Frequently asked questions
Q. What is an Unwanted Fire Signal?
A. Fire alarm and detection systems react to phenomena that might indicate that there is a fire. Most detectors operate as a result of either an increase in heat or the presence of smoke. Unfortunately they also react to things such as steam, cigarette smoke, aerosol sprays, light smoke from cooking and many other things. When a fire alarm goes off, as a result of anything other than a real fire, this is considered to be an Unwanted Fire Signal.
Q. Why is there a new approach to dealing with Unwanted Fire Signals?
A. Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service attend over 13,500 calls to Unwanted Fire Signals every year. These calls not only cause disruption to businesses effecting efficiency, profitability and services, they make building occupiers complacent about fire alarms, so they tend to react more slowly, or not at all, when the fire alarm operates. For the Fire and Rescue Service they mean that we spend a great deal of time dealing with Unwanted Fire Signals rather than doing vital training, or work with community partners to make our communities safer.
Q. What is this new approach?
A. When the fire alarm system in a building operates a call is normally made to the Fire and Rescue Service, either directly, by staff in your building or indirectly via an alarm receiving centre.
If the call is made directly by staff in your building our Control Operators will try to determine whether or not there is actually a fire, or whether the call is a false alarm. Where there are no immediately apparent signs of fire they will ask the caller to hang up and to check the building for signs of a fire. If any signs of fire exist you should call the Fire and Rescue Service back using the 999 system stating that there is a fire at your address. Signs of fire includes things like, obvious flames, smell of smoke, lights flickering or increased heat. It is important to understand that we will not be asking people to put themselves in danger and are only asking that people look for signs of a fire, not a fire itself.
Where there are no signs of fire and all of the building has been checked you should reset your fire alarm panel and where the building has been evacuated, allow your staff to return to work.
Your fire safety management procedures should ensure that specific individuals are nominated to call the Fire and Rescue Service and to check the building when the fire alarm has operated.
We are entering into arrangements with Alarm Receiving Centres (ARCs) so that where your fire alarm operates and is monitored by an ARC, their operators will call you back to determine whether the alarm is a false alarm or is actually a fire. Where the alarm is a fire they will pass details through to our Control operators who will send the appropriate number and type of fire engines to your building.
We aim to have this type of arrangement in place with all ARC’s over the coming months.
Q. Does this apply to all premises?
A. No. In certain higher life risk premises, or where it is more likely that the fire alarm has operated because of a real fire or where the potential risk to the occupants is greater because they cannot be easily evacuated, we will not ask you to check whether or not there is a fire before our fire engines respond. Over the coming months, these premises will be provided with a ‘special risk code’, that either you or your ARC should provide to our Control operator when your fire alarm operates. Our Control operator will take some other details from you or the ARC and will send the appropriate type and number of fire engines to your building.
Q. How do I find out if my premises can have a special risk code?
A. We are in the process of writing to all of those premises that we believe should have special risk codes. If you receive a letter saying that you have a special risk code, it will tell you what the code is and what you should do with it if your fire alarm operates. This process may take a number of months, and special interim procedures are being put in place with our Control operators to cover the interim period.
If you think that your premises should have a ‘special risk code’ you should write to the:
Unwanted Fire Signal Co-ordinator
Fire Safety Department
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service
146 Bolton Road
Swinton
Manchester
M27 8US
The letter should include contact details, the full address of the premises, including the post code, what the premises is used for, and the reason why you believe that the premises should have a ‘special risk code’.
Q. When does this policy come into effect?
A. The policy is already in operation with one alarm receiving centre and those premises affected have been written to, explaining the situation. The remainder of the policy is scheduled to come into effect during early December 2007.
Q. Are all alarm receiving centres working with you on this policy?
A. No. At the moment only a very small number are involved, however we are negotiating with other alarm receiving centres and envisage that over the next 12 to 18 months we will have involved most if not all alarm receiving centres.
Q. What should I do now?
A. You should do the following:-
- Ensure that the fire risk assessment for your premises is up to date and reflects the conditions in your premises.
- Ensure that your fire alarm and detection system has been properly designed, installed, and commissioned and that it is properly managed and maintained.
- Ensure that you have people designated to take responsibility for the management and maintenance of your fire alarm system.
- Ensure that in the event of your fire alarm operating, the premises is evacuated, where this forms part of the fire strategy for your premises.
- Ensure that your fire alarm procedures include the designation of specific staff to check whether or not there are any signs of a fire, when the fire alarm sounds.
- If any signs of fire are found, ensure that there is a designated member of staff to call the Fire and Rescue Service.
- Ensure that any false alarms are properly recorded in the fire alarm log book, including remedial actions taken to prevent a recurrence.
Should you require any advice regarding these matters you should contact you local fire safety office.
Q. Complaints
A. Where individuals wish to complain about the policy or any aspect of it, the person receiving the complaint should as far as possible try to resolve the issue, making reference to the matters above. Where following this, the individual still wishes to complain they should be asked to put their complaint in writing to the UwFS Co-ordinator at the address above. Details of all complainants resolved or otherwise should be passed to the Fire Safety Administration Officer (Ian Greenhalgh) or in his absence Carol Donohue, so that a return to Corporate Support Group can be collated.