Honeywell ADEMCO Vista-12 Series User Manual page 30

WARNING! THE LIMITATIONS OF THIS ALARM SYSTEM
While this system is an advanced design security system, it does not offer guaranteed
protection against burglary or other emergency. Any alarm system, whether commercial or
residential, is subject to compromise or failure to warn for a variety of reasons. For example:
• Intruders may gain access through unprotected openings or have the technical
sophistication to bypass an alarm sensor or disconnect an alarm warning device.
• Intrusion detectors (e.g. passive infrared detectors), smoke detectors, and many other
sensing devices will not work without power. Battery operated devices will not work
without batteries, with dead batteries, or if the batteries are not put in properly. Devices
powered solely by AC will not work if their AC power supply is cut off for any reason,
however briefly.
• Signals sent by wireless transmitters may be blocked or reflected by metal before they
reach the alarm receiver. Even if the signal path has been recently checked during a
weekly test, blockage can occur if a metal object is moved into the path.
• A user may not be able to reach a panic or emergency button quickly enough.
• While smoke detectors have played a key role in reducing residential fire deaths, they may
not activate or provide early warning for a variety of reasons in as many as 35% of all fires.
Some of the reasons smoke detectors used in conjunction with this System may not work
are as follows. Smoke detectors may have been improperly installed and positioned. Smoke
detectors may not sense fires that start where smoke cannot reach the detectors, such as in
chimneys, in walls, or roofs, or on the other side of closed doors. Smoke detectors also may
not sense a fire on another level of a residence or building. A second floor detector, for
example, may not sense a first floor or basement fire. Moreover, smoke detectors have
sensing limitations. No smoke detector can sense every kind of fire every time. In general,
detectors may not always warn about fires caused by carelessness and safety hazards like
smoking in bed, violent explosions, escaping gas, improper storage of flammable materials,
overloaded electrical circuits, children playing with matches, or arson. Depending upon the
nature of the fire and/or the locations of the smoke detectors, the detector, even if it
operates as anticipated, may not provide sufficient warning to allow all occupants to escape
in time to prevent injury or death.
• Passive Infrared Motion Detectors can only detect intrusion within the designed ranges as
diagrammed in their installation manual. Passive Infrared Detectors do not provide
volumetric area protection. They do create multiple beams of protection, and intrusion can
only be detected in unobstructed areas covered by those beams. They cannot detect motion
or intrusion that takes place behind walls, ceilings, floors, closed doors, glass partitions,
glass doors, or windows.
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