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Nuisance Alarms

According to the Melbourne Metropolitan Fire Brigade a false alarm (nuisance alarm) is "A false alarm occurs when the MFB attends an incident to find there is no emergency and there is no need for their fire fighting skills or other expertise. Most automatic fire alarm systems are a legal requirement, or have been installed to provide fire safety, and it is essential they operate efficiently at all times."

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According to the Melbourne Metropolitan Fire Brigade Fire and Rescue Victoria ("FRV") a false alarm, also known as a nuisance alarm occurs when;

the fire brigade attends an incident to find there is no emergency and there is no need for their fire fighting skills or other expertise. Most automatic fire alarm systems are a legal requirement, or have been installed to provide fire safety, and it is essential they operate efficiently at all times.

In this document, we have prepared (and continue to add) information that helps building owners, agents of owners and occupiers on the common causes of nuisance alarms and methods to eliminate the root cause.

False alarms, also known as nuisance alarms are generated by fire protection systems including Fire Alarms and Fire Sprinkler Systems. They are generally automatically initiated by smoke, heat detectors, fire detectors, flow switches and pressure switches. However, they may also occur through intentional or accidental causes.

If you're new to Firewize you may consider contacting us to conduct a Nuisance Alarm Investigation. This process is conducted by a senior member of our support team who will follow a methodical process of identifying the root cause of your nuisance alarms and help you develop a strategy to eliminate the root cause and free you up from the costly burden of nuisance alarms.

Common causes of Nuisance (False) Alarms

Nuisance (false) alarms are a common cause of frustration for building owners, leading to mistrust of the fire safety systems and lost productivity. There are many causes of nuisance alarms however they typically fall into the following five categories;

  • Excessive and accumulative contamination
    By their very nature, a smoke detector is designed to detect the presence of airborne particulates in smoke. Overtime other airborne contaminants such as lint, dust and other aerosols accumulate in and around a smoke detector.  This accumulation can adversely affect the operation of a fire detector by either contributing to the sensitivity of a detector OR reducing the sensitivity of a detector.
  • Defective, faulty loose fitting or aged equipment
    Defective, faulty or aged equipment is a very common cause of nuisance alarms. As fire detectors get older they become more sensitive leading to false alarms.  They may also contribute to faulty equipment. While in most cases there is no age limit to fire detectors, it is common for these detectors to be replaced in a window of 10-15 years subject to onsite conditions and maintenance history.
  • Human interference
    Human interference encompasses a range of factors where people create the scenario where deceptive phenomena exist. Deceptive phenomena include thighs like aerosols, burning candles, dust, water spray, etc. In most cases, nuisance alarms caused by human interference can be eliminated through careful education and training of people working or visiting the building.
  • Environmental / Water Ingress
    While conducting our review we observed that there were a number of areas throughout the building where there were visible signs of water stains on ceilings adjacent to or around fire detectors. Water ingress is a very common cause of nuisance alarms, and in many circumstances the root cause can be identified and rectified, eliminating future causes of nuisance alarms.
  • Spurious water fluctuations (sprinkler)
    An unplanned drop in water pressure or increase in water pressure (water fluctuations) can lead to unplanned nuisance alarms.  In most cases these fluctuations can be eliminated by carefully adjusting the detection device such as water flow switches and pressure switches.

Book a FREE call to help fix your false alarms

We have been helping building owners and managers for over 20 years to eliminate false alarms from their fire sprinkler and fire alarm systems.  We have proven techniques, systems and technology that is guaranteed to eliminate false alarms and cut costly and unnecessary fire brigade fees.

How Firewize can help

If your a customer of Firewize you can contact us and request additional information from our support team and resources from our library. Some of our documents include;

  • 39 Hot Tips - Managing False Alarms
  • GPG003A - MFB False Alarm Appeal Process
  • FTG001A Technicians Guide - Nuisance Alarm Investigation Tips
  • Guidance for the Selection of Detectors
  • Nuisance Alarm Investigation Report
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