Key operated fire alarms

[jayjay]

I have had a request to from a large secondary school to consider changing fire alarm break glass call points to key operated fire alarm call points due to pupil misuse causing false alarms. Keys for operating the alarms would be carried by all teaching staff.

 The school is brand new with fire detection in most areas and was a fire enginered design.

I have searched the current codes and guides and not been able to find any reference to key operated call points. But if you know different I would be pleased to know.

I do considerd that the fire engineering calculations may need to be carried out again as all approvals have been subject to the original design. The other complication is that the school is used at night time for adult students but is not fully occupied and may be different staff from day time.

Is this the right answer for a school managment issue I would be pleases to have any comments.

[Graeme]

Manual call points should be a single action with a breaking frangible element that operates the microswitch when broken,to BSEN54-11

Why dont they go for resetable call points with protective covers and list as variation if met with approval?

Certain areas which have the possibility of malicious operation sometimes have concealed call points for staff.

Put up some fake cctv cameras pointing at the mcp's

[Chris Houston]

I think it is a bad idea.  What happens when a visitor discovers the fire, will the staff have the key on their person constantly, I suspect not.  I suspect they will put them somewhere safe and forget about them.

Ask the school's insurers if they would accept it.

[pd]

You also have to consider the times when the school, whoops I mean community resource, is being used outside of normal school hours. The detectors may be enough but most accepted wisdom (and I know BS 5839!) would say that some means of manually raising the alarm is needed.
GJM's ideas are the way forward, a bit of creative thinking and most fire safety issues can be worked around. We are too ready to get rid of tried and tested hardware before trying to resolve the problem.

[Graeme]

Was going to add exactly what Chris says.

If a pupil or visitor finds a fire,first they waste time by going to a call point and discovering they cannot operate it.Then they run about looking for a member of staff,who then roots about in his pocket to find his key(if he has not left it at home)
Who then has to go to nearest call point and insert key and turn,which is more than a single action anyway.
By this time the fire could be way out of control or smoke built up in a escape route.

Most mcp's will except a plastic resetable element and hinged covers.

Also i have experience of Schools which have personal attack systems installed.The Staff are supposed to carry a small wire free transmitter on a chain at all times.After the novelty wore off they were being left in handbags,at home or locked in a desk drawer.
The key would be no different.If they are not using it all the time they probably would forget what it looked like anyway.

[Shaun Doyle]

As a fire safety inspecting officer with school experience and a Chair of Governors, I would recommend that you do not go down the route of key operated break glass points for a school.

Many of the main reasons are high lighted above and there has been sound advice given, especially as it could be considered as a fire safety management problem, more than a fire alarm hardware issue.

I would offer a couple of more comments:

Key operated break glass points for fire alarms are more in keeping with smaller premises, partial need for security, low number of occupants with known risks such as a premises in use for HTM 88. It is not for a large school risk with larger numbers, many types of use and therefore risks, at all sorts of times.

Althouh size and occupant numbers are not quoted there can be quite large numbers involved i.e. in excess of 500 pupils and 50 staff. Most schools these days have a tendency to be involved far more with a community use, "open all hours". Therefore at all times when persons are in the school would this approach be appropraite? e.g. parents evening, pta events, cermonial or awards functions, social functions, hiring out of school premises to public etc etc.

I assume that the all aspects will be covered in the fire risk assessment on occupation as there are a good few variable risks associated with a larger school, without the extra issues such as this.

Hope these comments help further.

[Ian Currie]

I had a very similar problem in a large secondary school where breaking the call points had become part of the pupil culture. Fitting covers to the most vulnerable call points made an immediate difference, as did linking the school to an ARC to ensure the brigade attended on each occassion, something that did not happen very often before.
The most important step however, was in changing the management attitude from apathy to taking fire safety seriously; educating the pupils about the dangers of raising false alarms, taking visible steps to identify offenders and applying effective discipline.
If the school management do not have the proper attitude and take meaningful action over this issue, fiddling with the alarm points will have little benefit.

[messy]

I agree with the consensus that kep op call points are not the best system for (most) schools.

As had been previously mentioned, some healthcare premises, especially those dealing with mental health, are fitted with key operated call points. I was involved with assessing such a system in a large mental health unit and the eventual outcome relied on the following control measures:
Key op call points were fitted only in locked wards.
All 'public' areas such as circulation spaces and canteens remained fitted with break glass MCP.
All staff (in locked areas) must carry key
Key to be distinctive from others on bunch
Addition training for staff
Special instructions for contractors

It is unlikely any of those control measures would be adequate for an educational establishment. In addition, for this type of healthcare premise, the locked areas are never left unstaffed as opposed to Schools,say, during lunch break, where most teachers are (most deservedly) having a lie down in a darkened room.

[boroboy]

Consider re-siting the call point to a more visible position with covers if one or more in particular are a problem.  The other solutions are all valid.

[pd]

Incredible, harmony and accord.

Is this a first...even Colin, who is probably more qualified than any of us on this subject, has left us to it.

Well done everyone.

(ps. the government, if they weren't busy at the moment would soon legislate to stop this sort of disgusting behaviour).
:-)

[Allen Higginson]

Quick response in relation to covers - they make a noticable difference as it stops the opportunistic element of malicious activations.It seems to be if they have to stop and think before actually breaking the glass they don't do it (well,as much).We had a proof of point in a shopping centre which was plagued until they were fitted.

[Ken Taylor]

Some years ago, a local authority had a school where this had been a constant problem and had agreed with the fire authority to have a system whereby an initial activation of a call-point gave only a stand-by (intermittent) signal for a limited time period that could be cancelled by the caretaking staff upon checking the supposed fire area or would go into full-evacuation (continuous mode) if this cancellation did not occur before the end of the defined time period. Is this still acceptable today?

[Graeme]

Yes but only with approval.It's a delay in the sounders which only genarates a local alarm at the control panel which gives staff a programmed delay time to investigate the cause.Also used in hotels etc where mass evacuation in the middle of the night would be a nightmare because someone is having a shower with the door open.
If no action is taken within the time the system will initiate the sounders.

Speaking from experience as i done this in a hotel in Glasgow.Having a bath with the door open so i could watch tv.
Knock on the door by staff who say the fire alarm was triggered from my room but i did not hear any sounders.Look up and see led on detector.
embarassing.I was very young though;)

[jayjay]

Great to see prompt response.
Comments seem to support my initial doubts.
With regard to the fire risk assessment I will be doing this so I may still have the last word, although I understand that the fire brigade and Building Control may accept the key operated call points.

The school have tried alarmed covers, CCTV and considered moving them. I still think the school discipline issue needs to be improved.
What is also surprising is that the fire alarm company do not seem to think this would be a variation?.

To clarify this is a large new school over 1500 pupils including night classes with some inovative fire engineered soultions. such as horizontal fabric fire shutters within atrium's and fire alarm activited directional exit route indication.

The method of caretakers checking to confirm genuine fire calls has also been discounted as this can lead to delays.
I will keep the Forum updated.

[Chris Houston]

Do the school insurers have a view on it?  To comply with the BS, they must be consulted.