DACT for central station fire service must be installed with at least two separate means of transmission at the protected premises. This statement is:

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Only if the premises exceed a certain size
• D. Depends on the insurer

Answer: (A)

Redundancy in how the alarm signals get to the central station is the key idea. For central station fire service, you need at least two independent transmission paths from the protected premises so the alarm can still reach the central station even if one path is cut or fails. In practice this means using two different means of communication—such as a traditional phone line plus a cellular or radio path—so the signal has a backup route. This safeguards against a single point of failure that could prevent dispatch of fire responders.

This requirement isn’t about the size of the premises or what an insurer might demand; it’s a standard safety measure to improve reliability and speed of response. Both transmission paths are typically supervised, so the system can automatically switch to or alert monitoring if one path drops, ensuring the fire signal still gets through.