Burglar Alarms vs. Fire Alarms

[v85 212]

I have always wondered this: How come a burglary alarm with no confirmation gets a non-emergency response (at least in my area), yet a fire alarm with no confirmation gets an emergency response?

Is there a difference in the false alarm rate?

[TR54 239]

I also have thought of that !

It seems because of Life safety. While a Fire alarm alerts occupants to leave the building , often in a fast moving fire traps them. Burglar alarms - as opposed to Panic alarms are designed to scare off criminals. Just my opinion. I see your point.

[Guest alsfirefighter]

I also have thought of that !

It seems because of Life safety. While a Fire alarm alerts occupants to leave the building , often in a fast moving fire traps them. Burglar alarms - as opposed to Panic alarms are designed to scare off criminals. Just my opinion. I see your point.

LOL. Good question grasshopper!! There is little to no difference in percentages that I know of between activations and actual fire or perp entry.

I am a huge advocate of requiring departments to have policies for hot/cold responses and AFA's are big on my list. We are only suppose to use lights and sirens and the other exemptions granted in VTL 1104 when responding to a TRUE EMERGENCY. AFA's I'm willing to bet have less then a 1% rate of actual activation due to active fire. Is there a high probability that actions taken during response will make a difference there?

[Guest Chiefmcfuz]

Truth be told most cops take their time responding to alarms like this for certain reasons. A "Non-emergency" response is what you can call it but it can also be called good tactics. If when responding to a burglar alarm activation you approach with lights and sirens screaming you give yourself away. If there is a perp in the building then you either chased him off or let him get setup for your arrival. Most of the time they run away, but sometimes they dig in and wait for you fearing they have no other option. Taking your time responding quietly and utilizing proper tactics can save your life when responding to alarms of this nature. To be honest at work I rarely turn my lights on unless it is a carstop or a cop calling for help on the radio.

With the above being said I have had 3 structure fires as a chief officer with the fire dept come in as auto alarms (that I have been IC for). I think departments need to have a policy on the first due unit responding lights and sirens and all other units responding proceed in non emergency mode until returned to qtrs or kicked into emergency response as per the first unit on scene's size up. But that is up to every department do decide on their own.

Edited March 18, 2009 by Chiefmcfuz

[ONEEYEDMIC 68]

Truth be told most cops take their time responding to alarms like this for certain reasons. A "Non-emergency" response is what you can call it but it can also be called good tactics. If when responding to a burglar alarm activation you approach with lights and sirens screaming you give yourself away. If there is a perp in the building then you either chased him off or let him get setup for your arrival. Most of the time they run away, but sometimes they dig in and wait for you fearing they have no other option. Taking your time responding quietly and utilizing proper tactics can save your life when responding to alarms of this nature. To be honest at work I rarely turn my lights on unless it is a carstop or a cop calling for help on the radio.

With the above being said I have had 3 structure fires as a chief officer with the fire dept come in as auto alarms (that I have been IC for). I think departments need to have a policy on the first due unit responding lights and sirens and all other units responding proceed in non emergency mode until returned to qtrs or kicked into emergency response as per the first unit on scene's size up. But that is up to every department do decide on their own.

Well said!

[SageVigiles 1,194]

ChiefMcFuz, I was about to say the same thing about priority responses to burglar alarms. Tactically, its just not a great idea. I'd also tend to agree to the comment about AFAs. First due goes Priority 1, everyone else slow it down unless there is something that would lead dispatch or an officer en route to believe there is a chance of active fire.

To complicate things, what does everyone think about CO alarms?

[Guest Chiefmcfuz]

CO alarms with symptoms 100% priority response in my opinion for both ems and fire due to the life loss/injury that is possible. No symptoms in my opinion first due goes lights and sirens and everyone else goes dark. In 2003 when I took office as chief of dept, I instituted a policy with my dept that under no circumstances was anyone to use lights (Red or blue) or sirens when responding to a standby. I got arguments that if the lights weren't on we were not covered by insurance which I immediately proved wrong.

The definition of a true emergency is important and responding to sit in someone else s firehouse was not a true emergency, however if while responding to that standby we were called to the scene it was very easy to flip the master and respond in emergency mode. Again it is up to the individual departments to make these policies. It would be prudent for them to take every category of alarm and classify them as "Emergency Response" or "Non-Emergency Response" before something tragically happens.

Take into consideration this scenario, you as an officer get on scene and find nothing showing and it is a typical false automatic fire alarm, you slow everything down that is responding technically there is no more true emergency and therefore response should be in a non-emergency mode, if you were to get on scene and find nothing but fail to slow everyone down and something bad happens what are the consequences? When the possibility of life loss/injury/property damage is ruled to be nothing then the emergency is over in my opinion. The days of "The king can do no wrong" ended a long time ago, in today's day and age we all need to be thinking about what is more important, our lively hoods or responding to an automatic alarm lights and sirens to impress the local townspeople.

[Guest]

I too agree with first unit in goes in L&S, and all the rest non-emergency if anything else is coming. As for CO alarms, both departments I run consider non-symptomatic CO alarms to be service calls. The chances of CO building up in a structure to a flammable level are extremely rare, and as long as all occupants are out of the building, there is no risk for exposure, therefore making it not a 'true emergency.' Symptomatic CO alarms, however, should be L&S, as this is a true emergency.

[jack10562 414]

A couple of CO factoids: Fatal CO poisoning occurs long before reaching the flammability/lower explosive limit

LEL of 12.5%= (125,000 PPM) of CO gas in air.

0.32 % =(3200PPM) is fatal for humans in 30 minutes, 1.28% =(12,800 PPM) is fatal in 3 minutes.

[Guest Chiefmcfuz]

Again as I stated this was in my opinion and only my opinion it is up to departments and agencies to determine how to respond to these types of jobs.

[Guest alsfirefighter]

CO alarms with symptoms 100% priority response in my opinion for both ems and fire due to the life loss/injury that is possible. No symptoms in my opinion first due goes lights and sirens and everyone else goes dark. In 2003 when I took office as chief of dept, I instituted a policy with my dept that under no circumstances was anyone to use lights (Red or blue) or sirens when responding to a standby. I got arguments that if the lights weren't on we were not covered by insurance which I immediately proved wrong.

The definition of a true emergency is important and responding to sit in someone else s firehouse was not a true emergency, however if while responding to that standby we were called to the scene it was very easy to flip the master and respond in emergency mode. Again it is up to the individual departments to make these policies. It would be prudent for them to take every category of alarm and classify them as "Emergency Response" or "Non-Emergency Response" before something tragically happens.

Take into consideration this scenario, you as an officer get on scene and find nothing showing and it is a typical false automatic fire alarm, you slow everything down that is responding technically there is no more true emergency and therefore response should be in a non-emergency mode, if you were to get on scene and find nothing but fail to slow everyone down and something bad happens what are the consequences? When the possibility of life loss/injury/property damage is ruled to be nothing then the emergency is over in my opinion. The days of "The king can do no wrong" ended a long time ago, in today's day and age we all need to be thinking about what is more important, our lively hoods or responding to an automatic alarm lights and sirens to impress the local townspeople.

CO calls...symptoms understandable for the L & S argument. No symptoms...no need to rush or the risk...I think the house will survive. An esteemed colleague of mine also makes the excellent point about inside gas calls. Why do we hurry to get there...only to wait for the utility company? Saving seconds for something that will take minutes if not an hour.