In the case of hazard warnings, it is possible that there are no signs of this hazard at the suspected location of the event. Such cases are also indicated as "false alarms".
They occur in diverse environments and in connection with different procedures and technologies. In fire protection, false alarms occur in all alarm paths and are often discussed in the context of installed fire detection and fire alarm systems.
False Alarms
For some years now, the ratio of false alarms related to the number of installations has been reduced by installed fire detection and fire alarm systems through a number of available measures. Most false alarms today are triggered by deceptive alarms.
In this case, the systems operate as intended and are triggered by fire-like phenomena through chemical-physical parameters (e.g. vapor and dust).
Understanding False Alarms
This group of false alarms is to a large extent a consequence of decisions and actions taken (or not taken) by people in the planning, installation, operation, and maintenance of systems. For this reason, the already known measures to avoid false alarms are presented in the Fact Sheet 'Increase fire safety by understanding false alarms'.