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Topic: Fire Alarm Regulations

Frankie Angel
Film Handler

Posts: 6
From: Brooklkyn NY USA
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 12-04-1999 10:44 AM

Our main theatre is a large 2450 seat house -- the administration just installed a fire alarm system. The system includes an indication panel backstage that shows the status and location of each handpull box and fire/smoke detector. The system also has fire annunciators (strobe lights and audible squawk) throughout the halls, the booths and the auditoria.

This sytem is not connected directly to the fire department but to a console in the security office (we are talking about the security office of the college campus where the performing arts complex is located).

Originally we were told that the procedure was that when the system was triggered by either heat, smoke or a manual handpull box activation, security would come to the scene, look at the indication panel and then investigate to determine if there was actually a fire. If there was, they then would call it in to the city fire department.

Problem is, the freakin system continually malfunctions and it give false alarms -- a few times in the middle of show with a full house -- lights and squawk going full force in the theatre.

Our GM has written letters, had meetings and done everything but call the security people A-holes, to no avail. They are not taking us seriously and don't seem to realize the danger that a squawking, flashing fire alarm in a crowded theatre presents.

Our demands that they fix the system has annoyed them so much that now they say we need to evacuate the theatres ANY time the alarm goes off. Knowing that so far, 100% of the alarms have been false alarms, this is totally irresponsible and, in a word, insane.

My question is, does anyone have any fire policy in place at your theatres that deals your local, in-house fire alarm system? Surely the municipal regulations can't require evacuation of large facilities, be they theatres or any building with a large number of occupants, based on an unconfirmed fire alarm (especially one which everyone knows is malfunctioning).

Anyone know if there are any federal regs on this? If anyone who is NY based can give me some info on what the NY regs are, I'd appreciate it.

------------------
Frank Angel,
Brooklyn Center Cinema

www.BrooklynCenter.com

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Ken Layton
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1452
From: Olympia, Wash. USA
Registered: Sep 1999

posted 12-04-1999 12:32 PM

I'd say have the system installation checked.
The apartment building across from me had the same problem --- continual false fire alarms going off at all hours. Turns out the company that installed the system put heat detectors RIGHT OVER THE OVENS! The building owner had them come back and move them 10 feet away from the ovens and NO MORE PROBLEMS AT ALL.
Check to see if they installed a heat detector near your lamphouse in the booth or near lamphouse exhaust ducting in the attic.
From what I've seen in other theaters, most of the time problems were traced to the heat sensors.

If you still have problems and security insists on evacuating the theater, then have the crowd converge on the security office!

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Rick Long
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 759
From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 12-04-1999 12:57 PM

We too, here in Ontario have had growing-pain problems with fire alarms. We use a two-stage alarm, the first with a slow-ringing bell that allows the staff to get to the location from where the alarm was triggered, to acess the situation. If the alarm is not cancelled within a certain period of time (I think, two minutes) the second stage kicks in, the bell rings rapidly, the house lights come up, all performances automatically shut down, and the fire department is automatically notified.
In many cases, we have found that placement of the smoke/heat sensors were dictated by those who know absolutely nothing about theatre operations. (Is there a concession person who has never burnt the popcorn at least once?)
Bad as it is during a regular performance, it is particularly embarassing during a festival where the director is screaming "Rewind the film, the audience missed the most important part of the picture." - and your running on platters.

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Randy Stankey
Film God

Posts: 6539
From: Erie, Pennsylvania
Registered: Jun 99

posted 12-04-1999 01:16 PM

Don't get me started!

I've had about enough of fire alarms!

www.film-tech.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000153.html

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Gordon McLeod
Film God

Posts: 9532
From: Toronto Ontario Canada
Registered: Jun 99

posted 12-04-1999 02:05 PM

Is there a payphone in the lobby?
If so call the firedept. in annonomusly evertime it goes off
In Ont. a building that calls in over a few times false alarms per month gets fine several thousand dollars per call
It is amazing how fast things get fixed

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Stefan Scholz
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 223
From: Schoenberg, Germany
Registered: Sep 1999

posted 12-04-1999 02:40 PM

I assume Gordon's answer is best. Over here, FD charges for "false" alarms, and within a big city, theese are thousends of dsollars. We had a simelar problem with a convention center, FD came, operating company was charged $$$, and finally they called the maintainence company to rework the system

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Ken Layton
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1452
From: Olympia, Wash. USA
Registered: Sep 1999

posted 12-04-1999 03:45 PM

Yes, by all means call the fire dept. every time that thing goes off. That will definately get it fixed!

In Olympia, Wash. anything after the 3rd false alarm kicks in the fines for every false alarm afterwards.

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Randy Stankey
Film God

Posts: 6539
From: Erie, Pennsylvania
Registered: Jun 99

posted 12-04-1999 04:02 PM

Here in Erie, Pa, you get a couple of "Free" false alarms. (Usually 3 -- But it really depends on whether the Fire Chief likes you or not.) After that, it costs you $500 PER TRUCK that they roll PLUS any amount the fire chief feels is appropriate.

If you can call in to the County Fire Control's dispatch center quick enough, you can tell them just to send the Fire Chief if you know it's a falsie. That way you only get smacked with one truck's worth. BUT if the Fire Chief HATES you, he can roll every truck in the county and make you pay for each one. (I'm sure it'd never REALLY happen, but that would be pretty funny if it did. -- As long as it happened to SOMEBODY ELSE!)

I agree with everybody else. Call 'em in! If you can't hit 'em with logic, hit 'em in the pocket book!

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Joe Smith
Film Handler

Posts: 56
From: Dale City, Va. USA
Registered: Oct 1999

posted 12-04-1999 07:16 PM

I agree!! Bypass security and call in the alarm directly to the fire dispatcher. IT may cause problems initially, but the problem will get fixed!

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John Walsh
Film God

Posts: 2490
From: Connecticut, USA, Earth, Milky Way
Registered: Oct 1999

posted 12-05-1999 09:36 AM

I find that the people who install fire/burgler alarm equipment have almost no experence. And the equipment itself is cheaply made. Labor is expensive, and alarm companies think, "We just need someone to pull wire." It gets nicked and streched.. The real money apparently is in the monthly monitoring.
At our theater, all the projectors shut down and the all the house lights goto "panic" when an alarm is pulled, in addition to dialing the fire dept directly.

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John Wilson
Film God

Posts: 5438
From: Sydney, Australia.
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 12-06-1999 01:27 AM

Ours does all that as well as triggers a digital evacuation announcement.

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