KEN KIRSCHENBAUM, ESQ ALARM - SECURITY INDUSTRY LEGAL EMAIL NEWSLETTER / THE ALARM EXCHANGE You can read all of our articles on our website. Having trouble getting our emails? Change your spam controls and whitelist ken@kirschenbaumesq.com ****************************** Are there standards for cs timing for responding to residential fire alarm August 30, 2024 ************************ Are there standards for central station timing for responding to residential fire alarm *********************** Ken I have a question I would like for you, or your community to weigh in on. When it comes to residential fire systems there are no documented standards on what actions to take when receiving a fire alarm at a central station. Historical common practice has always been to verify the alarm at the premise, and then dispatch the fire department if there was no answer or if the customer confirms that it is an actual fire. In today’s world where home phone lines are going away faster than can be reasonably tracked, there is no longer confidence that the person you are calling is truly on site. So here are my questions: If a central station receives a RESIDENTIAL fire alarm: 1. Does the dispatcher verify at the premise prior to dispatching the fire department? 2. If the dispatcher verifies the alarm prior to dispatching the FD, do they confirm that the person is on sight? 3. Do they require a password to cancel the alarm, or do they accept any positive response? One of my concerns is that if a dispatcher speaks with someone offsite and they request that the FD not be dispatched, and there is an actual fire at the site, what are the liabilities of the central station or alarm Company for not dispatching the FD. Is there an obligation to confirm the person they are speaking with is both authorized to make that judgment call (password confirmation) and that they are in a position(on site) to truly make the decision? With commercial fire, we are backed up by NFPA 72 in how we treat these alarms, with residential, there is no standard to build a case on. Surely you have come up against this issue, right? I appreciate your assistance in this matter. Best, Robert Few Managing Partner – The Connection Xchange (201) 838-0091 robert.few@tcx.email www.theconnectionxchange.com ********************** Response ********************** Interesting question best answered by the fire alarm experts and the central stations. I am not sure that the question presents the facts accurately [it might]. Yes commercial fire alarms have standards in NFPA [again, best identified and specified by others, not me]. I don’t know about residential fire alarms. There are other NRTL besides NFPA and others may weigh in on the issue, like UL or ETL. For sure, at least hopefully, every central station has protocols for responding to residential fire alarms. By the way, I doubt that verification is one of those protocols. Seems to me that a fire alarm would be responded by dispatch and then perhaps verification by ECV [electronic call verification – fancy way of saying a telephone call]. One item of interest is that the Residential All in One does offer the subscriber to opportunity to request a written response guide which is to be supplied by the central station. That should be available, and every alarm dealer should know its central station's policy on all alarm responses and should communicate those policies to the subscribers. How about we hear from fire alarm experts and central stations for a response. Thanks in advance. ********************* K&K Holiday Party - Save the date: December 12, 2024 ******************** STANDARD FORMS Alarm / Security / Fire and related Agreements click here: www.alarmcontracts.com *************************** CONCIERGE LAWYER SERVICE PROGRAM FOR THE ALARM INDUSTRY - You can check out the program and sign up here: https://www.kirschenbaumesq.com/page/concierge or contact our Program Coordinator Stacy Spector, Esq at 516 747 6700 x 304. *********************** ALARM ARTICLES: You can always read our Articles on our website at ww.kirschenbaumesq.com/page/alarm-articles updated daily ******************** THE ALARM EXCHANGE - the alarm industries leading classified and business exchange - updated daily ************************* Wondering how much your alarm company is worth? Click here: https://www.kirschenbaumesq.com/page/what-is-my-alarm-company-worth ****************************** Getting on our Email List / Email Articles archived: Many of you are forwarding these emails to friends or asking that others be added to the list. Sign up for our daily newsletter here: Sign Up. You can read articles and order alarm contracts on our web site www.alarmcontracts.com ************************** Ken Kirschenbaum,Esq Kirschenbaum & Kirschenbaum PC Attorneys at Law 200 Garden City Plaza Garden City, NY 11530 516 747 6700 x 301 ken@kirschenbaumesq.com www.KirschenbaumEsq.com
