CO ALARM PROCEDURES

This is perhaps the most common complaint I hear concerning central stations. The central station changes the way they handle a specific signal.

I represent Monitoring America Alarm Co-Op. We are a true cooperative business. We are a ?Not for Profit? business, we are owned by our customers and we return our profits back to our owners as dividends.

We monitor your alarms the way you want them monitored. The only signal that we can't customize is a fire signal. Laws dictate how we must handle fire alarm and related signals. CO detectors, burglar, panic and environmental alarms are handled according to your specifications.

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Ron Wies Monitoring America Alarm Co-Op

Video verification would appear to be the answer, you wait until at least two people keel over and then dispatch

Doug L

That's a good question. Not only residentially, but I'm starting to see more and more of these detectors in parking garages. Obviously, you need evacuation, but how are others treating the initiation of these devices. Assuming that these detectors detect a minimum % of parts per million in a given area. Alarm? Supervisory? Dispatch, or non-emergency dispatch? Verification?

Jack

Alright Doug....I deserved that.

Subject: Re: CO ALARM PROCEDURES Newsgroup: alt.security.alarms => Doug L Video verification would appear to be the answer, you wait until at least

LOL!

SIA standards require three people not two

Yeah, but NFPA requires that you send in a canary.

And of course UL says it must be a UL certifed canary. They refuse to say exactly how a UL certified canary differs from a regular canary, but rumor has it that a miniature rubber glove is involved.

And ULC has stricter requirements for the poor canary. Not sure how exactly they further tested it for ULC, but the poor bird staggers and walks cross eyed after testing.

The Canadian govenment, being much more liberal and concerned about the environment, requires that the canary be wearing a gas mask, but will not be allowed to enter the premise if there's a gun present.

You don't think it's because of the snow shoes?

Oh yes, definately no gun present ! And the canary wouldn't have been hired if it couldn't speak both official languages. But the little guy would have been hired for sure if he'd paid off the Liberal government for "priority hiring" for his contract (courtesy of "the little guy from Shawinigan" )

RHC

Not exactly, NFPA states a canary SHOULD be sent in not SHALL, big difference there

ULC requires we "reward" the canary after testing with it's choice of lite beer... That probably explains the funny walk...

ROFL!!!

Our standard procedure was (I sold my CS a few years ago) to call the fire department immediately upon receiving a signal indicating carbon monoxide danger. Next we would call the premises to make sure everyone exited the building until the FD cleared it.

One problem with CO poisoning is that by the time you realize something is wrong you may be unable to help yourself. Since it's colorless and odorless, clients can't tell it's there. Sometimes they will tell you that all is well and ask you to cancel the FD. My suggestion is that you politely refuse. Let the firemen check the place with a CO tester.

Regards, Robert L Bass

Now why would a client that has a CO alarm squealing away tell you that "all is well"?? Unless of course someone accidentally pushed the "test" button without calling your wife first...

I see... So "politely refusing" a direct instruction from a registered account holder who's just told you that "all is well" is something you would condone?? As what??? A Central Station Manager??? You going to pick up the tab for the false alarm dispatch as well?? Man, am I ever glad you're out of the business!!!

Or ULC listed canary...

Why ask such a question? You know full well that I sold the business less than five years ago.

carbon monoxide danger. Next we would call the premises to make sure everyone exited the building until the FD cleared it.

wrong you may be unable to help yourself. Since it's colorless and odorless, clients can't tell it's there. Sometimes they will tell you that all is well and ask you to cancel the FD.

I've had several actual CO events where that is exactly what the clients did. They don't realize something is really wrong because they don't see or smell anything wrong. I'm pretty sure I posted here some time ago about a CO call we had where the babysitter at first said nothing was wrong. In fact the attic was on fire. The people had battery smokes and didn't have us put in smoke detectors with the system.

without calling your wife first...

You're referring to my ex-wife.

account holder who's just told you that "all is well" is something you would condone?? As what??? A Central Station Manager??? You going to pick up the tab for the false alarm dispatch as well?? Man, am I ever glad you're out of the business!!!

When selling systems with CO detectors I always told the customers that it was our policy to dispatch on *all* CO alarms. I explained the reasons for doing so and that was always acceptable. I don't recall a single customer whio objected to the policy. And no, I wasn't the CS manager. I owned the company.

None of the towns I installed in were issuing fines for false CO alarms. That may have changed in the last five years but the danger of carbon monoxide poisoning has not changed. The potential cost of not dispatching if the CO alarm is real is the lives of your customers. IMO that outweighs possible flase alarm fines.

:^)

Regards, Robert L Bass

Yes, but there's a huge difference between having shares in a business and actually being involved in the day to day operations. The example of the Restaurant Owner not being a "chef" for instance.

Whoops! My bad...