More comments on how central station identifies calls and procedures / ISC FREE Private Meetings scheduling now / send us email addresses September 18, 2024

KEN KIRSCHENBAUM, ESQ
ALARM - SECURITY INDUSTRY LEGAL EMAIL NEWSLETTER / THE ALARM EXCHANGE
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More comments on how central station identifies calls and procedures / ISC FREE Private Meetings scheduling now / send us email addresses
September 18,  2024
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More comments on how central station identifies calls and procedures from article on September 11, 2024
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Ken:
  not 990 seconds.
90 seconds (ie. 1 1/2 minutes)
  A “slight” typo.
Richard Kleinman
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Response
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          Yep that was a typo. It’s 90 seconds.  If your cs is taking 990 seconds you have a problem and need a new cs – one on the The Alarm Exchange

More comments
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Ken,
          Fire alarm verification and the timing of the calls is all very clear in NFPA 72, and it’s pretty universally adopted across the US with local modifications adopted.
          Commercial: In the commercial environment the requirement is to dispatch first immediately, immediately is defined as 90 seconds from the time you receive the alarm to the time an operator starts working the event.
          There is an allowance in 72 to allow an AHJ to authorize a central station on a site by site basis to make a verification call, this authorization must be obtained in writing from the AHJ.
          Residential: In the residential environment there is an automatic allowance for a verification call to the premises.
          In both situations the verification process must be done within 90 seconds which typically allows one call to verify but if you have a way to call more there is nothing prohibiting you as long as you stay within the 90 second time frame.
          As to cancelling the fire department this will vary from place to place, what we do at Rapid is we don’t cancel the fire department if they have been dispatched but what we do instead  is to call or message via ASAP to PSAP the fire department with an UPDATE to the event and tell them that the subscribers says there is no fire at the site.  This allows the fire departments to decide based on their policies what they will do, many times they will slow down, send a smaller response or keep going depending on the situation.  We all have the stories where the fire department was canceled, and the third floor was completely engulfed.
          It should also be noted that there are additional responsibilities if the system is UL Certificated as Central Station Service vs Remote Station, this typically has runner service requirements so make sure that your SOP is appropriate for level of service that’s been contracted for.
          There are also some cities like New York (FDNY), Denver CO that have very specific requirements, that go above and beyond so in all cases know what you are dealing with so you get it right the first time.
Morgan Hertel, VP of Technology and Innovation
Rapid Response Monitoring
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Ken:
          An item I neglected to mention in the blog about pre-dispatch….
I did not see where the local AHJ is mentioned.
What is that entity’s take on this delay of contacting their dispatch center.
We have had cases whereby the building management wanted to have us pre-dispatch verification.
We stated ‘no problem’ as long as the AHJ authorizes this variation in our procedure.
Never had the AHJ authorize this in WRITING and thus the building management backed off.
          Your humble scrivener……..
   Respectfully,
Joseph (Joe) Pfefer, Founder & C.E.O.
(Chief Encouragement Officer)
Jade Alarm Co.
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Ken,
          Las Vegas Metropolitan area, North Las Vegas, Henderson  and Clark County  (which encompasses a huge majority of southern Nevada) will Not respond on a fire alarm signal
          Unless verified by a secondary source. Phone call from the site, a passer by etc..  unless as stated below :

“Fire Department notification by supervising station permitted ONLY for: government buildings (all
facilities owned, leased and/or operated by any City, County, State, or Federal government
agency), schools (including daycares, preschools, public and private schools, etc.) and hospitals
(including nursing homes, convalescent homes, adult care facilities, group homes, extended care
facilities, assisted living facilities, etc.) when premises is protected by a fire alarm system”.
In other words. If you are a private business or a residence. You are out of luck. The fire department will only roll on a water flow alarm.
I moved to Las Vegas from Chicago and was shocked to find out the fire departments would not send trucks on a fire alarm signal.
Each jurisdiction is different.
Respectfully,
Mark E. Swanson
Technical Coordinator
Communication Electronic Systems/CES
mswanson@cesvegas.com
Office (702) 643-7566 x- 249

Response

          Thanks to all who contribute to this forum .... and thanks to those who read it!!!!!
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Help this forum grow - and thanks to those who have already responded

Thanks to those who have sent in lists. How about you guys at the central stations, manufacturers, service providers and vendors???? If you are on The Alarm Exchange you should welcome exposure this forum provides. Send in your lists. Thanks
          This forum is, I believe, the largest distribution in the security and fire alarm, low voltage and electronic integration industries, and certainly the most read on a daily basis.
          First, let me assure you that the K&K email list is used exclusively for distribution of the articles, which is distributed by two separate bulk mailing services, as many of you know because you get both emails daily.  Emails are sent every day to the alarm industry; there is no charge for the articles.  The classified section, The Alarm Exchange, which is also free, is updated daily as needed, and I believe it’s the largest and most active classifieds in the industry, visited by the most in the industry. K&K does not sell or share the email list with anyone, for any reason.  We retain only emails, no names or other information. It’s free; you can subscribe all the addresses you want and you can always unsubscribe, though you won’t be able to re-subscribe that address.  So your email is secure.
          Now here’s the ask.
          I’d like to make the forum even more available by increasing the distribution, so here’s the “ask” and sweetener added in:
          Send me emails of those in this industry, one email on each line, and we will add them to the list.  Whether it’s your association list, for vendors to the industry your alarm dealer list, employee list, central station list, send it to me pasted on your email or as WORD or XL attachment. [this is not request for alarm customers list - the forum isn't for alarm customers]
          K&K will give you $100 credit against K&K contracts or Concierge Program for every 100 emails.  You can use the credit yourself or if an association raffle it off or use it for promotional purposes.  We will honor the credit to your “assignee”.  Thanks in advance for your efforts and assistance.
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Ken Kirschenbaum,Esq
Kirschenbaum & Kirschenbaum PC
Attorneys at Law
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Garden City, NY 11530
516 747 6700 x 301
ken@kirschenbaumesq.com
www.KirschenbaumEsq.com