avoided by improved awareness
and by taking simple actions:
General (including Human Error)
• Cooking fumes
• Steam
• Aerosol sprays
• Dust, thrips, insects, etc. in detectors
• Smoking near detectors
• Controlled processes that produce smoke or flame
• Water ingress
• Contractors involved with “hot work”
• Electromagnetic interference
• Mechanical Damage/Disruption
Environmental
• Electrical storms
• High humidity
• Substantial fluctuation in temperature
• Pressure surges on water mains serving automatic sprinkler systems
• External smoke or fumes
• High air velocities
Technical
• AFA System equipment faults
• Testing or maintenance of the AFA System without warning the ARC
• Incorrect or poorly sited devices (e.g. smoke detectors, heat detectors, manual call points,
etc.)
Actions that can be taken
Review Management procedures:
New Build or Building Refurbishment
False activations can be avoided at the design stage of an alarm system. Consideration
should be given to the type of detector which is most suitable for the purpose which the
room is used. For example, it may be completely impractical to use smoke detection in an
area where large quantities of dust or fumes are produced; similarly a heat detector may be
of little use in applications where there may be sudden and rapid increases in temperature.
Therefore, there is a need for business managers and alarm engineers to understand the
likely conditions which may occur in specific areas of a building to eliminate unwanted AFA
System activations.
Cooking fumes
Cooking fumes are one of the major causes of false alarms, especially in Houses of Multiple
Occupation (HMOs) and Sheltered Housing Schemes. Doors should not be held open. This
can allow cooking fumes from kitchen areas to activate smoke detectors in adjacent areas.
Actions:
• Close doors or fit automatic or spring loaded door closers
• Fit an extractor fan and ensure it is being maintained
• Review detector type and positioning – Smoke, Carbon Monoxide (CO), Heat or MultiSensor. Consult with interested parties such as landlords, FRSs, Environmental Health
Departments
• Fit Cooker/Electricity Switch. These can be fitted in premises that consistently suffer from
false alarms due to cooking fumes. They can switch the electricity/gas off after a period
of time if a safeguard button is not pressed. Others use motion sensors that switch the
electricity/gas off if the Kitchen has been empty for a period of time
• Food trolleys in hospitals – A method of reducing false alarms from food trolleys is to mark
out safe areas to leave the trolleys, away from detectors
• Toasters – To remove toasters that do not have timers or the pop up facility.
Steam
Smoke detectors can be activated by steam. Ensure that steam from ovens, showers and
bathrooms etc. cannot reach smoke detectors in adjacent areas.
Actions:
• Close doors or fit automatic or spring-loaded door closers
• Fit an extractor fan and ensure it is being maintained
• Review detector type and positioning – Smoke, Carbon Monoxide (CO), Heat or MultiSensor
Aerosol sprays
Cleaning staff in particular should be made aware that aerosol sprays used near smoke
detectors can cause false alarms. Use aerosols with care, away from smoke detectors.
Actions:
• Education of occupants
Dust and insects in detectors
Dust that collects in a smoke detector head could be removed by a quarterly vacuum cleaning, however, a maintenance contractor should still thoroughly service all detectors at relevant intervals.
Actions:
• Insect repellent could be sprayed (but not into or near smoke detectors)
• Insect repellent strips could be fitted onto the detector
• A regular maintenance and cleaning regime to remove dust and insects in the vicinity of detectors
Water ingress
Smoke detectors should be protected against water entering the base from the ceiling.
Actions:
• Weaknesses found as a result of heavy rainstorms or leaks should be corrected.
External fumes
External fumes (e.g. from grass, heath, rubbish fire, etc.) can cause false alarms if fumes enter the building via open windows or the air conditioning unit, especially during the summer months.
Actions:
• Communicate with neighbours to identify incidents that could cause false alarms. This
would increase awareness of potential false alarms
• Closing of windows in these cases would avoid the false activation of smoke detectors in the building.
Test without Prior Warning
Where AFA System testing is conducted and the business has not pre-warned the ARC.
Actions:
• Improve communication procedures with the ARC.
Engineers/Contractors on site
When Engineers/Contractors are on site there is an increased risk that the AFA System may be actuated accidentally. This may be due to the creation of dust (affecting smoke detectors) or working too close to the AFA System (where “hot work” involving cutting, welding or if electrical interference is created). Also, engineers who are working on the system should ensure that the AFA System will not create false alarms.
Actions:
• Ensure the Engineers/Contractors have and operate a Hot Working Permit system
• Educate the Engineers/Contractors on false alarm reduction and actions they should take
• Consider a fining system during the contract stage. If a contractor sets off a fire alarm due to negligence this could lead to a financial penalty
• Cover the detectors or isolate the zone and warn staff of the temporary change in the AFA System situation
• Clean covers before removal from detectors
• Ensure at the end of the work that the covers are removed and the system returns to its normal state.
Environmental
Environmental conditions (e.g. adverse weather conditions particularly electrical storms, etc.) can cause an AFA System to malfunction and produce false alarms.
Actions:
• Consider taking remotely monitored AFA Systems off-line during this period if a responsible person is present; a 999 call could be made direct to the FRS in an emergency
Technical faults
Ensure that following an occurrence of a false alarm, the cause is investigated and recorded. Prevent re-occurrence and improve reliability by taking necessary remedial action, involving the AFA System maintenance company where necessary.
Actions:
• The National Fire Chief Council (NFCC) and relevant Trade Associations encourage
the use of a third-party accredited maintenance company. Use of these maintenance
companies could be considered
• Ensure maintenance is in compliance with the relevant British Standard (i.e. BS5839)
• Ensure an engineer is mobilised to resolve any problems and interim actions are in place to prevent a repeat activations due to a system faults
• Ensure the problems are resolved as soon as possible to prevent the FRS being mobilised as a result of the same problem
• In the case of a defective AFA system, procedures should be introduced to cover this time period (e.g. fire wardens and 999 calls to the FRS, etc.)
Incorrect type of or positioning of Device
It is well known that the incorrect type or positioning of a device can cause false alarms. In certain situations, the positioning of smoke detectors can cause false alarms. Also, consideration for use of a different type of detector might reduce the likelihood of false alarms.
Actions:
• Review positioning of devices in collaboration with AFA System Installer
• Consider the use of an alternative type of devices
• A heat detector would reduce the majority of false alarms, however, they do not react as quickly as a smoke detector hence does not offer as much protection. The use of heat
detection requires special consideration to ensure that the premises Fire Risk Assessment accounts for this reduction in protection.
In a property with a sleeping risk it is generally accepted that the person in the room of origin would be at risk as heat detectors actuate later than other types of detector. However, it would still actuate the AFA System and alert the rest of the premises. An alternative option, other than use different type of detection, is to consider a stand-alone hard-wired smoke detector as an addition to the heat detector that is attached to the AFA System, thus still allowing for the protection of the person in the room and allowing for false alarm identification without the full AFA System being actuated. If the heat detector actuates then the full AFA System would be activated. A system of maintenance (for the automatic and stand-alone fire alarm system) must also be provided.
Poor Management
There is a general misunderstanding that the fire safety arrangements in a premises are only of concern just prior to the FRS doing an audit. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 now puts the emphasis on the management/owners to manage these arrangements every day.
Action:
• Encourage better ownership and management. It is no longer acceptable to call the FRS just because and as soon as an alarm actuates. Consider a review of the premises’ Fire Risk Assessment and procedures to identify obvious false alarms prior to calling the FRS (where possible). Note, these actions are subject to the premises’ Fire Risk Assessment.
Management Procedures
A large proportion of the causes listed above could easily be identified as false alarms by
persons on the premises and hence not require a call to the FRS. This approach has proven successful where it has been implemented.
Therefore, dependent upon the premises’ Fire Risk Assessment, false alarm identification prior to calling the FRS should be considered. This approach would need to be incorporated into the premises’ training program.
If the premises are connected an ARC, the possibility of a call back to confirm the cause of the activation prior to a call to the FRS could be considered.
Other Better Practice examples – Also see previous Actions
• All premises that have a false alarm should seek professional advice from Competent
Persons.
If a premises is considering implementing a time delay or “investigation phase” prior to calling the FRS, the following points will assist when considering this:
Management of premises:
• Management of the premises (including staff), to compensate for human errors and actions is essential to reduce the occurrence of false alarms
Taking the AFA System offline:
• Consider taking the AFA System off-line during fully occupied and active hours, e.g. if staff are on duty or when a particular working practice is occurring (if contractors or engineers are working on the system). This allows checking and identification of false alarms by staff.
If an organisation is removing staff and then has an increase in false alarms and hence calls to the FRS then the premises would be expected to review their management procedures.
It is essential that the management procedures account for the system being offline and
that it is switched online when required.
For additional advice on reducing the number of false alarms please contact your fire risk assessor and your fire alarm maintenance company.
Additional advice can be found via the links below:
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