15
F I R E P R O T E C T I O N
Although a fire alarm system may be of a
reliable and state-of- the-art design, neither it
nor its peripheral detection devices can offer
guaranteed protection against fire. Any such
equipment may fail to warn for a variety of rea-
sons:
•
Control panels, communicators, dialers,
smoke detectors, and many other sensing
devices will not work without power. Battery-
operated devices will not work without bat-
teries, with dead batteries, or with
improperly-installed batteries. Devices pow-
ered solely by AC will not work if their power
source is cut off for any reason.
•
Fires often cause a failure of electrical
power. If the system does not contain a
working battery backup power supply, and if
the electrical circuit feeding the devices is
cut or is not providing power for any reason,
the system will not detect heat or smoke or
provide any warning of a possible fire.
•
Telephone lines needed to transmit alarm
signals to a central monitoring station may
be out of service.
•
Smoke detectors, though highly effective
in reducing fire deaths, may not activate or
provide early-enough warning for a variety
of reasons: (a) they may not sense fires
that start where smoke cannot reach them,
such as in chimneys, walls, roofs, behind
closed doors, etc.; (b) they may not sense
a fire on a different level of the residence or
building; (c) they have sensing limitations;
no smoke detector can sense every kind of
fire every time.
•
Thermostatic heat detectors do not al-
ways detect fires because the fire may be
a slow smoldering low-heat type
(producing smoke); because they may not
be near the fire; or because the heat of the
fire may bypass them. These detectors will
not detect oxygen levels, smoke, toxic
gases, or flames. Therefore, they may only
be used as part of a comprehensive fire-
detection system in conjunction with other
devices. Under no circumstances should
thermostatic heat detectors be relied upon
as the sole measure to ensure fire safety.
•
Alarm warning devices such as sirens,
bells, or horns may not alert someone
behind a closed or partially-opened door.
Warning devices located on one level are
less likely to alert those on a different level.
Even those who are awake may not hear
the warning if the alarm is obscured by
noise from a stereo, radio, air conditioner,
or other appliance, or by passing traffic, etc.
Alarm warning devices, however loud, may
fail to warn the hearing impaired.
•
Alarm products, as all electrical devices,
are subject to component failure. Even
though the equipment is designed for many
years of trouble-free performance, elec-
tronic components could fail at any time.
Above are some of the reasons that fire
alarm equipment could fail. The most common
cause of an alarm system not functioning when
a fire occurs is inadequate testing and mainte-
nance. The system should be tested at least
weekly to ensure that all the equipment is work-
ing properly.
While an alarm system may make one
eligible for lower insurance rates, it is not a sub-
stitute for insurance. Homeowners, property
owners, and renters are therefore urged to
maintain adequate insurance coverage of life
and property.
LIMITATIONS OF FIRE ALARM WARNING SYSTEMS
GEM-RP1CAE2.pub
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