Melbourne building operators turning fire alarms off to save on costs associated with false alarms

THOUSANDS of Melburnians live and work in dangerous fire traps where alarms have been disabled by penny-pinching building operators who want to avoid paying hefty fees for false alarms.

EXCLUSIVE: Thousands of Melburnians live and work in dangerous fire traps where alarms have been disabled.

A Metropolitan Fire Brigade alarm system audit of about 25 significant buildings in the city has found about half of buildings checked were not connected to the brigade.

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Sources close to the fire service say it is suspected rogue building operators are routinely unlinking fire alarms in an attempt to avoid call-out fees.

In some cases, alarms had been switched off for maintenance or other purposes, but it is suspected several owners or managers are disabling machines on purpose to avoid having to pay big fees for false alarms.

The MFB charges hundreds of dollars per truck in 15-minute intervals, with repeated false alarms proving to be costly. Picture: Nicole Garmston

Some buildings are more prone to their monitoring systems being triggered than others.

The MFB charges hundreds of dollars per truck for every 15-minute period it attends, making repeated false alerts expensive.

Sources say the practice of disabling alarms has increased in recent years.

MFB spokeswoman Zoe Keightley said the brigade had identified an issue with fire indicator panels and alarm signalling equipment in Victoria.

“The issue does not relate to the fire alarm itself, but the adjoining isolation and fault connections,” Ms Keightley said.

“It will not affect the operation of a fire alarm in a fire but may mean that faults and isolations of the system may not be communicated to the fire-alarm maintenance company.”

Ms Keightley said both the MFB and CFA had written to all building owners and alarm maintenance companies that use monitored alarm technology, to make them aware of the issue.

Concerned residents outside a public housing tower in Fitzroy that was feared to have poor fire safety. Picture: Hamish Blair

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“We will continue to monitor this issue, conduct random inspections and work with the Victorian Building Authority, municipal building surveyors and building owners to ensure the safety of building residents and emergency services personnel,” she said.

It comes as response times for Victoria’s fire services, which were released for the first time in October, showed both the MFB and CFA hit their targets for more than 85 per cent of incidents.

Earlier this year, it was revealed recommendations from a MFB report into fire safety would be implemented at all 44 public housing towers across Melbourne.

The state government acted on the five recommendations the MFB called for after an arson attack at a public housing tower in Fitzroy in March forced the evacuation of more than 200 people and left six people injured.