Fire alarm monitoring connects a building's fire alarm system to a signal receiving centre that is staffed around the clock. When the system detects a fire, the centre calls the fire department, even if nobody is in the building. It also watches for trouble and supervisory signals that mean part of the system needs attention. Monitoring only works if the connection, the contact list and the signals are kept up to date.
What gets sent
A monitored fire alarm panel reports three main kinds of signal:
| Signal | What it means | Typical response |
|---|---|---|
| Alarm | A detector, pull station or sprinkler flow switch has activated | The centre notifies the fire department, then the building's contacts |
| Supervisory | Something that could stop a fire safety system working, such as a closed sprinkler valve, low air in a dry system or a fire pump problem | The centre notifies building contacts so the condition can be corrected |
| Trouble | A fault in the fire alarm system itself, such as a wiring fault, power loss or low battery | The centre notifies building contacts and often the service contractor |
Some systems also report events such as the panel being put in test mode, or a failure of the communication path itself.
When monitoring is required
The building codes in Alberta, BC and Ontario, based on the National Building Code of Canada, require certain buildings to have the fire alarm system notify the fire department automatically. Requirements depend on the type of occupancy, building height and whether the building is sprinklered. Even where it is not required, many owners choose monitoring because insurers ask for it or because the building is often empty. Check with your designer or fire authority.
The standard
CAN/ULC-S561 sets requirements for fire signal receiving centres and the systems that connect buildings to them, including how signals are transmitted, supervised and handled, and how quickly the centre must respond. Where monitoring is required by code, it generally needs to meet S561, and the monitoring company issues documentation showing the building is connected in compliance. Check the edition referenced by your provincial code.
How the connection works
The panel sends signals through a communicator over one or more paths:
- Telephone lines, using a digital communicator that dials out to the centre. Traditional copper lines are being retired in many areas.
- Cellular communicators that send signals over the mobile network.
- Internet (IP) communicators that use the building's network connection.
- Private radio networks in some areas.
Requirements generally call for the connection to be supervised, so a failed path is detected and reported, and many installations use two different paths so one can back up the other.
Watch out for phone system changes. When a building moves from copper phone lines to VoIP or fibre, a fire alarm communicator that relied on the old line can stop working without anyone noticing. Involve your fire alarm contractor before any telecom change. See moving from landlines to VoIP.
Owner responsibilities
- Keep the emergency contact list with the monitoring company current, with people who will actually answer at night
- Know how to put the system on test with the monitoring company before any testing or work, and how to take it off test afterwards
- Respond promptly to supervisory and trouble signals, and get them fixed
- Make sure monitoring signals are tested during the annual fire alarm inspection
- Keep the monitoring certificate or documentation on file and current
- Tell the monitoring company about building changes, new zones or panel replacements
- Pay attention to communication path failures; they mean the building is not being monitored
Putting the system on test
Most nuisance dispatches during maintenance happen because nobody told the monitoring company. A simple routine prevents them:
- Call before work starts. Give the monitoring company your account details and passcode, say which signals or zones will be affected and for how long.
- Confirm what is on test. Some centres put the whole account on test, others only certain signals. Know which, because a real fire elsewhere in the building still needs a response.
- Arrange cover. If the work leaves part of the building unprotected or unmonitored, put a fire watch in place as your fire safety plan requires.
- Call when finished. Restore the panel to normal, confirm no troubles remain, and ask the centre to take the account off test and confirm the last signals received.
- Record it. Note the times, the operator's name or reference and any problems in the fire alarm log.
A typical case
A small office building switches its phone service from copper lines to a VoIP provider over a weekend. The fire alarm communicator had been dialling out over one of the old lines. On Monday the panel shows a communication trouble, which the property manager assumes is related to the phone work and will clear on its own. It does not, and for several weeks the building is not monitored at all.
The problem only surfaces at the annual inspection, when the technician cannot get a test signal to the centre. The fix was a cellular communicator, which removed the dependence on the building's phone system. The broader lesson: any trouble signal on the panel means something in the fire protection chain is not working, and a communication trouble means the fire department will not be called.
Keeping the contact list useful
- At least two or three contacts, so someone always answers
- People who can actually get to the building and let firefighters or technicians in
- Mobile numbers that are answered at night and on weekends
- Reviewed whenever staff change, and at least once a year
- The fire alarm service contractor's after-hours number on file with the centre
Nuisance and false alarms
False alarms tie up fire crews, and many municipalities charge owners for repeat false alarms. Common causes include dust from construction, cooking smoke, steam from showers, detectors in the wrong place and testing without notifying the monitoring company. Fixes include protecting detectors during work, using the right detector type for the space and having a clear procedure for putting the system on test. Never disable devices to stop false alarms.
Testing monitoring
During the annual inspection under CAN/ULC-S536, technicians confirm that alarm, supervisory and trouble signals reach the receiving centre and are correctly identified. Ask for this in the scope of work, and check that the report confirms it. See fire alarm system inspections. For sprinkler signals in particular, see sprinkler system inspections.
How ehZee can help
Through our fire inspections, verification and monitoring service, we help owners review monitoring arrangements, records and signal testing, plan around telecom changes and coordinate the monitoring company and fire alarm contractor so the building stays connected.
Common questions
Does a monitored alarm mean we do not need a fire safety plan?
No. Monitoring calls the fire department, but occupants still need to evacuate and staff still need to know their roles. Fire safety plans are required separately in many buildings.
How do we know monitoring is working?
Check that the panel shows no communication troubles, that the annual test confirmed signals reached the centre and that the monitoring company's records match your building. Ask the company for a signal history if you have doubts.
What should we do when the panel shows a communication trouble?
Treat it as urgent. It may mean the building is not being monitored. Call your fire alarm contractor and the monitoring company, and follow your fire safety plan for interim measures until it is fixed.