Removal of MCP from Halls of Residence

[shaunmckeever]

I have just recently become involved in a halls of residence for a university. The university has over the last couple of years experienced extraordinarily high levels of malicious actuations the fire alarm in one particular area (they have several halls of residence). The university has approached the local fire authority to request permission to blank off all the mcp's from all of their halls of residence, not just the ones affected by malicious calls and the fire authority have sanctioned this. Excuse the pun but I find this very alarming.

There is without any doubt that the university have a problem. Apart from maliciously operating the break-glass call points the students regularly cover the detectors when they are cooking or smoking, regularly leave fire doors wedged open to allow freedom of movement between bedrooms and kitchens and they often set off the alarm by holding a lighter to the heads. Covers were placed over the mcp's but the students propped them open with matchsticks, set the alarm off and then did a runner.

I am sure there must be better solutions than blanking off the mcp's. I feel this is a bad move. Are my concerns justified - is it wise to blank off the mcp's?

[Graeme]

C.C.T.V.

I have experience of halls of res but have never really had the bother you seem to be having.
The odd glass broken by drunken antics and the usual burned "cooking".

I think it's a bad move.What if there happens to be a real fire and no one can find the mcp?
Especially in a halls where there is smoking (by covering detectors) and alot of drunk students trying to do a Keith Floyd after staggering home from the union.

I had a zone fault once on a system.Checked every room to see if the usual detector had been removed.Everyone was intact.
Eventually found one detector with the insides removed and stuck back up,so the guy could smoke in his room.

[colin todd]

No it is very unwise actually. There are loads of other solutions.

[Allen Higginson]

Surely they could impliment a process of local investigation before the brigade is called?
The fitting of plastic covers on the mcp's also works in the majority of cases ,as the fact that it requires a two stage action seems to make them think before doing it.

[Chris Houston]

I have just recently become involved in a halls of residence for a university. The university has over the last couple of years experienced extraordinarily high levels of malicious actuations the fire alarm in one particular area (they have several halls of residence). The university has approached the local fire authority to request permission to blank off all the mcp's from all of their halls of residence, not just the ones affected by malicious calls and the fire authority have sanctioned this. Excuse the pun but I find this very alarming.

There is without any doubt that the university have a problem. Apart from maliciously operating the break-glass call points the students regularly cover the detectors when they are cooking or smoking, regularly leave fire doors wedged open to allow freedom of movement between bedrooms and kitchens and they often set off the alarm by holding a lighter to the heads. Covers were placed over the mcp's but the students propped them open with matchsticks, set the alarm off and then did a runner.

I am sure there must be better solutions than blanking off the mcp's. I feel this is a bad move. Are my concerns justified - is it wise to blank off the mcp's?

I wonder if the property and liability insurer have been consulted.  I think it is an illegal and immoral decision.  I think the correct solution would be to undertake a full evacuation following every activation, investigate every activation and take steps to reduce the false alarms, such as local alarm sounders.

Before anyones asks - illegal because it is a work place due to cleaners and maintenance staff using the area and therefore ought to be provided with suitable means for raising an alarm.

[ian gough]

Chris, that's just what happens at my son's halls of residence in Brum - they get put out into the street, rain or shine, until the block has been checked by the fire brigade. I can assure you that the occupants are not fond of false alarms and will happily murder anyone found deliberately causing one!

[colin todd]

But I bet young Master Gough takes forever to evacuate, despite what his old dad says. Ergo, the false alarms are putting Master Gough at risk, and so they should be avoided.

[Allen Higginson]

If it is always a specific mcp that is being activated then it could be removed (is it the one everyone passes on the way in from the pub?) and put down as a variation.
False alarms = complacency = Boy who cried wolf!

[wee brian]

There was a nasty fire in a Halls of R in the states a couple of years ago where, following numerous false alarms there was a real incuident and nobody reacted. - Result lots of dead students.

[colin todd]

My wee boy goes to a university that we advised long ago never to install smoke detectors in student rooms. With their heart in the right place, but still I think incorrectly they did put s/d in all student bedrooms. Result? Loadsa alarms. Then after about 70 of these, they had a fire. Oh dear. The students did evacuate but then all re-entered after hanging around for a bit as that was what they ALWAYS did. Except that this time there was a fire. The FRS were somewhat upset, and understandably so, but thats the sort of danger false alarms create.

[Apollo_SG]

mebbe some1 can integrate their personal card access system/ biometric system to a sealed MCP so tat all alarm are identifiable.

this should be an inventive step to reduce nuisance. but heck, it's no more patentable.

[Chris Houston]

mebbe some1 can integrate their personal card access system/ biometric system to a sealed MCP so tat all alarm are identifiable.

this should be an inventive step to reduce nuisance. but heck, it's no more patentable.

I think if employers started using biometic data for this purpose, employees would be unhappy.  The use of personal data is strictly governed by the data protection act.

[Graeme]

mebbe some1 can integrate their personal card access system/ biometric system to a sealed MCP so tat all alarm are identifiable.

this should be an inventive step to reduce nuisance. but heck, it's no more patentable.

and what about the bloke some student has sneaked in overnight and he discovers a fire first and can't operate the mcp?

[davio1960]

Hi shaunmckeever
 
I have received some information that some universities fine the students a fixed penalty.
Has any one heard of a university calling in the police and they issue a fixed penalty to the guilty offenders?

Is it not that the malicious activation of a fire alarm is a criminal offence?

Regards Davio1960

[Firewolf]

Hi shaunmckeever
 
I have received some information that some universities fine the students a fixed penalty.
Has any one heard of a university calling in the police and they issue a fixed penalty to the guilty offenders?

Is it not that the malicious activation of a fire alarm is a criminal offence?

Regards Davio1960

Yep I used to work for one such university that did this.

One guy was caught on CCTV maliciously breaking a call point and was threatened with police action. Maliciously breaking a call point is criminal damage.

The Police were happy to prosecute but it was eventually sorted out in house as it was felt for some bizzare reason that the University might get bad press if ithe story got out to the media!

In simple terms I think that removing the call points is an extremely bad move to put it mildly. As many people have already pointed out your insurance company will not like this one bit.

Did the fire authority in question state in writing that this was acceptable? If they havent you had better get on the phone to them now and request written confirmation!