Fire Alarm Activations: Thoughts on Fixing Systems That Cry Wolf

VOLUNTEERS CORNER ❘ By JERRY KNAPP

How many more false alarms can the volunteer fire service endure? False alarms are killing morale and reducing the number of your members responding to all other alarms. False automatic and telephone alarms continue to create huge problems for volunteers across the country. We need to fix this problem soon or it will drive us out of business.

Ignoring it and passing this huge problem on to our successors is not the right thing to do. Leaders leave the organization better than they found it. It is time to act with good leadership and fix this problem.

This article will define the problem and provide some solutions that may be useful to you, your department, and your authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) to reduce false alarms. It will also provide a lot of questions to help you brainstorm creative solutions.

Defining the Problem

As we all know, the problem is much bigger than a simple false alarm. Sure, false alarms are going to happen. That comes with the territory. But a secondary and more lasting (and devastating) effect on your department is that your members are not coming out to these nuisance alarms. Our officers’ battle cry—and rightfully so—is: “You should turn out for these; it could be a real fire!” But the reality is more like the old fable: How many times can you fall for it when someone cries wolf?

That is exactly the point! When you roll up to a working fire that came in as an auto alarm with only one rig and two firefighters, that’s a real problem! It is a firefighter safety problem and a fireground efficiency problem. It puts you and your members in a very dangerous situation, not to mention those who need life-saving rescue or their home or business saved. For many departments, this is a recurring problem for which we must provide a solution.

Assessing Solutions

Many volunteer departments that can’t get out for automatic alarms put a bandage on this severed artery and use automatic mutual aid, but that’s not the solution. Now, instead of burning out one department with a false alarm, we are burning out two or three. Is this good leadership or just passing the buck? Automatic mutual aid for automatic alarms simply ignores the problem and places your excessive burden on other departments. This approach literally drags other departments into an increasing management, recruiting, and retention mud hole. Is the mutual-aid bandage a fix when you really need a tourniquet? Absolutely not. So let’s look for real solutions.

The first step in resolving any problem is to clearly define its parts. So let’s take a deep dive into the specifics of false alarms and consider some solutions that may work for you.

1. Steam from a shower in a residence.

Per code, a smoke detector is usually located between the bedrooms, on the hallway ceiling. This often places it just outside the bathroom. A homeowner takes a shower and opens the door. The smoke head senses steam and sends us out on a false alarm.

What do we do? We respond. We check it out. And then we go back to quarters. Next? We get ready to do it again. We need to fix this problem—not ignore it until it happens again.

Can we change the code to require the homeowner to have the bathroom fan connected to the light switch, so the steam gets exhausted and does not trip the smoke head? Can we push for a head that does not react to steam? Get ready for the excuses. Many will say, “Oh no, smoke detectors can’t do that.”

Really? Technology today is pretty impressive. American pilots are flying a helicopter that’s exploring Mars as you read this. Have you asked the manufacturers? Have you brought this up to your AHJ?

2. Workers in the building.

Yup, we have all been here as well—too many times. Contractors or homeowners are sweeping, sanding gypsum board, or cutting concrete. This creates dust, which sets off the head. Yes, the craftsperson is supposed to cover the heads. But when that doesn’t happen, how can we fix this common cause of false alarms?

Can fire inspectors or the building inspectors train craftspeople to prevent false alarms or maybe just remind them before the building permit gets issued or during inspections during the time the work is being done? Can we require the workers to post a false-alarm-prevention checklist next to the building permit, in the window of the occupancy being repaired?

This could be a good, free reminder for any supervisor and employees. Can your local AHJ require the fire inspector to train the craftspeople before they get a license to work in your area? After three false alarms, how about a fine? Maybe 40 hours of community service at your firehouse to perform repairs or clean the space or the rigs would get the message across. Time is money to contractors and time in your firehouse will give them a clear view of how false alarms they’ve caused affect everyone—and everything.

3. Smoking in the bathroom.

The smoke head sounds the alarm while the occupant is performing a vital body function and enjoying a cigarette. It astounds me that there is a smoke head in the bathroom. From a fire protection perspective, is there really a life safety hazard in a small bathroom? Death by defecating is not a line-of-duty-death cause, but apparatus accidents going to false alarms are. A better solution is to install a heat-activated head.

4. Smoke from cooking.

Here we go again. Does anyone think this won’t happen—again? Imagine that you’ve just landed from Mars, and you notice this problem. You ask, “Why is the smoke detector so close to the common smoke source and why is it so sensitive to very light smoke from cooking that it creates a false alarm? Could there be a less sensitive head that would not cause a false alarm?”

Could we have a head the owner could shut off for a few minutes at a time, so burned toast does not cause three engines, a truck, rescue, and two chiefs to respond Code 3, creating a greater hazard than any blackened toast? When you run a kid over screaming through the neighborhood, all for burned toast, you will be looking for solutions, as well as your AHJ’s bank book and maybe jail time. Some things we, as a fire service, do are simply in need of a review.

5. Trusting a reliable source to tone down your response.

An automatic alarm comes in. The police department arrives, investigates, and reports through dispatch that there’s no fire. Would it make more sense to respond more cautiously, without lights and sirens, when you receive this report? Or how about sending only a limited response, like an engine and one chief? What’s your plan if the homeowner calls the alarm company and says it is a false alarm? Do you trust them and slow down or claim you must drive Code 3 to check it no matter what?

Why do we always believe occupants when they say there is someone inside and we put footprints up everyone’s back trying make a grab? Statistics show that 75% of the time this is false information. Why don’t we believe them when they say there is no fire? I don’t think a homeowner will be shy if there is a fire in his house.

Consider this: It is no secret the Monday-morning-quarterbacking, bloodsucking lawyers will ask these questions of you when you are on the witness stand if one of your rigs injured someone—maybe even one of your own members—en route to a false alarm. Clearly, we need to respond to emergencies in emergency mode. We need to analyze the numbers and tailor each response to the appropriate threat level. We need to be smart. We are the bravest but not always the brightest. That needs to change, especially when we’re considering false alarms.

6. Homeowner was changing the batteries.

A homeowner is doing the right thing by maintaining the system. Good for him. How about we put some guidance on the detector cover such as, “Before removing this detector, call alarm company”? The alarm company can guide the homeowner to prevent a false alarm. Will this solve all the problems? No. But it may help reduce false alarms.

Educate the Homeowner

Getting the right information in front of homeowners—and getting them to read it—is no small feat. Still, it can be done. Here are a few possible ways to get the message in front of them:

Work with alarm companies so they include flyers in annual or monthly bills describing how to limit false alarms.
Educate homeowners during fire prevention week and related events.
Spread the word during fund drives and events like chicken dinners.
Release a public service announcement.

Fire-Resistive Buildings

Let’s say you have a new code-compliant hospital or nursing home in your first-due area that’s causing numerous false alarms. It is fully sprinkled, uses compartmentation to limit spread of smoke and fire, has staff awake 24 hours a day, and has a security force on duty.

Look into what is causing the false alarms. Is it smoking in bathrooms? Maintenance operations?

Can you implement a short delay, say 120 seconds, to give the guard force time to abort the alarm if it turns out to be a nuisance alarm? We know sprinklers are 99% effective at fire suppression, so an actual fire will not likely be the towering inferno. Of course, water flows, kitchen fire suppression operations, and human 911 calls will have an immediate transmission of the alarm.

Assigned Shifts

Many volunteer departments are still operating on what is essentially a colonial-era model. When the alarm sounds, all members grab their leather buckets and run to the fire scene or to the station to get the hand pumper. Clearly, in the 21st century, this model is not working in many volunteer departments.

Some forward-thinking leaders have very successfully initiated assigned riding shifts. This is pretty simple and an effective fix. Members can sign up to ride (be available and agree to respond to all alarms, even the automatics and telephone alarms) for specific day/time periods.

For example, say one of your members is off from his career job on Mondays and Tuesdays. He could sign up for Tuesday 0700-1900 hours. This meets the membership requirement and he does not have to respond to every alarm on other days.

Could a college student help out while home on academic breaks? Of course, if the tones come in, he can respond to every alarm if time allows. If you staff your rig with a minimum number of “assigned crew members,” it guarantees your members will not show up to a working fire with only a driver and an officer.

Second Assistant Chief Jon Barrett from the Cicero (NY) Fire Department has been very successful with this program. When designing a new station, the department built in bunk rooms for members who want to ride overnight. For young members, this has been a place to meet; cooperatively train; and, most importantly, staff the rigs.

Cross Staffing

Many volunteers work in different fire districts than they live in. Consider accepting these fully trained members into your department for alarms. With employers’ consent and a little common sense, these members can help staff your rigs—especially during the daytime hours, usually the leanest for volunteers.

Also consider what the Catskill (NY) Fire Department is doing under the leadership of Assistant Chief Ed Dolan. Catskill allows members from adjacent departments to staff Catskill apparatus if they are available. Of course, a common training level must be agreed on, and cross-riding members must attend a minimum number of drills to become familiar with Catskill’s equipment, procedures, etc.

Rockland County (NY) is considering a very creative solution. It is called a townwide engine and it’s the brainchild of Deputy Fire Coordinator Tom McKiernan. There are five towns in the county, each with several volunteer departments. On a rotating basis, one department will fully staff an engine from 0700-1900 hours, on weekdays. This engine will respond to all alarms with a properly trained crew, townwide. Obviously, this engine will go first due to other departments’ alarms, along with that department’s apparatus. The concept here is that at least one fully staffed engine will respond to all alarms. This is a much better option than hoping your volunteer department can get a rig out when, historically, staffing has been an issue.

We know there are unlimited possible causes for false alarms. We need to focus on reducing the most common types of false alarms. We are equally aware of their disastrous effect on the quality and timeliness of our responses and, in fact, our entire department. Inadequate staffing and delayed responses reflect poorly on us as leaders. These issues also cause local municipalities, commissioners, and the public we serve to consider other options for providing fire protection to our communities.

JERRY KNAPP is the chief of the Rockland County (NY) Hazmat Team, has a degree in fire protection, is a 48-year veteran firefighter/emergency medical technician (EMT) with the West Haverstraw (NY) Fire Department, and is a former paramedic. He served on the technical panel for the UL residential fire attack study. Knapp is the coauthor of two Fire Engineering books: House Fires and Tactical Response to Explosive Gas Emergencies. He is the author of numerous feature articles in Fire Engineering and state, national, and international fire service trade journals. He is also the author of the Fire Attack chapter in Fire Engineering’s Handbook for Firefighter I and II. He retired from the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, where he served as the plans and operations specialist at the Directorate of Emergency Services.