Encino Medical Building Evacuated After Fire Report
A medical office building in Encino was briefly evacuated Tuesday morning following a report of a potential structure fire. Los Angeles Fire Department crews responded to the scene and, after an investigation, determined the building was safe for re-entry. The cause of the initial alarm is currently under investigation.
- From January 1 to September 24, 2018, the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) responded to 27,111 dispatched automatic alarms, of which only 159 were actual fires. - Common causes for false alarms in commercial buildings include dust, steam, humidity, and insects, which can confuse smoke detector sensors. - The City of Los Angeles has an Unwanted Alarm Enforcement Program to increase enforcement and recover costs for responses to recurring faulty alarm systems. - In the event of an alarm, a building's heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system is typically designed to shut down to prevent the spread of smoke. - Standard evacuation procedures for commercial buildings mandate that occupants use stairwells, as elevators are automatically recalled to the ground floor and deactivated. - The LAFD tracks problematic alarm systems and has a policy to formally refer a building for inspection if it has three similar alarms in a 24-hour period or three in a 30-day period. - Following an alarm and evacuation, only the ranking fire department officer on the scene can give the "All Clear" for occupants to safely re-enter the building. - To reduce non-emergency responses, some fire departments, like Henderson, Nevada, have stopped dispatching units to automatic alarms until there is a visual confirmation of a fire, though this is not the policy in Los Angeles.
