Monitoring of the Fire Detection Equipment Guidance and KPIs

Purpose

This section describes the monitoring of fire equipment guidance and key performance indicators, for where fire presents a risk in a service user’s home.

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 places a requirement on the landlord/owner/operator of a building that is used as a managed/residential/sheltered or specialised housing type schemes to act as the “Responsible Person”.

Any agreement between Careline and the housing provider/scheme landlord should include information that clearly states what the procedures are that have been agreed under the emergency plan for handling fire alarm calls.

Responsibility

All staff

Standard 1 - Remote centres receiving signals from alarm centres (BS8591:2014)

The BS8591:2014 requires fire alarm signals to be given priority over any other alarm call that is received and should be clearly distinguishable from other alarm indications at least by visual means. How these calls are displayed will vary depending on the platform used.

This standard gives recommendations for the planning, construction and facilities of manned and unmanned remote centres, and for the operations of alarm receiving centres, receiving signals from alarm systems e.g. fire, social, closed circuit television (CCTV), lone worker and vehicle tracking.

The Nation Fire Chiefs Council published guidance in May 2017 for ‘Fire safety in specialised housing’ which offers further recommendations and demonstrates the benefits of technology enabled care services to identify and reduce fire risks of vulnerable people.

Definition

The process of following a premises risk assessment or emergency plan to ensure any actions that are expected to be taken by the Careline are completed to reduce the risk of harm through fire.

Key Outcomes

Contact Centre

1. To prioritise alarm signals that indicate that there may be a fire (including the recognition of signs that a fire may be present on a non-priority signal e.g. coughing or an alarm sounding in the background).
2. To ensure agreements are in place between the monitoring service and the landlord/owner/operator of a building that is used as managed/residential/sheltered or specialised housing type scheme to make it clear what actions the landlord/owner/operator of the premises expects Careline to take, to manage fire alarm calls.

Passing Calls to Fire & rescue Services

1. To ensure agreements are in place between Careline and the F&RS to which they are passing calls including the information and order in which information should be passed.
2. To ensure Contact Centre staff understand these actions and the importance of carrying them out.
3. To inform the Fire and Rescue Service (F&RS) immediately where a fire is confirmed

To ensure that non-fire related calls from grouped alarm equipment schemes, do not prevent, or delay a fire signal from that scheme and must be distinguishable from any other alarm signal.

1. To provide survival guidance in the event of a fire, or have conference call facilities, which will allow the F&RS to provide this information.
2. To ensure there is a minimum of two operators in the Control centre or Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) at all times, who are capable of carrying out all operational procedures, unless the Control Centre is operating in conjunction with another Control Centre (or ARC) and operational methods ensures that the result is equivalent the above.

Key Performance Indicators

Contact Centre

Handle fire alarm calls within the required timescales:

• Within 30 seconds to try an establish contact and determine actual fire
• Within 60 seconds to pass call to F&RS once contact has been established with the service user and a fire has been confirmed
• At any time is a fire is confirmed the F&RS must be called immediately before any further information is gathered

Standard 2 – Detection and fire alarm systems for buildings (BS5839-6)

The BS5839, Part 6 Code of Practice gives recommendations for the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of fire detection and fire alarm systems in domestic premises that are:

1. designed to accommodate a single family (or individual);
2. houses in multiple occupation that comprise a number of self-contained units, each designed to accommodate a single family (or individual);
3. sheltered housing, including both the dwelling units and the common areas

Key Outcomes

1. To ensure that where fire detection is installed by a professional installer, a certificate confirming compliance with BS5839 Part 6, with any variations identified, must be issued to the user
2. Assess for individual fire risks and install smoke detection to a level that provides protection relative to the service user’s fire risk

In most cases will be an LD1 category system. This relates to a system installed throughout the property, incorporating detectors in all circulation spaces that form part of the escape routes and in all rooms/areas where a fire might star other than toilets/bathrooms/shower rooms. Where this is outside the remit of the service, evidence how identified risks are passed on to relevant authorities.

NB: Installations must also take into account escape routes and rooms that present a high fire risk to the occupant.

1. To ensure locations are programmed into dispersed smoke alarms to support the Contact Centre in passing relevant information to F&RS when required
2. To ensure that the reliability of the transmission system or path is subject to consideration and that all reasonable efforts have been made to identify any risks that could prevent a fire alarm/alert being transmitted
3. To ensure that the signal transmitted to the Contact Centre is identifiable as a fire alarm and clearly distinguishable from any other type of signal