Fire alarm monitoring connects your building with our ULC-listed Signals Receiving Centre (SRC).The ULC-S561 standard outlines the process of providing fire alarm monitoring in Canada and serves as a reference in fire and building codes. As such, the ULC-S561 fire alarm monitoring certificate is the only physical proof that the alarm monitoring system in your building is compliant with the ULCS-561 standard. FMC is 100% ULC compliant and can issue such certificates to attest that your building meets the standard.
Fire alarm monitoring works in tandem with your fire alarm system to transmit your alarm signals to a Signals Receiving Centre (SRC). Once at the SRC, a trained operator notifies the proper authorities. This allows you to focus on ensuring that the occupants of your building evacuate quickly and safely.
As part of the Fire Code and Building Code, high-rise residential buildings are required to have fire alarm monitoring services for their building. A monitored fire alarm system ensures that the fire department is always dispatched upon fire alarm activation, allowing occupants to focus on the safe evacuation of the building.
FMC installs, monitors and services fire alarm and fire sprinkler monitoring systems which are compliant with CAN/ULC-S561. Using a ULC-listed fire alarm monitoring transmitter which is connected to each facility’s fire sprinkler or fire alarm system, allows FMC to notify the fire department in the event of an alarm.
A Fire Alarm Monitoring system works in tandem with your building’s Fire Alarm or Fire Sprinkler System to transmit alarm signals from your facility to our ULC-Listed Signals Receiving Centre (SRC). All of FMC’s fire alarm system installations are CAN/ULC-S561 compliant, which is referenced in Fire and Building codes.
Safety is the best policy and when it comes to your school. You want to feel secure in knowing that your students, staff and faculty are in a safe environment. It is critical that all schools be equipped with fire alarm monitoring systems to help children, adults, and protect the building itself. As part of ULC-S561, fire alarm monitoring promptly calls the fire department every time the alarm sounds in the building. Allowing teachers and administrators to focus on the expedient evacuation of the building.
FMC’s fire alarm monitoring solutions are CAN/ULC-S561 compliant, as referenced in Fire and Building Codes. These systems are responsible for transmitting fire alarm signals from your healthcare facility to our ULC-Listed Signals Receiving Centre (SRC).
Your fire alarm system is in place to detect a fire in your facility and alert those in the building to evacuate. Sprinkler systems are similar, with the added ability to suppress a fire. Most of these systems are not designed to notify the authorities of a potential fire. This means that if no one makes a call to the fire department, they may not respond until it is too late.
To mitigate this, FMC’s CFAA-certified service technicians will install a ULC fire alarm monitoring transmitter in your building. This panel will connect to your fire alarm or sprinkler system and transmit signals to our ULC-Listed, Five Diamond monitoring center, where one of our trained operators will handle it.
When a fire-sensing device activates in your building, it sends fire alarm signals to our ULC-listed SRC. Upon receiving a fire alarm signal, FMC is obligated to notify the fire department within 30 seconds without verification.
Fire trouble indicates an issue with the fire alarm system as a whole or its components. The ULC-S561 fire monitoring standard says that FMC has five minutes to notify keyholders of a trouble condition.
A fire supervisory alarm typically indicates an issue with something connected to your fire alarm system. For instance, if your building has a sprinkler system in addition to a fire alarm system, it will provide supervisory contacts, indicating an issue with the sprinkler system. Similarly, generators or carbon monoxide systems can also generate supervisory signals if connected to the building fire alarm system.
When monitoring a sprinkler system directly, without an on-site fire alarm panel, FMC will monitor similar, but different types of alarms. The monitoring system will actively monitor three common alarms, including water flow, low water pressure, and gate valve switches.
A water flow signal indicates that water is flowing through the sprinkler system and necessitates dispatching the fire department. FMC is required to notify the fire department of a water flow alarm signal within 30 seconds without verification.
A low-pressure signal indicates that the pressure in the sprinkler system has decreased to the point that it may not operate properly. If this signal is received, FMC will dispatch keyholders.
Some valves allow water to pass into your sprinkler system. A closed gate valve means that your sprinkler system may not work, and we’ll dispatch keyholders as required by the ULC-S561 fire monitoring standard.
We leverage OPEN ACCESS™’s revolutionary technology to re-transmit fire alarm information to the appropriate authorities. Actively reducing response times by 114.7 seconds. By automatically transmitting alarms electronically, we can decrease the potential for human error. Aiding and expediting the dispatch of emergency response providers.
Traditional monitoring uses an alarm monitoring panel to relay alarm information to a ULC-listed SRC. Once received, alarm monitoring centre operators use this information to dispatch emergency responders by calling and verbally relaying the alarm and building information to the fire department’s emergency dispatcher. Who will then dispatch the authorities to the location.
Through the use of OPEN ACCESS™, the system automatically electronically re-transmits alarms to the emergency services dispatcher, while the monitoring station operator supervises the initial signal. The monitoring center operator still makes a call to verify that the alarm data has been received. However, typically, by the time they make the call, the emergency responders’ dispatch and turnout procedures are already underway.
From existing facilities to new installations, FMC can be your complete fire alarm system installation provider. Our team ensures smooth project delivery. Actively guaranteeing efficient and cost-effective installation of all fire panels and devices. Whilst maintaining necessary fire code requirements, in every case.
To ensure it operates as intended and without any deficiencies, you must inspect and maintain your fire alarm system on an annual basis. The Ontario Fire Code mandates that a fire alarm system, with or without voice communication capability, undergo inspection and testing in conformance with CAN/ULC-S536.
FMC uses ULC-approved methods of communication to monitor your building through the equipment we install with the fire alarm monitoring transmitter. Signals are recieved through:
Cellular Communication
IP (Internet)
Phone Lines
DVACS (for legacy systems)
FMC can provide communications in both active and passive formats, meaning that the communication system can either be standalone or requires a back-up. “Active” systems undergo supervision every 180 seconds. They do not require a second form of communication. “Passive” systems are tested once daily and necessitate some combination of phone line/cellular/IP. Our qualified customer service team will help you determine what fit is best for your facility.
ULC-S561 sets the standard for fire alarm monitoring in Canada. Building Codes and Fire Codes reference the standard, governing the installation of equipment, communication protocols, construction of facilities, maintenance of equipment, and handling of signals received from your building. FMC adheres to all ULC-S561 requirements for fire alarm monitoring and can issue ULC certificates to your site. All requirements must be met to obtain the ULC-S561 standard. The ULC Certificate is the only physical proof that your site meets the Standard for fire alarm monitoring. However, if your monitoring partner can’t issue a ULC certificate, they are not providing ULC-level alarm monitoring.
FMC’s trained, certified technicians perform all installation, servicing and annual maintenance of the fire alarm monitoring and sprinkler monitoring equipment. ULC-S561 mandates annual inspections of the monitoring equipment. In some instances, bi-monthly inspections if the system is directly connected to a sprinkler system.