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I don't understand why the response to the alarm was to send a guard to check it first, instead of sending the local fire department to check it. Supposing the

I don't understand why the response to the alarm was to send a guard to check it first, instead of sending the local fire department to check it. Supposing there was a fire and the guard discovered it, he'd have to call the fire department anyway. Wouldn't it be better to call the fire department automatically for every alarm so they can save a few minutes getting there? I know false alarms are a thing, but I've been in buildings with false fire alarms before and the firefighters still showed up to check it out.

deleted 7y ago
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_trampeltier 7y ago
This is pretty normal, if you know there are instructed people like this guard on site. For example in our company, if there are people on shift, if the fire detector detects a fire, you have (I think) 2 minutes to reset the alarm or it goes out to the fire departement. If there is no shift, or always a hand alarm push button is pressed, the alarm goes out directly. The only thing I do not understand is, at least in our factory, you can't just reset if there is still smoke, the alarm goes of again and again and again. We would have to disable, not just reset the detector.
eftychis 7y ago
This is another cause to the issue, I think. Even if the guard was efficient into going to the correct location, the guard placed themselves and others in danger: they headed towards an enclosed spaces where a fire alarm indicated evidence of a fire (smoke(CO2 etc), heat). The guard could 1) mis-assess the situation (that is false-negative or incorrectly 'extinguished it' without realizing the extend and real source of the fire) 2) endangered themselves (enclosed space with improper oxygen concentration plus various toxic gases (numerous accidents of people trying to enter tanks are known (septic/containers) and passing out in seconds and dying) 3) become trapped -- this is a game changer for firefighters that now have to risk their lives and prioritize into saving the guard. I am not sure how many false alarms Notre Dame had, this however seems a flawed protocol to me -- not an expert however, thus there might have been some reasoning??

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]

_trampeltier 7y ago

This is pretty normal, if you know there are instructed people like this guard on site. For example in our company, if there are people on shift, if the fire detector detects a fire, you have (I think) 2 minutes to reset the alarm or it goes out to the fire departement. If there is no shift, or always a hand alarm push button is pressed, the alarm goes out directly. The only thing I do not understand is, at least in our factory, you can't just reset if there is still smoke, the alarm goes of again and again and again. We would have to disable, not just reset the detector.

eftychis 7y ago

This is another cause to the issue, I think. Even if the guard was efficient into going to the correct location, the guard placed themselves and others in danger: they headed towards an enclosed spaces where a fire alarm indicated evidence of a fire (smoke(CO2 etc), heat). The guard could 1) mis-assess the situation (that is false-negative or incorrectly 'extinguished it' without realizing the extend and real source of the fire) 2) endangered themselves (enclosed space with improper oxygen concentration plus various toxic gases (numerous accidents of people trying to enter tanks are known (septic/containers) and passing out in seconds and dying) 3) become trapped -- this is a game changer for firefighters that now have to risk their lives and prioritize into saving the guard. I am not sure how many false alarms Notre Dame had, this however seems a flawed protocol to me -- not an expert however, thus there might have been some reasoning??