Fire Alarm Systems play a vital role in safeguarding individuals and property in our daily lives. They serve as an early warning mechanism, offering crucial protection in the event of a fire. By effectively alerting people and facilitating timely action, these systems are instrumental in maintaining safety for both occupants and structures.
Regrettably, a significant portion of fire alarm system activations are not genuine emergencies. Instead, they are false alarms that arise due to factors such as inadequate maintenance, subpar on-site management practices, or even deliberate acts of mischief. These unwarranted fire alarm signals, commonly referred to as unwanted fire alarm signals (UFAS), necessitate the intervention of the Scottish Fire and Rescue service. Dealing with such false alarms places an immense burden on both manpower and financial resources, which could otherwise be channeled towards responding to authentic emergency calls and supporting our businesses with more community safety prevention efforts.
It is essential to address the issue of false alarms by promoting responsible maintenance practices, enhancing on-site management protocols, and fostering a culture of vigilance among individuals. By reducing the occurrence of false alarms, we can optimize the allocation of resources, enabling the Scottish Fire and Rescue service to focus their efforts on genuine emergencies and better support the community’s safety needs.
From 1 July 2023, SFRS will stop attending automatic fire alarm (AFA) call outs to commercial business and workplace premises, such as factories, offices, shops and leisure facilities – unless a fire has been confirmed.
This change does not apply to premises with sleeping occupants.
For the full article please click on this link
Scottish Fire & Rescue Service: Unwanted Fire Alarm Signals (UFAS) (firescotland.gov.uk)
As a result of this change, from 1st July 2023 the Watson Alarms Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) on receiving a fire alarm signal from your property will be faced with a `call challenge` when contacting Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to verify a confirmed fire or signs of fire.
Owners of buildings and/or Duty Holders are responsible for workplace premises and should ensure that appropriate measures are in place to safely investigate a fire alarm before calling 999 and/or the Alarm Receiving Centre as the SFRS control room operators will now be asking for confirmation of an actual fire, or signs of fire, before sending the nearest resource.
SFRS will treat any fire alarm as a sign of fire, other than from a single smoke detector. The responsible person/s on your site must be familiar with the site and the coverage and functionality of the Fire Alarm System as Fire Alarm activations from devices other than a single smoke detector i.e., manual call point, heat detector, automatic sprinkler etc will result in automatic response from SFRS as soon as this is verified from site. Other signs of fire include visual flame/smoke, smell of burning, or any other fire alarm signal.
This change does not apply to sleeping premises, such as hospitals, care homes, hotels or domestic dwellings who will continue to get an emergency response.
For more information, please click on this You Tube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPir5qcbgS4 link to watch the webinar Dutyholder event hosted by SFRS.
You may also wish to review the SFRS public consultation which took place in 2021
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