# How can false fire alarms be prevented? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 11, 2017, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-false-fire-alarms-be-prevented/790970 "2017-07-11T01:16:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Pantastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-false-fire-alarms-be-prevented/790970/21 "2017-07-11T18:01:21Z")
Generally colleges have a TON of false alarms because you have a bunch of kids away from home for the first time and there’s a big switch to pull; I remember that is was pretty much a weekly thing in some dorms. For stopping college false alarms, putting CCTV cameras on the fire alarms and making whoever pulls one without reason have a very bad time would cut it down immensely. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-false-fire-alarms-be-prevented/790970/22 "2017-07-11T18:30:23Z")
Ignoring malicious alarms ISTM the “fix” for nuisance alarms is aggressive preventative maintenance. My condo building has about 30 smoke detectors on a commercial-type fire alarm system. Each of which eventually clogs with a combo of dust, sand, and salt spray from the ocean. When it clogs enough, it triggers the fire alarm. The fire dept shows up automatically and after discovering no fire where the detector is signaling, switches off the alarm system. The alarm service company then arrives to clean out that one detector and turn the alarm system back on. Lather rinse repeat about every 8 weeks. Somehow the idea of cleaning all the detectors \*en masse \*on a schedule can’t seem to happen. Even if just once every year or two. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-false-fire-alarms-be-prevented/790970/23 "2017-07-11T18:52:34Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Ignoring malicious alarms ISTM the “fix” for nuisance alarms is aggressive preventative maintenance. > > My condo building has about 30 smoke detectors on a commercial-type fire alarm system. Each of which eventually clogs with a combo of dust, sand, and salt spray from the ocean. When it clogs enough, it triggers the fire alarm. The fire dept shows up automatically and after discovering no fire where the detector is signaling, switches off the alarm system. The alarm service company then arrives to clean out that one detector and turn the alarm system back on. Lather rinse repeat about every 8 weeks. > > Somehow the idea of cleaning all the detectors \*en masse \*on a schedule can’t seem to happen. Even if just once every year or two. WAG, a maintenance program probably costs money, maybe lots of money. Resetting the alarm panel is probably free and maybe a small charge, if any, for fixing the one malfunctioning sensor. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-false-fire-alarms-be-prevented/790970/24 "2017-07-11T19:51:47Z")
Agree. Although I didn’t say it explicitly, I think that’s also why false alarms happen at the facility where the OP works, and most of the others. PM is very rarely a budget priority. For safety-of-life systems it sure oughta be. For exactly the cry wolf outcome both the OP and my neighbors are now in. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Bredin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-false-fire-alarms-be-prevented/790970/25 "2017-07-11T20:31:13Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > In the Air Force we had a new base fire marshal come in and he decided to have an unannounced fire drill in the building I worked in … > > So the fire alarm goes off and we’re a well trained bunch of airmen and we’ve reviewed these procedure every couple months, part of the job … so I grab the first card and it says to take an axe and destroy a million dollars worth of electronic equipment … my partner gets the card that says to build a fire in the middle of the floor and burn every document … we kinda looked at each other and started to smell smoke from the shop next door because they’re already burning key cards and sending someone into our side to get the on-line cards Why was all this destruction the procedure when a fire alarm went off? 😕:eek: Bizarreness like Grenfell Tower aside, the usual wisdom/doctrine is that a fire somewhere in a building (bigger than a house or the like) does NOT require everyone everywhere in the building to presume the fire is nearby and immediately [del]presume the enemy is upon us[/del] evacuate. Let’s say it hadn’t been a drill but an actual fire. It still makes sense to trash vital (military!) equipment in one room due to a fire in a distant wing or floor of the building that could be doused by fire extinguishers?! :eek: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-false-fire-alarms-be-prevented/790970.md?page=1)