What is a central station fire alarm system?

• A. A system that transmits signals only within the building to local alerts.
• B. A fire alarm system that transmits signals to a monitored central station for dispatch or response.
• C. A battery-powered horn-only system with no monitoring.
• D. A system that uses only manual pull stations without signaling.

Answer: (B)

A central station fire alarm system is one that sends alarm signals to a monitored external center that can dispatch or respond to the event. This means the building’s alarm activates a remote monitoring station, which can notify the fire department, building management, or other responders and keep a record of the incident. This setup is especially useful for larger buildings or campuses where on-site monitoring might miss the alert, ensuring a timely, coordinated response.

This is different from systems that only alert people inside the building, or from battery-powered horn-only setups with no monitoring, or from configurations that rely solely on manual pull stations without automatic signaling. Those lack the automatic connection to a monitoring center that can initiate external response.