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Remote fire alarm monitoring vs servicing and inspections
Remote fire alarm monitoring and servicing are two different jobs. One tells you what your panel is reporting. The other keeps the whole system in working order. Remote monitoring never replaces certified installation, servicing or inspections.
The difference at a glance
Remote monitoring
Shows you what your fire alarm panels are reporting, across all your sites, and keeps a history. It helps your team find out sooner and respond faster.
Certified install, servicing and inspections
Competent people design and install the system, test it, service it, inspect it and repair it. They keep the system working and keep the records.
What remote monitoring does
- Shows FIRE, FAULT and lost contact from each panel.
- Puts the most urgent items first, across every site.
- Keeps a history you can use for reports.
What servicing and inspections do
A certified fire alarm contractor installs and commissions the system, tests it, services it on a regular schedule, repairs problems and keeps the records your insurer or local authority may ask for. Only people on site can test a detector or fix a wiring problem.
Why one cannot replace the other
- Monitoring can show a FAULT, but it cannot fix it.
- Monitoring cannot test a detector or inspect the system.
- Monitoring does not call the emergency services.
- FireWatch Pro does not certify your system or your building.
How they work well together
Seeing a FAULT sooner means your contractor can be called sooner. A clear history of what each panel reported gives your team and your contractor something concrete to talk about.
Questions to ask your fire alarm contractor
- What servicing and inspection schedule applies to my system?
- Who responds to a FAULT, and how quickly?
- Can my panel be connected for remote monitoring?
FireWatch Pro is monitoring, not a replacement. It does not replace certified installation, servicing or inspections, a monitoring centre, or the emergency services, and it does not control your fire alarm.
Keep reading
- FIRE vs FAULT alarmsA plain-English guide to FIRE and FAULT on a fire alarm panel: what each one means, who should act, and why a FAULT should never be left to sit.
- Fire panel monitoringFire panel monitoring that listens to your existing fire alarm panels and shows FIRE, FAULT and lost-contact status remotely. It never controls the panel.
- Multi-site fire alarm monitoringWatch the fire alarm panels in all your buildings from one screen. See FIRE and FAULT as they happen, most urgent first, without ringing around site by site.
- Fire alarm monitoring in South AfricaFire alarm monitoring software for South African facility owners and security managers. One view of FIRE and FAULT across your sites, alongside certified systems.
Keep watch between visits
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FireWatch Pro helps you keep watch. It does not replace your certified fire alarm systems, monitoring centres or emergency services, and it does not control your fire alarm. It is designed to work alongside them. FireWatch Pro does not certify any building or system.