According to the December 2008 “Campus Safety Fire Survey,” half of college, K-12 school and hospital fire safety professionals say systems maintenance is one of their top four fire protection challenges. More than 48 percent also indicate false alarms are a significant problem.

Integration with other non-fire systems, such as mass notification, is another challenge that was most often checked by participants. Of the 447 campus officials who took the survey, 141 (32 percent) marked this option as one of their top four concerns.

According to Robin Hattersley Gray, Campus Safety‘s executive editor, the study points out another problem that must be addressed: K-12 school fire code non-compliance. “One in five schools say their systems do not comply with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) code,” she says. “Hopefully, they are working to upgrade their equipment so students are optimally protected. If not, they should start immediately.”

Other highlights of the study include:

• Half of all respondents are currently evaluating detection systems or might or might not install a new system, depending on circumstances
• Compared to 2008, 62 percent of respondents will have the same amount of money or more to spend on new or upgraded fire systems in 2009
• The average number of fires or fire-related incidents campuses have experienced in the past three years is five

The study’s results can be found in the January/February issue of Campus Safety, a sister publication of SECUIRTY SALES & INTEGRATION, by clicking here.

If you enjoyed this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our FREE digital newsletters!

Related Content