False fire alarms are more than a minor irritation; they quickly cause distrust in the fire alarm system. This could result in staff ignoring a real fire alert.
Steam and Cooking Fumes
The most common cause of fire alarms triggering in commercial properties with kitchens or canteens are smoke detectors being installed too close to the cooking areas. The detectors are designed to pick up particles in the air and these often get triggered off by the steam from cooking and food smells. This can cause the detector to trigger repeatedly and can be very annoying. In these situations it is far better to install a heat detector, ideally fitted within 3 meters of the commercial kitchen. These types of detectors are far better for detecting fires as they pick up rise in temperature rather than particles in the air. This means that normal cooking will not trigger off the heat detector.
Dust in Detector Heads
The Optical Smoke Detectors can get clogged up with dust in the detector head, this can activate the detector and cause a false alarm. All Optical Smoke Detectors should be cleaned and inspected by a competent person on an annual basis, a quick vacuum around the head of the detector is not enough, the internal chamber needs to be cleaned properly.
Poor Detector Placement
Detectors sited above air handling units, or in locations where there is frequent indoor movement of vehicles can activate due to the air flow or particulates in the air and not as a result of a fire. By relocating a few of the recommended detector positions as laid down in BS 5839-1, it is likely that false alarms will be significantly reduced.
Ageing or Low-Quality Equipment
- over 10 years old, especially those of poor quality will also start to give false alarms as the sensors degrade.
Fire Alarms Milton Keynes is covered in more detail at https://isefireproducts.co.uk/fire-alarm-systems/milton-keynes.
Inadequate Staff Awareness
False alarms caused by staff in error or fire doors being propped open can be reduced by ensuring that all staff are familiar with the locations of the manual call points and by following the government guidance on reducing false fire alarm activations and implementing a simple management plan.
A well-designed and well-maintained fire alarm system with an informed workforce is one that experiences few false alarms.