SOCIAL HOUSING & COMMUNITY PUTTING OUT THE PROBLEM
Incorrectly activated alarms are always a nuisance, but they are particularly disruptive in residential environments, especially social housing and
environments with elderly or vulnerable residents, where an evacuation can cause stress and uncertainty, Advanced’s Aston Bowles explains.
There is the potential for penalty charges from the local fire brigade if they are called out to a false alarm, from which some care homes are
exempt, but not all. Thankfully, modern fire system technology offers a number of solutions that can help reduce false alarms in social housing.
Modern false alarm management uses fire panel cause-and-effect programming, high performance detection methods and human input to reduce false alarms. Many of these techniques are used to verify a signal is due to a real fire, before commencing the next stage of the building evacuation strategy.
Every manufacturer will have their own approach to programming a strategy. Advanced’s divides the site into virtual Building Areas that can have unique or grouped false alarm management settings, allowing strategy to work across the site, but also very locally for individual user needs. Detection choice plays a key role. Clever algorithms in detection heads can increasingly differentiate between false signals, such as steam or cooking smoke, and signals due to real fires.
Two key system features, Verification Times and Investigation Delays to Outputs, are critical to effective false alarm reduction and should be adjusted for fire risks during the day or night
Some manufacturers have also introduced dedicated false alarm input devices that can be used by trained staff and/or residents (depending on the site) to temporarily extend verification times.
60 | TOMORROW’S FM
“THERE IS A PENALTY CHARGE FROM THE
LOCAL FIRE BRIGADE IF THEY ARE CALLED OUT TO A FALSE ALARM,
FROM WHICH SOME CARE HOMES ARE EXEMPT.”
Advanced’s solution is the AlarmCalm Button. These allow the panel verification time to be extended (one time only) by the resident of a room if they believe the signal to be ‘false’, for example from burning toast and not a real fire. If the signal persists beyond the verification time, the system will go into full alarm.
Failsafes are key; if an alarm signal has been verified by the panel or if a manual call point is
activated, the system will enter a full fire alarm condition. Even then, the system should cater for different evacuation strategies.
Unlike an ‘all out’ system (with single stage evacuation), phased evacuation allows the fire system to be programmed dynamically to evacuate those most in danger first, sometimes to a safe area. There are also two stage alarms (alert and evacuate), local (staff) sounders, and panel notifications that will alert staff or residents to potential issues before signalling a zonal or full evacuation. Alarm signals to other output devices, such as any automatic door release, will work independently of any evacuation delays.
Radio paging systems connected to the fire system can inform staff of its current status and also be used in a simpler mode to alert the hard of hearing and rouse them from sleep.
TouchControl from Advanced is a full repeater and remote control terminal that includes Active Maps and zone plans. Thought should be given to choosing a system that is acceptably easy for staff and designated residents to use.
Thought also needs to be given to how the system will be monitored, serviced and maintained. There are a growing number of solutions that allow fire systems to be remotely monitored and controlled. This means an engineer can arrive with a plan agreed and all spare parts required, minimising disruption to residents.
The fire system requirements of a social housing environment are demanding, but the fire industry continues to innovate with a wide range of systems and solutions.
uk.advancedco.com
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