4 minute read
Rodney Hatanaka
Why Your Building Needs a FASARP Preparing your ‘fire alarm system activation response plan.’
RODNEY HATANAKA
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Lights are flashing and there is a piercing alarm seemingly coming from everywhere. The building’s fire alarm system has activated. There is confusion, concern, even panic. Or worse, irritation as people try to ignore the alarm thinking, “There it goes again!”
Fortunately, you as a building manager and your staff have a fire alarm system activation response plan (FASARP). And more importantly, you are all trained and know exactly what to do in this situation.
Unfortunately, there is no one-sizefits-all plan. Regardless of the building, occupancy classifications or type of fire alarm system, fire alarm systems are designed for one purpose: notify the occupants of the building of a possible fire so that they may evacuate. Period. Because of this, many elements in fire alarm systems are similar.
Knowing what elements are in your fire alarm system will help you understand how it operates to formulate the FASARP.
Ensuring that the fire alarm system is properly tested, inspected and maintained is key to the plan. A properly maintained fire alarm system will reduce/eliminate nuisance alarms so building occupants will not simply ignore it and will choose to evacuate the building.
The occupancy classification and the size of the building affects the complexity of the FASARP. Buildings with higher occupancy loads (hundreds) will require more staff and coordination than smaller buildings with only a dozen or so occupants. Do any of the occupants require assistance such as in a hospital or care home? Who will assist them? How will they be assisted? It is important to have clearly defined roles for all of your staff, and that everyone understands that role.
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The next steps are evacuation and investigation, which may be performed concurrently depending on the size of your staff and building. It may be beneficial to have a designated “personin-charge” of each step to maintain/ organize goals.
The main purpose of the evacuation plan is to have everyone safely evacuate the building. A significant part of a safe evacuation is that everyone remains calm, especially those in charge of the evacuation. And the essential part of remaining calm is knowing exactly what to do before it happens—“be prepared.” A headcount at the designated evacuation area will verify that everyone has evacuated. Having an alternate evacuation area is part of good planning, provided that everyone has an understanding of the circumstances under which this change will occur.
Almost all modern fire alarm systems installed within the last 10 years have a digital display in the fire alarm control panel. This display provides critical information about the system, such as which smoke detector activated and its location. This information will direct the investigation team to the location of the activation.
But it is important to only investigate if it is safe to do so. It is not safe if the corridors or rooms are filled or are filling with smoke. If the activation was an inadvertently activated manual-pull station (accidentally pulled), reset the manual-pull station, announce the “all clear” and reset the fire alarm system.
Some fire alarm systems are monitored 24/7 by a monitoring company that will call the local fire department to report the alarm activation in the building’s fire alarm system. If the system is not monitored, it is the responsibility of the person in charge of the FASARP to make the call. When to make the call depends on the building and its occupancy load. At a minimum, the call should be made as soon as it is verified as a real fire event. It is always wise to err on the side of caution, especially when an activation of the fire alarm, a life-safety system, is involved—keeping in mind the importance of a properly-tested, inspected and maintained fire alarm system.
Finally, training your staff is important. Staff who are well trained in FASARP will have greater confidence to know what to do and remain calm in times of crisis. The building’s occupants will look to them for guidance, and their response should be automatic and reflexive.
Everyone involved in the plan should be clear in their role, know what to do, and drill. And drill. Practice makes perfect.
Having a functioning fire alarm system is the first step in protecting the lives of the people in your building. Effectively responding and implementing the Fire Alarm System Activation Response Plan ensures their protection and safety. ❖
Rodney Hatanaka has over 25 years of experience in the low-voltage electronic systems contracting industry. He is the sales and engineering manager for ProTech Fire and Security, which specializes in fire alarm and mass notification systems. Contact him at 520-0721 or rhatanaka@protechhawaii.com.
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