Nationwide Fire & Security -Remote monitoring identifies fire alarm panel power loss

The situation

Nimbus had been installed at a student accommodation site to provide remote visibility of the fire alarm system, allowing the service provider to monitor system activity and identify significant faults or changes in status.

The site already had an existing sprinkler-related fault showing on the fire alarm system. As the fault had been present for some time, onsite security initially believed subsequent indications were related to the same known issue.

Through Nimbus, however, the service provider could see the status of one of the networked fire alarm panels progressively change:

This indicated that a separate issue was developing.

Identifying the issue remotely

As the panel moved from mains failure to a low battery condition and eventually complete power loss, the service provider was able to see the progression remotely.

This prompted them to contact the site and investigate why the panel had lost its mains supply.

Further investigation established that the incoming electrical supply to the fire alarm panel had been tampered with.

By this point, the affected panel had lost power completely and was unable to provide its intended level of fire detection and alarm protection.

Taking action

With visibility of the changing panel status, the service provider was able to distinguish the developing problem from the existing sprinkler-related fault and raise it with the onsite team.

The cause of the power failure was identified and the affected fire alarm system was subsequently reinstated.

The outcome

Without remote monitoring, the loss of power could potentially have remained unnoticed or been attributed to the existing fault.

Nimbus provided visibility of the full sequence, from the initial mains failure through to the eventual loss of power.

This enabled the service provider to identify the significance of the issue, contact the site and ensure that it was investigated before the loss of protection could contribute to a fire-related incident.

What Nimbus provided

• Remote visibility of fire alarm panel status and faults
• Clearer identification of a new issue alongside an existing fault
• Visibility of a developing condition, from mains failure through to complete power loss
• Faster communication between the service provider and onsite personnel
• Earlier investigation following interference with the panel's electrical supply
• Confirmation that the affected panel had gone offline, enabling corrective action to be taken

Greater visibility when it matters

This incident demonstrates the practical value of real-time fire alarm monitoring.

An indication that was initially believed to relate to an existing fault was, in fact, part of a separate sequence that resulted in the complete loss of power to a fire alarm panel.

Nimbus gave the service provider visibility of that progression remotely, helping them identify the issue, investigate the cause and restore the affected system.

See how Nimbus provides real-time visibility of your fire alarm systems.