Increase Safety on Campus by Forwarding Fire Alarms to a Central Station

For universities and colleges of all sizes, having an effective remote telegraph and fire alarm monitoring system isn’t just a luxury - it’s a necessity. Without it, you face serious risks, including delayed emergency responses, human error, and the potential loss of life and property.

Fire alarms are a critical part of any safety infrastructure. If they aren’t properly monitored or dispatched, the consequences can be catastrophic.

Recently, a university client responsible for monitoring telegraph alarm boxes reached out for help in dispatching their alarms to a central station. As we dig into their situation, we'll explore why dispatching alarms to a central station can significantly improve campus safety—and how to do this at your campus.

In the right contexts, a central station can be a good way to monitor your fire alarms

A Central Station Can Be "A Second Set of Eyes"

My client wanted to shift the dispatching responsibility from their campus police department to a central station. The goal? Ensuring swift and coordinated emergency responses.

A central station is staffed by trained professionals who can immediately assess situations and deploy the appropriate emergency services. By centralizing alarm monitoring, you gain continuous oversight and the ability to manage multiple incidents simultaneously, providing a higher level of security and peace of mind.

Third-party centralized monitoring can have downsides (we'll get to that), but it's an important part of many alarm monitoring strategies.

Consider a scenario where a fire alarm is triggered in a dormitory. If this alarm is routed to a department that isn’t equipped to handle emergency dispatching—like campus police—valuable time could be lost in forwarding the alarm to emergency services.

This delay could lead to slower response times, increasing the risk of injury, death, and property damage. The situation becomes even more dangerous when the system relies on manual processes or outdated technology. That is a common occurrence at campuses with budget constraints.

Don't Shift Fire Responsibility to Security/Police

Many schools try to address these challenges with off-the-cuff solutions, like manually forwarding alarms or relying on older technology.

A common attempt, as seen with our client, is to shift the responsibility of alarm dispatching to departments like campus security or police. While this might seem practical at first glance, it introduces new problems.

These departments may lack the specialized training or technology needed to manage fire alarm systems effectively. This can lead to delays, increased risk of human error, and overall ineffectiveness in handling emergencies.

Integrating older or incompatible technology often results in frustration and incoherent monitoring. Such systems typically lack the flexibility to route alarms based on specific criteria, leading to a one-size-fits-all approach that fails to meet the unique demands of each emergency.

Larger Campuses Shouldn't Rely Entirely on a Central Station

(I told you I'd talk about the danger of overreliance on a central station only)

For medium and large campuses, maintaining an on-campus alarm monitoring facility is justified and adds to safety. The sheer size and layout of these institutions can introduce significant delays in emergency responses if alarms are solely managed by a central station.

By having a dedicated monitoring team on-site, you gain the advantage of faster visibility to incidents as they unfold. This immediacy can be crucial, particularly in high-traffic areas or during events where large groups gather.

In most cases, it's equally important to establish a robust communication link to a central station. This dual approach ensures that local personnel can act swiftly to assess and respond to an emergency. The central station provides an additional layer of oversight, coordinating broader emergency services response.

Real Example: Use a Pre-Programmed Relay Output to Trigger a Cellular Transmitter

To meet these challenges for our client, we provided the university with a tailored solution that significantly enhanced their fire alarm monitoring capabilities.

The university already had a System 3505 Prism LX in place, monitoring telegraph alarm boxes across the campus. However, they needed to offload the dispatching responsibilities from their police department to a central station—a task that required a more sophisticated approach.

We implemented the "Code to Point" option along with a PPO-32 relay card within the existing Prism LX system. This addition allowed the Prism LX to close a pre-programmed Form C relay output whenever it received an alarm box signal.

The relay output then triggered a cellular transmitter, which the university had already installed, to forward the alarm signal to the designated central station.

This solution streamlined the alarm dispatch process, reducing the burden on the university’s police department and ensuring that alarms were forwarded instantly and accurately.

By integrating cellular technology, we added a layer of redundancy, ensuring alarms would reach the central station even if one communication path failed.

"Dying gasps" are critical alerts that cannot be ignored

Integrate Modern Communication Technologies for Enhanced Reliability

A critical component of this solution was the integration of modern communication technologies, providing multiple, redundant paths for alarm signals. Traditional systems often rely on direct-wired connections or basic radio signals—both of which can be prone to interference, damage, or failure. By using a cellular transmitter, we ensured that the university’s alarm signals would be forwarded reliably, regardless of any issues with the wired network.

This dual-path communication strategy is essential for maintaining a consistent and reliable monitoring system, especially in complex environments like a university campus. Even if a wired connection is compromised, the cellular path ensures that the alarm signal still reaches the central station, preventing any delays in emergency response.

Prism LX Gives You Customization and Modularity

The System 3505 Prism LX stands out among other proprietary alarm monitoring systems for its modularity and customization capabilities. Unlike other systems that require complete overhauls to add new features, the Prism LX can be easily upgraded with additional modules and options, making it a future-proof solution.

For the university, adding the Code to Point option allowed the system to trigger specific relay outputs based on the type of alarm received, ensuring a tailored response to each situation. This flexibility is crucial in environments where different types of emergencies require different responses.

The modular design of the Prism LX means that the university can continue to expand and adapt its monitoring capabilities as its needs evolve. Whether it’s adding more alarm points, integrating new communication technologies, or expanding to monitor additional facilities, your Prism LX system can be adjusted to accommodate these changes without requiring a complete system replacement.

This adaptability not only saves costs in the long term - but also ensures that the system remains relevant and effective as new technologies emerge.

Secure Your Facility with a Future-Proof Monitoring Solution

To ensure the safety and security of your campus, it’s essential to have a fire alarm monitoring system that is reliable, efficient, and adaptable to future needs. The System 3505 Prism LX offers the flexibility and performance required to protect complex environments like universities.

By choosing a solution that can grow and evolve with your organization, you’re investing in the long-term security of your facilities. Don’t wait until an emergency exposes the weaknesses in your current system. Upgrade to a solution that ensures your alarms are always heard and acted upon swiftly.

Take the next step in securing your facilities today. Contact Digitize to learn more about how the System 3505 Prism LX can be customized to meet your specific needs and ensure that your alarm monitoring system is prepared for whatever challenges the future may bring.

You can achieve what one of our fire-department clients described this way: "I was already on my way to the fire when I got the call from the central station."

Call us at 1-800-523-7232 or email info@digitize-inc.com to schedule a consultation or get a demo of proprietary fire alarm monitoring for your campus.

Andrew Erickson

Andrew Erickson is an Application Engineer at DPS Telecom, a manufacturer of semi-custom remote alarm monitoring systems based in Fresno, California. Andrew brings more than 17 years of experience building site monitoring solutions, developing intuitive user interfaces and documentation, and...Read More