Fire Alarm Monitoring – The Complete Guide
Fire alarms are an essential part of a business and site’s safety procedure. Most often, they are a legal requirement and an integral part of protecting the lives of employees, visitors and occupants. Fire alarms provide an alert in the form of an alarm or siren, that a fire has been detected within the building. Those inside therefore know to evacuate and can contact the fire and rescue services.
But what happens when a fire alarm goes off out of hours? Who is there to manage the situation? This is where fire alarm monitoring comes into play. We’ve put together ‘The Complete Guide to Fire Alarm Monitoring’ to provide you with all the information you need to know.
What is Fire Alarm Monitoring?
Fire alarm monitoring is whereby a site’s fire alarm system is monitored by a third party company that specialises in monitoring systems. Monitoring takes place 24/7 and acts as an extra layer of safety and protection against the risk of fire. Monitoring companies are able to connect to a site’s fire alarm system and be notified when an alarm has been triggered, whereby they will be able to confirm whether or not it is a false alarm. If it is a true alarm, the monitoring operative wills action the most appropriate response to the situation, such as calling the fire and rescue services. When a fire alarm is triggered, the whole process of contacting the emergency services takes just a matter of minutes.
How does Fire Alarm Monitoring work?
Fire alarm monitoring is easy to implement with current and new fire alarm system installations. The monitoring company will either be connected to or have its own Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC), which acts to receive the alarm activations and notify the monitoring operatives.
Communication between the site’s fire alarm system and the ARC is carried out via a landline or over a cellular network, such as 4G. When an alarm is triggered, it will send a signal to the ARC, identifying that a fire alarm within the site premises has been activated.
The monitoring operative will instantly be notified of the activation and will get to work dealing with the matter. Firstly, if the activation was carried out within office hours they will contact the nominated keyholder and confirm whether or not it is a false alarm.
If it is a false alarm, then it can be deactivated and the site can continue business as usual. If it is confirmed to be a real fire, then the monitoring operatives will quickly and calmly action an immediate call-out from the fire and rescue services on behalf of the site.
If the alarm has sounded out of hours, then the monitoring operatives immediately initiate a fire brigade response.
The fire and rescue team will then arrive on-site and take care of the fire. Due to the quick actions of the monitoring facility, it means that minimal damage is made to the site premise and lives.
How are they different to regular fire alarm systems?
Monitored fire alarm systems are different to regular fire alarm systems in that they are monitored 24/7, 365 days a year. This means that an immediate response is guaranteed by a professionally trained operative and that no fire alarm goes unheard, ignored or missed. A monitored fire alarm system therefore significantly increases the level of safety and protection of a site as every activation will be investigated and will result in a fire brigade response if a fire is present, without fail.
Why would a fire alarm need to be monitored?
The main reason for opting for a monitored fire alarm system for a site is to provide an increased level of fire safety. It helps detect and react to a fire early, leading to reduced property damage and injury or loss of life. The impacts of fire can be tragic and immense, spanning more than just physical damage. Financial burden, logistics disruption and a bruised reputation can really impact the roots of a business. Insurers have reported that between 70-80% of businesses fail within 18 months to 3 years after experiencing a fire. Fire alarm monitoring, therefore, reduces the spread of fire and in turn, the aftermath.
All sites can benefit from fire alarm monitoring, especially those sites that are considered high-risk buildings. These include care homes, hospitals, schools and hotels, due to the sheer amount of individuals within the buildings.
Is Fire Alarm Monitoring a legal requirement?
Although fire alarm systems are a legal requirement for the majority of businesses, as per the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (also known as the RRO), fire alarm monitoring is not a legal requirement. However, because it is not a legal requirement, doesn’t mean that it is not necessary for a site.
What are the benefits?
There are multiple benefits of fire alarm monitoring which can increase a site’s level of fire safety.
- Increase level of fire safety
- Reduce risk of fire spread
- Early detection of fire
- Reduced false alarms
- Reduce business down-time
- Efficient management in event of fire
- Take responsibility off of employees
- Peace of mind
- No fire alarm goes unnoticed
- Quick response to any fire alarm
- 24/7 monitoring, 365 days a year
- Reduced risk of loss of life
- Cost-efficient long-term
- Fast fire brigade response
- Improved employee wellbeing
- Reduce insurance premiums
Is fire alarm monitoring worth it?
If you’re wondering if fire alarm monitoring is worth it, then it’s a good idea to look at some statistics. Firstly, fire is one of the biggest threats to organisations according to GOV UK. Secondly, it’s been found that over 60% of fires occur within unoccupied buildings and in addition, the London Fire Brigade reported that 53% of incidents attended take place between 6 pm to 9 am, i.e. out of average working hours. In terms of false alarms, within the last year, they also reported that 48% of all incidents reported turned out to be false alarms.
There is therefore key evidence that fires are affecting business, especially at times when the building or site is unmanaged. Without fire alarm monitoring, how are you able to guarantee that a site’s fire alarm will be acknowledged and responded to promptly? Because of this, there is a clear argument that monitored fire alarms are worth the investment due to the increased levels of safety they bring.
What types of fire alarms can be monitored?
The majority of professionally installed fire alarm systems can be monitored. Monitoring can be set up with a site’s current fire alarm system or added to a new installation. It is a relatively easy functionality to add to a site’s system and can be set up via landline or cellular network. The best way to understand if fire alarm monitoring can work with a site is to get in touch with a professional monitoring company.
How much does Fire Alarm Monitoring cost?
Fire alarm monitoring will vary with each monitoring provider as well as the type, size and complexity of a site’s fire alarm system. The best way to determine the overall cost is by getting a professional quote. However, you can expect to pay anything from £25 per month for a small scale system – a small price to pay in contrast to the major costs and implications of fire damage.
Are they expensive to maintain?
As much as it is important to have a fire alarm system in the first place, it is also important to have the system maintained so that it remains in good condition and effective in the event of a fire. A minimum yearly maintenance check is advised and usually costs around £200. However, many fire safety installers and monitoring companies will provide maintenance contracts to keep a system in good condition, with some starting at just £25 per month.
Although monitoring and maintenance contracts are an additional monthly cost, they are considered essential and many don’t realise their importance until it’s too late. They are therefore a minimum expense per month to prevent the devasting effects of fire.
Fire Alarm Monitoring with RMS
At RMS, a provide a complete fire alarm monitoring service to all types of sites and buildings. We ensure that a site is protected at all times and bring peace of mind to you and those on-site, in and out of working hours.
Our team of hand-picked monitoring operatives are highly trained and skilled in monitoring fire alarm systems and responding efficiently to activated alarms. In addition to high-quality monitoring, we also pride ourselves on our premium level of customer service that’s formed on honesty and transparency.
For every alarm activation, we’re able to provide full incident reporting and are proud to be NSI Gold accredited, meaning you can trust that we operate only to the highest industry standards.
Get in touch
Get in touch with us today to find out how we can help you and our sites with fire alarm monitoring. Our helpful team will answer any of your questions and offer you a free, obligation quotation.
Get in touch online or call us on 0330 002 1149.