Bill is correct, even by calling them false alarms in the title of this thread implies that all alarm calls we go to will be false. Lets get real people, these are fire alarms, they activate and alert you to the fact that there could be a fire, sure 90% of the time there is non fire related reason for them activating but until you go and investigate the area properly you cannot ever know.
Brigades rolling out 1 up or in a private vehicle to check them is just plain unacceptable (I won't mention the urban fringe group whose DGO goes out to most alarms in his Command Car to investigate). Bill you should be mentioning to the Regional Commander what you saw.
SOP 4.5 in the COSO's explains it all beautifully.
SA COUNTRY FIRE SERVICE – CHIEF OFFICER’S STANDING ORDERS & STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES
Automatic/Monitored Fire Alarms SOP 4.5
Aim:
To provide procedures for response to automatic fire alarms in CFS areas.
Scope:
Applies to Brigades responsible for responding to premises with automatic or monitored fire
alarms.
Procedure:
Call Receipt:
When a CFS Brigade is responded to an Automatic Fire Alarm that is monitored
by the Romtech concentrator located at State Headquarters:
A Brigade representative must confirm receipt of page with the State Operations Call
Centre within six minutes of receiving page
Acknowledgement of receipt of page can be confirmed via telephone or radio
If the SOCC operator does not receive any confirmation that the Brigade has
received the response within six (6) minutes of the message being sent, SOCC
will dispatch the designated default Brigade
Response Procedure:
If no fire is visible, the following procedure shall occur:
The first arriving appliance OIC shall attend the Fire Indicator Panel, determine the affected
circuit (either detection and/or suppression) and investigate
The second arriving appliance (if applicable) shall attend the hydrant booster cabinet or
closest water source
Crews donned in CABA will undertake investigation of the affected circuit. They should be
prepared to undertake offensive fire fighting and rescue if required
Any additional appliances shall be positioned or staged at the direction of the Incident
Controller.
Automatic Alarm Procedures:
The affected alarm circuit(s) which are operating must not be reset or
isolated until the Incident Controller has ensured that a thorough check
of the designated circuit is completed and the affected detector in the
alarm circuit has been identified or other such cause has been
determined
In the case of sprinkler system, the area affected shall be thoroughly
investigated prior to any action being taken at the sprinkler valve
box/room isolation.
Management Notification Procedure
The Incident Controller will ensure that the management of the premises is:
Notified of the alarm activation and the fire service action taken
Informed of their obligation to arrange for the fire alarm to be examined by a
suitable technician to ensure that the system is operating correctly
Where management of the premises or a person of authority is not in attendance, they
must be contacted as soon as possible to advise of CFS attendance and the above
obligations
The name and position of the person advised must be recorded on the CFS Alarm
Attendance Book.
November 2004 2 of 2 Standard Operating Procedure 4.5
SA COUNTRY FIRE SERVICE – CHIEF OFFICER’S STANDING ORDERS & STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES
Reset of Circuits
Attending crews shall ascertain the precise cause of the circuit(s) operating and initiate the
following process
Where the cause is known and the condition, which caused the activation, is no longer
present, the circuit(s) shall be reset
Where the cause of activation is undetermined (no apparent cause), the circuit(s) shall be
assumed to be faulty and should be left isolated
Where the cause of the activation is undetermined and the circuit will not reset, the circuit
shall be left isolated
Isolation of Circuits
If a condition causing the activation continues to exist, the circuit(s) shall be isolated.
Management may reset the circuit when the condition ceases.
Where the circuit is isolated, management of the premises must be notified that they are
without automatic fire alarm coverage to the affected areas/circuit(s) and that they must
phone contact the appropriate fire service directly for an emergency
Fire Alarm Log Book
All attendances and action taken when responding to Automatic Fire Alarms shall be
recorded in the “Fire Alarm Log Book” which is kept at the Fire Indicator Panel
All entries shall be accompanied by the Officer’s name in block letters and signature
The Officer attending the Fire Indicator Panel or sprinkler system shall also complete the
Fire Alarm Call Out Report Form, which may be found attached to the Fire Alarm Log
Book
Security
Where CFS held keys are used to gain entry into premises, the Incident Controller shall
ensure the premises are left secure and that all building services, if utilised, are
returned to normal operation
Brigades must ensure that any keys held by the brigade are maintained in a secure, locked
location, with the station or fire appliance. Keys are not to be readily accessible to any
persons entering the station.
Authorised by:
…………………………………..
Euan Ferguson
Chief Officer
SA Country Fire Service
