Fire Alarm Unique Reference Number 1

Hampshire Fire Services Automatic Fire Alarm Reduction Officer, Mick Wenham, handing the 1st URN Registration Document to CIAs General Manager, Colin Langdown

Hampshire Fire & Rescue Service have recently introduced the need for URNs (Unique Reference Numbers) for monitored fire alarms.

CIA - who are BAFE accredited - have scored another "first" by becoming the first fire alarm installer to register a URN (Unique Reference Number) in Hampshire for a fire alarm, and Colin Langdown, General Manager of CIA, accepted the first URN Registration Document from AFA Reduction Officer, Mick Wenham, on the company's behalf.

The Fire Service will only issue a URN if the installing company has third party accreditation – ie, they have been independently assessed by a specialist inspection body such as BAFE who are recognized by Government, other enforcement authorities and insurers.

URNs have been introduced to reduce time wasting when the Fire Brigade is called out to false alarms.

These false alarms known as UFSs (Unwanted Fire Signals) have been identified as a major drain on resources by the Fire & Rescue Service and are often the result of sub-standard installations.

To become BAFE SP203 accredited Fire Alarm installers have to demonstrate that their systems rarely, if ever, cause UFSs. Without BAFE accreditation, the Fire Service will not issue a URN; CIA are proud to pioneer this new requirement!

Hampshire Fire & Rescue Service formed the new AFA (Automatic Fire Alarms) Reduction Team earlier this year as part of the Business Education Unit, ultimately to reduce the number of these unwanted calls - a staggering 98% of alarm calls do not require a response from the Fire Service.