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When alarm bells ring

icture this scene: You are at home in the The effectiveness of fire response procedures in the kitchen making toast. You have forgotten to healthcare environment is greatly enhanced by early shut the door and the alarm goes off. Seems warning of an incident. For this reason, a critical familiar? Well, it’s not a big deal. You reset the component of any healthcare fire strategy is a Palarm, close the door and carry on toasting. comprehensive fire alarm and detection system. Current Now picture this scene: It’s 2 am, a nurse on the fire safety codes require an L1 standard of coverage (total ward is making toast for a light snack, a patient coverage of all areas). Consequently, the number of requires urgent medical assistance to which the actuation devices installed within the NHS estate is nurse attends, the fire alarm activates when the increasing significantly. toast burns, the fire response team is scrambled, Considering the size of the NHS estate, the extent of the Fire Service is summonsed, all the patients in detection coverage and the fact that hospitals are generally the areas where the alarm sounds are disturbed… occupied 24/7, it is not surprising that the NHS has, historically, been identified as a major contributor of false Unlike the first scene, false alarms in the NHS are a big alarms.These false alarm activations erode users’ deal, a very big deal in fact! So, what is being done about confidence and place an unnecessary strain on the delivery this problem? For a number of years the Department of of patient care, as well as create an avoidable burden on Health has been publishing fire safety guidance contained Fire and Rescue Service resources. in the Firecode documents series. By and large, the The burden of false alarms has long been recognised in guidance has been adopted in Wales and, where necessary, the NHS, with guidance originally published under the particular requirements of the Welsh Assembly guise of Fire Practice Note 11 Reducing unwanted fire Government have been addressed through Welsh editions. signals in healthcare premises in 2003, subsequently re- Firecode guidance is regularly reviewed by Welsh Health branded as Health Technical Memorandum 05-03: Operational Estates to ensure it reflects current legislation and provisions Part H: Reducing unwanted fire signals in healthcare practices. premises with minor amendments in 2006 and, more recently, revised as Health Technical Memorandum 05-03: Operational provisions Part H: Reducing false alarms in healthcare premises - Second edition.These publications are the foundation of the on-line ‘Fire and UwFS incident reporting system’ developed and hosted by Welsh Health Estates in 2004, to support NHS organisations in the management of their estate.The system allows Trusts and Local Health Boards to record incident details and analyse local performance.The data is also used by Welsh Health Estates to produce annual performance reports for the Assembly. The latest edition of HTM 05-03 Part H updates the former guidance to address the requirements of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order and also reflects the ethos of the Chief Fire Officers Association’s (CFOA) Policy for the reduction of false alarms and unwanted fire signals published in 2008. The CFOA policy aims to achieve a consistent approach across the UK in order to reduce the occurrence of false alarms from automatic fire detection and fire alarm systems and to manage the appropriate Fire and Rescue Service response to unwanted fire signals. The CFOA policy differentiates between false alarms and unwanted fire signals in that a false alarm becomes an Appropriately, the latest Firecode document issued in unwanted fire signal (UwFS) when the fire service is Wales is the second edition of Health Technical requested to attend. It also introduces a mechanism Memorandum 05-03: Operational provisions - Part H: Reducing whereby attendance could be reduced or potentially false alarms in healthcare premises.This article provides an delayed at premises continually generating UwFS.This is overview of this important topic and the background to based on performance criteria considering the number of this revised publication. actuation devices in relation to the number of incidents

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False alarms performance grading chart

Unwanted fire signals performance grading chart

occurring during the preceding 12 months.This new UwFS reduction in unwanted fire signals and false alarms through performance grading is now reflected in the online better management of the estate.Whilst some might argue incident reporting system, in addition to the corresponding that the policy could raise the level of risk as a result of performance targets for reducing false alarms. reduced or delayed attendance of the Fire and Rescue The CFOA policy is clearly intended to encourage a Service, it serves as an important reminder that it is the

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health organisations’ responsibility to manage fire safety The guidance also provides a brief statistical overview of within their premises, which includes a reduction in data collated over the five year period between 1st unwanted fire signals. Furthermore, whilst it is unrealistic January 2004 and 31st December 2008, during which time to assume that all false alarms or unwanted fire signals can 8009 incidents were reported via the online reporting be totally eradicated, a system continuously generating a system. This identifies that the three predominant causes disproportionate number of false alarms could be an of false alarms were: indication of an unreliable system or of management failings which could see the ‘responsible person’, as defined 1. System fault/design (27%) in the Fire Safety Order, facing enforcement under the 2. Other environmental effect (19%) Order. 3. Cooking (18%) HTM 05-03 Part H explores the more significant causes of false alarms and offers advice on minimising these The research also provides an overview of where incidents incidents. Furthermore, in line with the CFOA policy to are more likely to arise and the cause in relation to these reduce UwFS, the guidance now gives greater recognition areas; for example, there is a higher propensity for to the concept of ‘call-filtering’, which will potentially incidents to occur in mental health wards and staff enable a degree of investigation prior to an incident being residences than other areas, whilst there are significantly relayed to the fire service, although the introduction of more malicious incidents in patient areas as opposed to such measures will be subject to strict risk assessment staff areas. (Welsh Health Estates publishes more detailed regimes. Ultimately, whilst call-filtering will reduce the analysis of fire incidents and false alarms in the annual number of UwFS generated, it is generally considered NHS estate in Wales - Fire statistics report: Fire incidents more prudent to reduce the occurrence of false alarms at and unwanted fire signals).1 source, noting that any measures adopted must not Statistical figures will vary between sources and it is diminish the level of fire safety afforded to patients. acknowledged that an element of under reporting exists On a site-by-site basis the false alarm performance through the online systems; therefore, organisations are indicators mentioned above determine the targets for encouraged to enhance the accuracy of their reporting reduction, which are likely to be formalised in future with procedures as, logically, improved performance a greater focus on achieving those targets. measurement will enhance performance management.

Cause of incidents from 2004 to 2008

1 These publications can be downloaded from the WHE intranet site http://howis.wales.nhs.uk/sites3/page.cfm?orgid=254&pid=10846

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South Wales Fire & Rescue Service attending an incident

Such is the importance of this, that the Assembly’s Department for Health and Social Services fire safety policy mandates NHS organisations to have an effective fire safety management strategy which enables, amongst other issues, the reporting of all fire and unwanted fire signal incidents via the ‘Fire and UwFS incident reporting system’. Furthermore, is it evident that a significant number of false alarms are attributed to some sort of misuse or management failing. Accordingly, Firecode stipulates that the fire training curriculum should include instruction in False alarms by year 2004-2008 the causes of false alarms, means of minimising their occurrence and actions to be taken to avoid unnecessary disruption. Across Wales, the burden of false alarms and unwanted Across the NHS estate in Wales, recent years have seen fire signals is recognised by all stakeholders and there are considerable investment directed at the replacement of many examples of positive work aimed at minimising these antiquated fire alarm systems and the installation of a vast incidents, such as the proactive partnerships and number of additional actuation devices.Therefore, it would collaborative working with the local Fire and Rescue 2 be reasonable to expect that the incidence of false Services as promoted in the Fire Concordat. alarms/unwanted fire signals would have risen. However, Whilst these endeavours are to be commended, a this has not been the case. Over the five-year period continued proactive stance will be essential to further shown above the number of reported incidents occurring reduce the burden.This will ultimately be dependant on a annually has, in fact, remained relatively stable, pointing to wider understanding and recognition of their causes and a significant improvement in performance. an acceptance that all staff employed in the NHS have a Although not quantifiable, it is thought that the duty to mitigate these incidents. introduction of improved system technology, such as the use of multi-state detectors which are more resistant to For further information contact: false alarms, coupled with a greater focus on system Anthony Pitcher on 029 2031 5531 or maintenance has made a significant contribution to the e-mail: [email protected] reduction in false alarms and unwanted fire signals.

2 Working Together in Partnership – Concordat between the Welsh Assembly Government’s Department for health and social Services and the Chief Fire Officers’ Association Wales.

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