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Hi everyone, this is an excellent site, thank you. I wonder if anyone can answer this query? We live in a strata block of six, with two separate entrances (four units at the front, and two at the back). Every unit has smoke detectors/sprinkler systems in each room. We also have a fire panel in the front common foyer, operated by FireSafe. Whenever the alarm goes off – due to very sensitive smoke detectors – the fire panel has to be re-set at the cost of a couple of hundred dollars to the body corporate. When the alarm goes off it’s up to the residents to ring the fire brigade if there is a real fire – and to also press “isolate” on the fire panel to stop the alarm. The fire panel seems to have no real use other than to cost us money to have reset on the numerous occasions throughout the year when someone burns their toast. If the fire panel is not eventually reset it emits a never-ending high-pitched beep… Is it necessary to have this fire panel? I hope someone can shed some light on the situation. Fingers’ crossed – and thank you in anticipation.
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We have a similar arrangement in our building. There are water sprinklers in every room, hard-wired smoke detectors in each apartment and smoke detectors in the common areas (except the car park). But only the common area smoke detectors are connected to the building’s fire panel. Your system might be different – some systems might also connect all internal apartment smoke detectors to the fire panel. If that’s the case, there will be false fire alarms quite often.
The answer to your question is: if the equipment was part of your occupancy permit (or equivalent) is has to be maintained. That’s not to say that adjustments can’t be made – eg replacing smoke detectors with newer ones that are not as prone to false alarms. Detectors need replacing periodically anyway. The whole system could also be redesigned. In Victoria, if you do that, a building permit is needed to ensure that the new design meets current standards. Your fire equipment service company should be able to advise further.
In our system, like yours, a fire panel alarm itself will not automatically call the fire brigade. That happens if a water sprinkler goes off. So we have placed instructions, at the fire panel itself, on how to correctly attend false alarms. These instructions are directly from the fire panel’s manufacturer. No call-outs are then needed. All residents are told where the fire panel is located and are warned not to ventilate their apartments, after a smoky cooking incident, into the common areas of the building. As part of our occupancy permit, we have a service agreement, where the fire panel is professionally inspected/checked weekly.
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