How to Minimise False Fire Alarms

It is estimated that false fire alarms cost the UK in excess of £1 billion a year. A massive cost that could be reduced with properly maintained fire detection systems which rarely suffer equipment malfunctions.

Any fire call received by Fire & Rescue Services is attended by fire crew responding under “emergency conditions” thus diverting essential services from genuine emergencies and unnecessarily putting fire crew and the public at risk.

Below are some of the most common causes of false fire alarms and latest products in fire detection to reduce the number of false alarms and call outs.

What are the common causes of False Fire Alarms?

In the workplace, there are many common causes of false alarms. Here are a few of the most common causes of false fire alarms:

Incorrect type of detector

It’s important that the fire detectors used in each room are appropriate for usage and changed should the rooms purpose change. For example, a room fitted with a smoke detector having a toaster or kettle introduced could increase the number of false alarms from smoke.

Contractors working on site

Contractors working in your home or workplace may increase the amount of dust or electrical disturbances which can affect the fire alarm systems.

Failure to notify the alarm monitoring centre

Sometimes a false fire alarm can be something as simple as failing to let the alarm monitoring centre know when you are testing or running maintenance of your alarm system.

Unsatisfactory maintenance and testing

False alarms can occur when detectors are not regularly cleans and serviced.

Human activity

People are the biggest cause of false fire alarms. Making people aware of their actions and responsibilities with regard to fire alarms and detection systems will help them to minimise the number of false alarms in your building.

How to minimise false fire alarms

There are a number of ways that you can help to minimise the number of false fire alarms and unwanted fire signals. From ensuring your staff are trained in fire safety and best practice to installing properly maintained fire detection systems. Eurotech are pleased to offer specialist range of fire detection, specially designed to tackle this growing problem.

The TITANUS® range of aspiration smoke detectors are less prone to false alarms caused by dust and grime, exhaust gases, moisture and other factors whilst still offering the earliest possible fire alarm signalling. Reliable even in extreme climate conditions, aspiration smoke detection systems do not impose architectural restrictions and allow easy access, which minimises inspection costs and maintenance.

Read our previous post for the individual features of each of the three products in the TITANUS® range.

For more advice and guidance on how you can minimise false fire alarms, please get in touch with our fire consultants on +44 (0)203 141 0999 or info@eurotechfire.com.