False alarm

A false alarm or false alarm is an erroneous or improper alarming example of fire, ambulance or the police, who, a so-called false alarm use leads to no or unnecessary use.

Distinction between

In Germany the term false positive is frequently used, although the DIN VDE 0833-1 ( Alarm systems for fire, intrusion and hold ) foreseen term false alarm is. According to DIN VDE 0833-1 definition of a false alarm is an alarm that no risk is based. In Austria, the term false alarm but in different pieces of legislation derived from received due to an error alarm is used, while the term false alarm does not occur from a legal perspective.

Some argue that the word " failure " refers to a technical error, as is the case with a technical alarm. However, a malicious alarm or false alarm is the result of an act of a human being and not based on a technical error. Even, therefore, is the " parent " term " false alarm " justified, since it is often not known in advance what was the cause of the alarm. Cunning after Argumentatoren could calculate a " false alarm " come to the conclusion that it was indeed not have been a false alarm, because yes, an alarm was present, who, though wrong, but not a "missing" alert (ie " false alarm " ) represented. However, the explanatory memorandum should be legally difficult to sustain. In Germany is therefore recommended that you use the correct legal term according to the recognized rules of technology, so the standards, especially in this fee schedules of the authorities.

Classification

A false alarm can be broadly classified as follows:

• Technical alarm, often referred to commonly as a blind Alert: The term is not defined in the standard series DIN VDE 0833, however, contributes to the specification of the cause of a false alarm at. Causes can be: The fire alarm is defective or has been, for example, adversely affected by electromagnetic (EMC).
• Malicious Alert: this term is also not defined in the standard series DIN VDE 0833. This refers to the improper alarms or feigning a dangerous situation or a crime. The alarm was triggered by a deliberate action without real need, for example, on a push-button alarms or false alarms of smoke detectors, eg using hairspray. Misuse of emergency calls in Germany punishable ( § 145 StGB ), but also on the emergency phone numbers.
• False alarm: This term is defined in DIN VDE 0833-1 as a false alarm, which is caused by pretense of a physical and / or chemical characteristic of an automatic detector. The fire alarm or the alarm has been thus deceived by effects that are similar to a real danger, such as cigarette smoke, welding fumes or kitchen.

It sometimes also happens that transmission errors cause of a false alarm are ( lack of competence with respect to the place of use or incorrect assumptions).

Fire alarm

When the fire is a common cause of false alarms that a fire alarm in so-called hot work (eg welding ) has not been turned off. However, in the reverse case, it also comes to real fires without an alarm, because such fire alarm will not wake up in time after the work.

Reimbursement

In Germany is a false alarm, pulling a fire department or police operation by itself, usually free of charge. Persons accused trigger a false alarm, are liable for damages and criminal liability ( § 145, § 145d StGB). Has the alarming person acted in good faith and is not intent recognizable, so the public pays the costs. There is therefore no reason not to alert the fire department in case of presumed, but not secured danger.

Police in North Rhine -Westphalia provides landowners to whose house she is disengaged due to a false alarm of a burglar alarm system, regularly € 87 per use into account.

The police in Hesse presents during a police operation in false alarms, ie when triggered an alarm, hazard detection, signal, warning or emergency call system, an emergency call system or a comparable facility or a comparable system including technical failures or interruptions in the transmission path for alarm forwarding, if not detected by the police evidence of a crime or a dangerous situation be 125 € to the account ( see 5311 in administrative costs order ).

A home owners' association shall bear the cost of the fire brigade, triggered by a false alarm of a fire detector. This is regardless of whether the tenant or landlord has installed the fire alarm. The landlord must pay for the damage.

Test messages

Another alarm without alarm real case test messages, the first being in the emergency and / or service control center where the alarm system is connected or switched displayed. Logically, no one speaks of a test alarm, as no risk deterring potential is here to reason, but only a test message that needs to be carried out mostly during an inspection or maintenance.

Follow

False alarms also carry the risk of habituation of the alarmed people groups. This also legitimate alerts are no longer taken seriously, if necessary. An example is likely the alarm systems of vehicles to be that are ignored, at least in the urban environment of the vast majority of people and are mostly as an annoyance, as a malfunction or other causes that do not necessarily have to do with a crime is suspected.

Signal detection theory

False alarm is also a term used in signal detection theory, and can mean that a doctor believes to be seen on an X-ray image a tumor that is not there. It can also be a false positive HIV or pregnancy test.

Frequency

In Viersen are far more than 90 % of the messages signaled burglary false alarms.

The alarms of fire alarm systems are often false alarms. Example: In the district of Munich in 1996 the incidence was 97 % and 2007 at 91 %.

A false alarm rate of 100 % means that at least one false alarm was present but not a single genuine alarm. The number of false alarms can be arbitrarily high in this specification so. Therefore, in the police area, the number of false alarms per system per year will now be given. In the area of ​​attack and intrusion detection systems ( I & HAS / EMA) show police studies have shown that even relatively low false alarm rate of about 1.1 false alarms per plant per year are recorded in Germany. This is mainly due to the defined in Germany inevitability. This prevents after police experience effectively the occurrence of false alarms, which is why this is one of the essential requirements in police regulations, such as the ÜEA Directive, or in guidelines VdS.