Disruptive False Fire Alarms?
Sponsored by:
FIRE LIFE SAFETY &
Universal Stopper® Prevents False Alarms
Helps protect against false fire alarms, vandalism and damage
Internal horn sounds when cover is lifted drawing attention in a hurry
Super tough polycarbonate
Indoor/outdoor (includes gasket)
Reduced Response Times Through Enhanced Monitoring
OPEN ACCESS™ was developed by Fire Monitoring Technologies International Inc. (FMTI) with the idea that fire cannot be mitigated without a call, and any delay in the notification of fire departments in the event of a fire can potentially be costly in terms of damage, injury and potentially death. Understanding the difficulties faced by both ULC monitoring companies and fire department dispatch centres, FMTI looked to develop a technology to streamline the dispatching process, while adhering to all applicable codes and standards. OPEN ACCCES™ does just this.
OPEN ACCESS™ is a proven, revolutionary technology which electronically and automatically retransmits fire alarm signals from ULC-listed Signals Receiving Centres to participating fire department dispatch centres. Pre-verified data is delivered to the participating fire departments directly into their Computer Aided Dispatch system, ensuring 100% accuracy with every alarm, and the process happens automatically – no Signals Receiving Centre operator intervention is required. Only alarms which are valid (i.e.: systems which are not “on test”) are retransmitted to the fire department, so there is no possibility of increase false alarms with use of the product.
Available in communities throughout Ontario, OPEN ACCESS™ has been independently proven to reduce fire department response times by 114.7 seconds, which is a significant decrease when you consider that fire doubles in size every minute after the first few minutes. This means a significantly decreased potential for damage to property, injury and loss of life during and actual fire event because the fire department arrives to the site sooner. OPEN ACCESS™ also significantly reduces the possibility for human error in the dispatching process, as all data is pre-verified prior to going “online” with the participating fire department.
OPEN ACCESS™ also doesn’t eliminate the need for a ULC-listed Signals Receiving Centre, as the Signals Receiving
Centre is still responsible for reporting all other alarms as required, and does provide a back-up call to confirm receipt of the electronic signal (versus a report of the alarm).
OPEN ACCESS™ partners with major ULC-listed monitoring stations, and is fully compliant with CAN/ULC-S561, the standard for fire alarm monitoring in Canada. As all alarm retransmission to participating fire departments happens within the Signals Receiving Centre, OPEN ACCESS™ service requires no special hardware in the customer’s premise. The equipment you are used to working with is fully compatible, and there is no capital investment required by the customer in order to activate the service. Even older legacy equipment can work with the OPEN ACCESS™ service. Electronic reporting of alarms to Fire Departments through OPEN ACCESS™ is one more way for security integrators who provide ULC-level fire alarm monitoring to increase their RMR without asking their customers for any capital expenditures, while providing an improved ULC fire alarm monitoring service.
For more information on the OPEN ACCESS™ service, the communities it is available in, or any other question or concern, contact your ULC monitoring provider, or contact OPEN ACCESS™ directly at 877-684-8970 or info@openaccess.ca.
Fire Monitoring Technologies International Inc.
235 Martindale Rd.
St. Catharines ON L2W 1A5
T: 1-877-684-8970
www.openaccess.ca
OPEN ACCESSTM is a revolutionary technology that works with ULC-Listed monitoring companies, and approved data providers to re-transmit incident information to the appropriate partner PSAPs to aid and expedite the dispatch of emergency response providers.
Example data types include:
• Fire Alarm Signals
• Crash Notifications
• Hazardous Materials Information
• Emergency Weather Notifications
The use of OPEN ACCESSTM technology has been independently proven to save up to two minutes in fire department response time.
For more information visit our website: www.openaccess.ca, contact us toll-free at 1-877-684-8970 or via email at oainfo@openaccess.ca
6 Reasons to Reduce False Fire Alarms
False fire alarms continue to be a problem for the fire service, businesses, and the public. Most buildings often indicate false fire alarms are among their biggest fire safety challenges.
U.S. fire departments responded to 2,238,000 false fire alarms in 2012 (National Fire Protection Association, 2013). In 2009, fire departments responded to 16 false alarms for every 10 fires.
Here are six important reasons to reduce false fire alarms:
Reason 6. Lost Revenue – If a false alarm is activated, and a building evacuated, this causes loss of productivity, or possible shortfall in retail sales that can never be regained. The building owner may also incur a charge for the expense of the department responding to a false alarm.
Reason 5. Disruption – False alarms cause unnecessary disruption to business effectiveness, efficiency, profitability, and services. When a building is cleared, the potential of students/ patients/employees/staff/customers losing focus, or wandering off, is increased.
calls tie up valuable resources and in some cases, cause a sense of complacency that can eventually cost lives.
The Number 1 Reason.
Depend On You – Become a better commu nity member because it is the conscious thing to do. Display respect towards society and authorities by not pulling false fire alarms, reporting any suspicious activity, and leading by example. Always think about your safety and the safety of the people around you, just as you hope other individuals are equally as considerate.
Universal Stopper® Prevents False Alarms
One way to accomplish reducing false fire alarms is with STI’s protective polycarbonate covers. Their cover fits over manual pull stations and has helped stop false fire alarms around the world for over 35 years, without restricting legiti mate alarms. When the cover is lifted to gain access to the actual alarm, a piercing warning horn sounds. Immediate attention is drawn to the area and the prankster will either run or be caught before a false alarm is pulled.
Praise for the Stopper II® protective cover:
Helps protect against false fire alarms, vandalism and damage
Reason 4. Inconveniencing the Fire Department – The fire department is detrimental to public safety. If they are responding to a false alarm, they are unavailable to help in a real fire, emergency, or rescue situation.
Internal horn sounds when cover is lifted drawing attention in a hurry
“I recommended the use of the STI Stopper II in both an elementary school and in a local community center. In both cases it was kids activating manual pull stations as a prank. Stopper II solved the problem in both places.”
Super tough polycarbonate
Reason 3. Unnecessary Risk and/or Panic – A false call puts the lives of emergency responders at risk, and creates the possibility of fatalities resulting from traffic accidents. It also causes panic, which can lead to injuries.
Indoor/outdoor (includes gasket)
“Stopper II is great because it does two things. First it protects the manual pull station from accidental damage and so forth. Second, the pre–alarm prevents kids and [anyone] else from pulling false fire alarms and getting away with it.”
Reason 2. Causes Complacency – Some departments report they still respond to one or two false fire alarms a day. False
Aaron Markham Fire Chief Sunnyside Fire Department
