Notifying the fire service
It used to be that, when a fire alarm went off, everyone evacuated, you rang 999 and the fire service came. Times have changed and now you have more options:
- You should always ring 999 when the alarm goes off and the fire is confirmed
- Employ an Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC), which manages alarm signals to the service
How Alarm Receiving Centres Can Help
Some fire alarm systems are connected to the fire & rescue service via an ARC. If you do use an ARC:
- Give them the names and mobile numbers of key staff
- Give them contact details of any key holding service/ individual/organisation who can check your premises
- Give them details of the business activities in your building e.g. normal hours of operation, processes, lone workers
- Make sure they know what steps you want them to follow if they get a fire signal
The more the ARC knows about you and your business then the more they will be able to tell the fire service so that they can efficiently deal with a real fire situation.