Fire Alarm Control Panel Operations

Newport Fire DepartmentDepartment of TrainingDecember 2009Updated 07 March 2014

PurposeTo provide a standardized operation and

response to Municipal Box and Local Alarms within the City of Newport.

To provide the reset procedures for the Control Panel/Radio Box.

Radio Box Alarms CategoriesMaster (Radio)Box Alarms (3 Rounds)Trouble Alarms

AC FailLow BatteryTransmitter FailureSupervisoryTilt/IntruderSprinkler TamperNo Function

Typical Alarm ZonesZone 1 – (Alarm) All fire detection devicesZone 2 – (Alarm) Main water flowZone 3 – (Alarm) Ansul systemZone 9 – (Trouble) Supervisory

Sprinkler tampersGenerator runningMiscellaneous

Zone 0 (TEST ZONE) – Trouble with Radio Box (more information later in presentation)

Other Zones may be specific to occupancy hazard areas

ProcedureLocal and Municipal Alarm Systems

Upon arrival on the scene the Officer-In-Charge (OIC) shall announce the zone and location of the alarm.

Upon investigation of the Fire Alarm Control Panel (FACP), the OIC shall perform four (4) steps:

1. Acknowledge2. Silence3. Reset4. Inspect the Radio Box (if applicable) to visualize the zone is clear

Acknowledge (“ACK”)This function is used to acknowledge an abnormal

situation such as an alarm, trouble or supervisory. The acknowledge function tells the panel that emergency responders are aware of the alarm, trouble, or supervisory condition.

Pressing acknowledge will identify the device or zone in alarm, if not already identified on the FACP.

Be aware when acknowledging the alarm that multiple alarms may be indicated.Simply scroll through the alarms to identify them,

and investigate all zones and/or devices.

SilenceStops the bells from sounding, but also allows

the radio box to transmit further alarms.Press silence after the cause has been

determined to ensure that all occupants have exited the building.

Acknowledge and Silence should release the zones in the Radio Box.

ResetReset will return the FACP to a normal state

(after pressing “acknowledge and silence” buttons).

If the alarm does NOT reset, or a heat or smoke detector will not clear:Acknowledge and Silence the systemDo NOT press RESET. Issue an Impairment

Notice. This will leave the detector or zone locked in alarm

so the Alarm Company technician can resolve the problem.

You must issue the owner an Impairment Notice, and notify the alarm company of the condition of the system Do not leave the notification up to the owner!

FCI Panel Zone will be indicated by a Red alarm, or Yellow/Orange Trouble light• If no zone is indicated, a bulb may be burned out. • Hold the test lamp button, and find the bulb that does NOT light. It may be the zone in alarm.

“Acknowledge” “Silence”

• There is NO “Acknowledge “Button• Silence the Alarm• Reset the Alarm – hold for 5 seconds

• After the alarm is reset, the panel may beep or ring.

• This is to notify you that the alarm is still in the “Silence” mode.

• Put Alarm back to “Normal” and the beep or ring will stop.

Lock Out Zone• If the box will not reset. You may “Lock Out” the zone.• Push/Pull the zone card toggle to lock out the zone.• Then reset the system as noted previously

Radio Box InspectionOpen the radio box to

ensure that all zones are clear.

This can be done by opening the Radio Box and making sure the lights for the corresponding zones are off.

FAULT IndicatorWhenever the door is opened to the Radio Box, the “Fault” Indicator light will turn on.

• This is a Tilt/Intruder indicator.

To ensure that the radio box is truly clear, you must push, and hold, the plunger by hand when the door is open.

If the fault clears, the panel is normal.

If not, issue an impairment notice.

Trouble AlarmsTrouble Alarms are related to an issue in

the RADIO BOX Only!Zone 0 (zero) is the TEST Zone (24 hr

test)Response depends on the ZONE that comes

inIf the TROUBLE ALARM comes in as a Zone 0

(Zero), then only 1 Engine is required.If the TROUBLE comes in as any other Zone,

then a Full Box Alarm Response is required. (whether it states Trouble or Not).

Trouble AlarmsAll municipally connected fire alarm systems are

required to have a sixty (60) hour battery backup power supply.

When the power to a Radio Box is interrupted for any reason it will automatically switch to battery power – indicating “Trouble”.

Other Trouble Alarm indications:a contaminated smoke detector or an electrical problem

within the system. Disabled zones, low power on the backup battery, the

disabling of a notification appliance, or open circuits. In a trouble condition, the panel displays the zone or

devices causing the condition. The "Trouble" indicator goes out automatically when the situation causing the trouble condition is rectified.

AC FailNine (9) hours after an interruption of power, the

Radio Box is programmed to send out an “AC Fail” signal.

The nine hour delay is to give whoever interrupted the power supply time to restore it.

RESPONSE:An engine shall be dispatched at the nine hour point

to determine why the AC power has not been restored.

If there is no attempt being made to restore the power, you should contact the 24-hour emergency number on the FACP and let them know the system is impaired, and issue an Impairment Notice

Low BatteryThe Low Battery signal is for the Radio Box battery only, not

the FACP batteries.This signal can mean one of two things:

1. The level of the battery is getting to the point of not having the power to transmit an alarm or trouble signal.

2. The newer Radio Boxes have a test feature that puts a load test on the battery.

RESPONSE: An engine shall be dispatched to see if AC power has been

interrupted, and if so, get the problem corrected IF AC power is OK, this usually means the battery needs to be

replaced. The 1st time you respond to this scenario, you may push the test

button in the Radio Box. This will reset the battery test feature. If you respond a 2nd time, issue an Impairment Notice.

Transmitter FailureThe box may buzz or ring to indicate failureResponse: Full Box Alarm Response (1st

time)For Transmitter Failure, press the “Tx Reset”

button to reset the system.If you respond a 2nd time to the same location:

DO NOT reset the transmitter. This will enable the alarm company to track down the problem.

Issue an Impairment Notice, and notify the owner and alarm company.

Tx Trouble – indicates the transmitting signal is drifting out of the optimal range.

SupervisoryThis signal indicates that a portion of the

building's fire protection system has been disabled (such as a fire sprinkler control valve being closed or a sprinkler tamper switch being activated)

Depending on the system's design, the supervisory point may be latching, meaning the panel must be reset to clear the supervisory condition, or non-latching, meaning the indicator automatically goes out when the condition has cleared.

Impairment NoticesWhen issuing an

Impairment Notice, it must be given directly to the owner (not the tenant) OR,

You must notify the 24 hour emergency contact (Alarm Company), and let them know what the problem is, and where the Impairment Notice form is located.

Equipment OwnershipThe property owner owns the Radio Box and

all fire alarm equipment.The owner is responsible to keep it 100%

operational.Any time you issue an impairment notice,

even if you hand deliver it to someone on the scene, you are still required to notify the alarm company of the impairment.

If the problem cannot be fixed, the OIC must issue an impairment notice, and notify the alarm company of the impairment

Other InformationThe owner of the fire alarm system is

required to provide a 24 hour emergency number for the owner or the owner’s representative for the department to call in the event of an alarm or trouble.

The number must be conspicuously located at the FACP.

Questions?