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Mobile phones: Reliable as a fire alarm?
Why aren’t mobile phone text systems reliable as fire alarms?

Since 2002, BS5839-1 section 18 has been dedicated to the special requirements of “Fire alarm Warnings for people with Impaired Hearing”.  It is vital that this standard is adhered to as this is seen by industry experts as the minimum acceptable standard that should be considered safe to use.  We feel it is important not to cherry-pick areas and ignore others, as some suppliers appear to do. 

Do not meet BS5839
Mobile phone systems do not and cannot with current technology meet British and European fire standards, such as BS5839-1. There is a section (18) dedicated to the special requirements of “Fire alarm warnings for people with Impaired Hearing”.

Weak vibration
Mobile phone vibration is generally quite weak. The strongest we have tested is less than half the strength of our vibrating Alerter. Text message vibration is also very short in duration; our Alerter vibrates until the fire alarm is reset. Is a user guaranteed to notice the message on a mobile phone?

Unreliable signal
Relying on phone networks is extremely dangerous as the signal can be patchy throughout a building and varies from network to network. You have no control over which network the recipient is using, posing a risk to the user. Will they receive a message in your building?

Poor battery life
Smartphone battery life is very poor and will often not last a full day of use. Our Alerter has a typical battery life of 4-6 weeks with several days of low battery warning. If a recipient’s battery has run out how are they going to receive emergency messages?

If you would like to speak to someone about our solutions, please do not hesitate to get in touch on 01332 363981.

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