The requirement to transmit automatic fire alarms to the Emergency Response Centre was removed for approx. 1,200 buildings

On 11 November, amendments to the regulation entered into force under which, for approximately 1,200 buildings, the requirement for the automatic transmission of fire alarms from the automatic fire alarm system to the Emergency Response Centre (ATeS) was removed.

The ATeS requirement was removed for accommodation establishments, assembly buildings and office buildings. In addition, there are changes concerning industrial and warehouse buildings.

The change was justified by the fact that previously the number of automatically transmitted false alarms had been very high, and most false dispatches occurred during daytime and were caused by human activity, meaning that early detection of a fire and notification of the Emergency Response Centre were very likely even without the ATeS requirement.

If a building was previously subject to the ATeS requirement but no longer is, the Emergency Response Centre will stop receiving notifications from the automatic fire alarm system as of 1 May 2026, unless the owner or possessor of the building has submitted an application to the Rescue Board by 1 March 2026 at the latest for the continued transmission of notifications to the Emergency Response Centre.

If, as from 1 May 2026, notifications from the automatic fire alarm system are not transmitted from the building to the Emergency Response Centre, this information must be recorded in the documentation of the automatic fire alarm system and in the plan for action in the event of fire by 1 July 2026 at the latest.

Buildings where the ATeS requirement is mandatory
Currently, the ATeS requirement applies to healthcare and care institutions used by more than 50 people. The same requirement also applied previously.

In addition, the ATeS requirement applies to industrial buildings of establishments with a major accident hazard or dangerous establishments which fall into fire safety class 2 or 3, in which an automatic fire alarm system is required and where work or technological processes involving dangerous chemicals take place. The ATeS requirement also applies to industrial buildings of establishments with a major accident hazard or dangerous establishments where more than 50 tonnes of ammonia or more than 10 tonnes of chlorine are stored.

Buildings where the ATeS requirement can be applied on a voluntary basis
If a building is not subject to the ATeS requirement, the owner or possessor of the building may, in certain cases, apply to the Rescue Board for permission to apply the ATeS requirement and conclude an agreement with a communications undertaking which acts as the fire alarm transmitter.

The regulation provides that the Rescue Board may approve the application if three conditions are met.

First, the building or the property located in it must be an archive, museum, another building of national importance, a healthcare and care institution with up to 50 users, a permanently unstaffed accommodation establishment, a building necessary for the provision of an essential service, or an establishment with a major accident hazard or a dangerous establishment whose danger area includes a residential area.

Second, the requirements laid down for the automatic fire alarm system must be met.

Third, in the event of a fire, immediate notification of the Emergency Response Centre and rapid evacuation from the building are not ensured by other means.