Do I Have to Go Off Line?

Mr. Krantz

Do I have to go offline to replace the batteries in the duct detector panel?

Also, will I have to reset any equipment or systems?

Thank you.

J C

After working with fire alarm systems for years, I have learned that the alarms in the building can be set off by anything I do. Just in case I set off the fire alarm system, I never touch the system for any reason without first calling the monitoring company. That way they don't dispatch the fire department while I'm working on the fire alarm system.

I have also learned that no matter what I have done to prevent the alarms from sounding off, once in a great while they sound off anyway. You can expect a very small chance of sounding off the fire alarm system in the building, but if the monitoring company has put the system on "test" or "no action", at least the fire department won't be coming.

After replacing the batteries, whether or not anything has to be reset depends on so many things that all I can say is check everything to make sure the fire alarm system is normal afterwards.

Douglas Krantz

Further Question

Mr. Krantz

Placing fire system and fire trouble offline. The alarm will not sound if there's smoke or drilling, right?

Thank you, J M

There are a couple of things to know when you take a fire alarm system off-line:

1. Taking the system off-line with the monitoring company means that they will not send the fire department if your system says there's a fire. When it's off-line, the fire alarm system will still sound the alarms all over the building if a fire is detected. The system is not silenced.
   
   
2. When you take the system off-line, keep in mind that you are personally responsible to watch for fires, and for the entire time the system is off-line, you personally need take necessary action if there is a fire, like sounding the alarms and calling the fire department so they will come.

Taking the system off-line for a few minutes during a battery change is a lot different from taking the system off-line for hours. If you have to take the system off-line for more than few minutes, talk to the fire marshal about actions that you need to take for fire safety. Explain what you're doing, and why. The fire marshal will tell you what you need to do.

Douglas Krantz