Fire Response Systems

When a fire occurs, any delay in a response from municipal fire services can be costly – or, in the worst-case scenario, deadly. Typically, fire services are made aware of a fire occurring in a residence or business through a 911 call. This mechanism has obvious limitations. If the property is not actively monitored (i.e. someone is not currently present there), the fire may go undetected until it grows serious enough for an onlooker to notice it. Furthermore, even if someone is present in the property, if they are rendered unable to contact 911 through smoke inhalation or injury, they could very well be unable to seek out assistance.

Applications and Solutions: Active Fire Monitoring

Direct fire monitoring allows municipal fire services to be informed of fire alarms almost immediately after they activate, forgoing the need for fire services to be manually informed of potentially dangerous fires, decreasing response times.

Technologies

Direct Monitoring – Uses a central control panel networked to a property’s fire alarms to send a signal directly to fire services dispatch when an alarm activates. May be used in any property that has a phone line or internet connection for a small monthly fee.

Centralized Direct Monitoring Services – Utilizes the same technology as direct monitoring but has a fire alarm send a signal to a central monitoring service as opposed to the fire department. This monitoring service then contacts fire services. Equipment may include a phone panel so that an operator may call and ask if there has been a false alarm

Intelligent Fire Detection – Uses conventional smoke and CO2 sensors fitted with microprocessors. These detectors compare data to historical models and ignore signal patters atypical of fires to determine whether to activate a fire alarm and reduce false positives.

Smart Alarm Systems – Make use of “smart” smoke/CO2 alarms or conventional alarms fitted with a “smart” battery. The smart alarm then is connected to a mobile app that provides low battery alerts and gives additional information when the alarm activates, such as whether the alarm was activated by smoke or CO2, where the alarm that was activated is located, and/or the severity of the smoke.

Automatic Sprinkler Systems – Employs sprinklers that contain a small glass bulb filled with liquid. When heat causes the liquid to expand and break the bulb, the sprinkler automatically triggers and suppresses the fire. Different types of sprinkler systems exist that may be used in both indoor and outdoor applications.

Direct Monitoring with Sprinkler Systems – Combines direct monitoring technology with sprinkler systems that are remotely activated as opposed to being triggered by excessive heat. This allows the sprinkler to be used before significant fire damage occurs.

Real-time road navigation – Navigation system apps use real-time data on traffic conditions to show congestion areas and best routes for drivers. These systems can crowdsource data, such as the Waze navigation app, in which users provide data on accidents, street damage, congestion, and road blocks which will allow the app to reroute drivers to the fastest route possible.

Radio Frequency (RF) Transmitters and Receivers – A RF can detect the sound frequency of emergency vehicle sirens within a particular range and send signals to traffic lights’ microcontroller to prioritize traffic flow.

Managing Liability Issues

Reliability and Cost

Issues.

⚠️ Since Direct Monitoring relies on phone lines and/or an internet connection, it can potentially prove ineffective in situations where these services are rendered inoperative (i.e. due to service outage or fire damage). False positives could also potentially prove problematic. Furthermore, the cost of the service may prove prohibited to lower income individuals and families who are just as at risk as others.

Managing Issues.

✅ Be redundant when possible. Direct monitoring systems can be designed to default to the internet or phone line if the other is unavailable. Other systems should be inclusive of other types of fire alarms – for example, smart alarms may be integrated into automated home systems to blink the lights when a fire occurs.

✅ Institute short delays. A 30 second delay between an alarm activating and the signal being sent to fire services could allow for an alarm to be cancelled, addressing false alarms.

✅ Don’t institute penalties. Unless false alarms become an exceedingly costly problem, fire services should not charge for false alarms that result in an unneeded service call.

✅ Distribute costs. If made mandatory, the cost of the service could potentially be distributed evenly across the municipality through mechanisms like property taxes or utilities.

✅ Continue community education. While direct monitoring is safer than traditional fire monitoring, it is not a replacement for good fire safety practices. Continuing to educate the community fosters engagement and would help stop fires before they start.

Privacy

Issues.

⚠️ Any form of surveillance could potentially prove invasive if it is always active. Direct monitoring outfitted with a way for the central monitor – whether that is a service or the fire department – to communicate with someone present in the property could potentially allow for unauthorized surveillance. Essentially, if there is a microphone, there is the possibility that someone is listening.

Managing Issues.

✅ Only enable communication when absolutely necessary. Systems should be configured to only allow someone to “listen in” when an alarm has been activated.

✅ Don’t allow for communication at all. Delay windows between when a signal is received and when fire services are dispatched could allow for something like a false alarm button to be pressed.

✅ Don’t store any data. If it is necessary for a microphone to always be listening (i.e. if it uses voice activated commands), then no audio is receives should ever be stored to avoid identifying individuals.

✅ Follow good privacy practices.