MONITORING EQUIPMENT (CTU)

The monitoring equipment (CTU) is connected to the customer's fire alarm equipment. When a state change in the fire alarm equipment is observed (for example, when a fire is detected), the CTU immediately sends a message to the Automatic Fire Alarm Monitoring Message Handling servers (MHS) via the cellular network. If the cellular network is unavailable, then the message is sent via the phone line.

The cellular system availability is confirmed every ten minutes, and the phone line is tested once a day.

MESSAGE HANDLING SERVERS (MHS)

When a message from a CTU is received, the Message Handling Server (MHS) systems immediately pass the message to the New Zealand Fire Service. The MHS systems will also pass the message to the service agent to allow them to respond as required, and also message any other assigned recipients (e.g. building owners, caretakers, or on-site security personnel).

The MHS is a duplicated system, so a failure of a single system will not prevent message delivery. If both MHS systems should somehow fail simultaneously, a third emergency MHS is standing by, ready to receive CTU messages at a moment's notice.

The communications links to the New Zealand Fire Service are managed by not one but two telecommunications companies, so even if one company should suffer a major catastrophic failure, the other will continue to operate. These links are constantly monitored by Automatic Fire Alarm Monitoring, the New Zealand Fire Service and the managing telecommunication company.

In the unlikely event that a message is not correctly received by the New Zealand Fire Service, the message is passed to a watchroom (manned 24/7) for immediate processing by one of the waiting operators.