Analysis of the Problem of False Fire Alarms Generated by Fire Alarm Systems in Poland and Other Selected Countries

Aim: The aim of this article is to discuss the issue of false fire alarms by presenting the most common causes of their occurrence and statistical data, along with the presentation of selected regulatory issues. The article also addresses the issue of minimizing false alarms and the means by which this can be accomplished. Introduction: Due to the fact that triggered fire alarms from fire alarm systems (SSP) initiate a number of triggers of fire protection equipment and can lead to the initiation of fire department actions, it is extremely important to correctly identify the report and confirm its authenticity. However, analysing the statistically available data, it should be noted that unfortunately – despite a number of security methods – false alarms still account for a large percentage of identified calls. This article presents selected false alarm issues from Poland and other countries, such as the United States of America, Germany, Denmark, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Austria. Special attention was paid to statistics on the occurrence of false alarms, formal and legal regulations, causes of false alarms, and used detection elements, including their susceptibility to false reports, along with the methods to reduce them. Methodology: The article uses the results of the authors’ own analysis of the study, made on the basis of the available statistical data from incidents that have occurred, and technical and engineering knowledge of the components of fire alarm system. Conclusions: Analysing the available statistical data, it can be observed that the problem of false alarms is not disappearing. On the contrary – in many countries over the years it is increasing. An increasing percentage of reports from detection systems are false alarms. In addition, considering the available legal regulations, it can be observed that regulations related to false alarms currently focus only on regulating penalties for false alarm reports. Only in a few cases do they concern any other provisions. Nowadays, there are various available methods to protect installations from the occurrence of false alarms, but in order to use them correctly, it is essential that they are properly designed and installed by people with knowledge and experience in this area. Thus, according to the authors, it is reasonable to conclude that the basic requirement for these systems in terms of false fire alarms should be to provide opportunities for obtaining appropriate qualifications and competence among designers, installers and maintainers of SSP systems alike. Keywords: fire alarm system, fire alarms, false alarm, fire detectors