Euralarm publishes White Paper on Fire Safety in a Connected World

Importantly, this eleven-page White Paper outlines how fire detection systems are transforming into intelligent and connected infrastructures alongside a description of what this means for service providers, building operators and policymakers across the continent.

False fire alarms remain a significant burden. Studies including Euralarm’s own 2022 research have shown that, in some countries, the false fire alarm ratio of fire detection and alarm systems is over 85%. Unnecessary activations disrupt business continuity, erode confidence in fire protection systems and can negatively impact Emergency Services.

In parallel, climate change, energy efficiency targets and a shrinking pool of skilled labour are serving to reshape building operations and maintenance practices.

Digital transformation

Digital transformation offers powerful answers. Through smart connectivity, cloud-based monitoring and data analytics, fire detection systems can now provide real-time insights, enabling remote diagnosis, predictive maintenance and data-driven decision-making. These capabilities combine to reduce downtime, improve safety and support sustainability goals by cutting engineers’ travel time and optimising resource use.

That said, it must be recognised that with connectivity comes a new responsibility: cyber security. As fire systems are now more often connected via the Internet, they must be protected from digital threats that could compromise safety or availability.

Standards such as EN 50710:2021 (for remote services), CLC/TS 50136-10 (referencing remote access infrastructure), IEC 62443 (for industrial OT cyber security) and ISO/IEC 27001 (concentrating on information security management in the IT domain) provide the framework for building and operating secure systems that are designed to protect information, assets and operations from unauthorised access, damage or disruption.

Such secure systems that follow ‘Security by Design’ and ‘Security by Default’ principles ensure that fire protection remains reliable even in the connected era.

Resilience and sustainability

By integrating fire detection, remote services and cyber security, European stakeholders can achieve safer, more resilient and more sustainable buildings.

Interconnected digital fire safety is already emerging as the new operating model and is expected to become standard practice across many new and modernised buildings during the second half of this decade as connectivity, remote services and cyber security requirements become embedded in building operations and European regulatory frameworks.

Those parties who act now will lead the market transformation, in turn delivering smarter protection and stronger trust in the systems that safeguard lives and assets.

*The Euralarm White Paper on Fire Safety in a Connected World can be downloaded from the Euralarm website

**Further information is available online at www.euralarm.org