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Knowledge Center

False Alarms

Purpose Statement

The False Alarms Dashboard in Advanced Data Insights provides a centralized, visual summary of false alarm activity across your jurisdiction.

This dashboard enables agencies to monitor false alarm volume, identify repeat locations, analyze trends, and support operational decision-making, prevention strategies, and policy development related to nuisance or repeat alarm activity.

Background Information

The False Alarms Dashboard is part of the Advanced Data Insights suite and focuses on incidents classified as false alarms using Fire Incident Documentation data.

It helps agencies better understand where and why false alarms occur, which properties generate repeat incidents, and how false alarm activity changes over time.

Users can analyze:

  • Total false alarm volume
  • Unique locations generating false alarms
  • Intentional or malicious false alarms
  • Trends over time
  • Property types and incident classifications

Important:
Advanced Data Insights dashboards are part of a paid upgrade package and may not be available to all agencies. If this dashboard is not visible, contact your Client Success Manager.

Prerequisites:

  • Access to Advanced Data Insights
  • Proper classification of incidents as false alarms
  • Available incident data within the selected reporting period

Required Permissions

Users must have appropriate permissions to access dashboards and fire incident data.

Typical permissions include:

  • Advanced Data Insights access
  • Dashboard view permissions
  • Fire Incident Documentation access

Recommended roles:

  • Administrators
  • Chiefs
  • Fire prevention personnel
  • Inspectors
  • Operations officers
  • Data analysts

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Go to the First Due logo.
  2. Access the module stack.
  3. Select the Dashboard module.
  4. Select either Dashboards or Dashboard List.
  5. Select the False Alarms Dashboard from the drop-down list.

Dashboard Features & Highlights

Filter Options

Users can refine dashboard data using:

  • Alarm Datetime (date range)
  • Incident Subgroup or Type
  • Address
  • Additional available attributes

All dashboard visuals update dynamically based on selected filters.

 

 

KPI Summary Cards

Quickly view high-level metrics such as:

  • Total false alarms
  • Number of unique locations
  • Intentional or malicious false alarms

These provide a snapshot of workload and community impact.

Map Visualization

  • Displays false alarm locations across the response area
  • Highlights high-frequency locations and clusters
  • Supports inspection planning and community risk reduction efforts

False Alarm Addresses Table

  • Ranks locations by number of false alarms
  • Helps identify repeat offenders and nuisance properties
  • Supports enforcement and follow-up actions

False Alarm Details Table

  • Provides incident-level data including:
    • Incident number
    • Address
    • Incident type and subgroup
    • Shift
    • Key timestamps
  • Supports review and validation of individual incidents

Charts and Trend Analysis

  • False Alarms by Type: Understand distribution by classification (e.g., malfunction, unintentional, malicious)
  • False Alarms by Property Type: Identify which property categories generate the most alarms
  • False Alarm Trends Over Time: Analyze changes by month, quarter, or year to identify patterns and trends

Key Metrics Definitions

  • False Alarms: Total number of incidents classified as false alarms
  • Locations: Number of unique addresses generating false alarms
  • Intentional False Alarms: Incidents identified as malicious (NERIS or NFIRS classifications)
  • Call Percentage: Share of total false alarms by type

Best Practices

  • Ensure incidents are accurately classified to maintain data integrity
  • Use consistent date ranges when comparing trends
  • Regularly review repeat locations for inspection or enforcement opportunities
  • Combine dashboard insights with prevention and inspection workflows
  • Use property type and map data to prioritize community risk reduction efforts

Avoid:

  • Relying on incomplete or misclassified incident data
  • Drawing conclusions without verifying applied filters
  • Using summary metrics without validating detailed records when needed

Troubleshooting & FAQs

Why are false alarms not appearing in the dashboard?
Verify that incidents are correctly classified as false alarms, the selected date range includes relevant data, and filters are not excluding results.

What defines an intentional false alarm?
Intentional false alarms are typically identified using NERIS classifications or NFIRS codes such as 710, 711, 714, and 715.

Why do location counts seem inaccurate?
Location counts represent unique addresses within the selected time period. Adjust filters to confirm accuracy.

Can I identify repeat offenders?
Yes. Use the False Alarm Addresses table to identify properties with multiple incidents.

Who should use this dashboard?
Fire leadership, prevention and inspection staff, operations officers, and community risk reduction teams.