Fire alarm panel showing a fault: what to do

A fire alarm panel showing a fault is not an emergency in itself, but it means part of the system may not work when it is needed. Treat every fault as a reason to act the same day.

First, check it is not a fire

If the panel shows fire rather than fault, follow your evacuation procedure. Never assume a fire signal is false until someone has checked safely.

Common fault messages

• Mains or power supply fault: the panel has lost its mains supply and is running on batteries. Check whether a breaker or fused spur has tripped, or whether there is a wider power cut.
• Battery fault: the standby batteries are failing or disconnected. Batteries normally need replacing every few years.
• Earth fault: a cable is touching earth somewhere, often after building work or water damage.
• Open circuit or short circuit: a cable has been damaged or a device removed.
• Device missing or not responding: on an addressable system, a detector has been removed, painted over, or has failed.
• Sounder circuit fault: the circuit feeding the alarm sounders has a problem, which could mean the alarm will not be heard.

What you can do safely

1. Read the message and write it down, with the date and time, in the logbook.
2. Note which zone or device is affected.
3. Check for obvious causes: a tripped breaker, a detector cover left on after decorating, a device knocked off its base.
4. Use the panel's buzzer silence if needed, but do not disable zones or devices unless you have been trained to.
5. Call your maintenance engineer, giving them the exact message.

When part of the system is out of action

If a zone or the whole system cannot be fixed quickly, the building may need interim measures until it is. Your fire risk assessment should guide this, and it may include:

• extra fire patrols or a fire watch in the affected area
• briefing staff or residents that the system is impaired
• telling your insurer
• in high-rise residential buildings in England, reporting the fault to the fire and rescue service if a key fire-fighting system cannot be fixed within 24 hours.

Preventing repeat faults

Regular six-monthly servicing catches failing batteries and deteriorating devices before they cause a fault. A contractor procedure that requires zones to be isolated and reinstated properly prevents many faults after building work.