<s>
A	O
false	B-Error_Name
alarm	I-Error_Name
,	O
also	O
called	O
a	O
nuisance	B-Error_Name
alarm	I-Error_Name
,	O
is	O
the	O
deceptive	O
or	O
erroneous	O
report	O
of	O
an	O
emergency	O
,	O
causing	O
unnecessary	O
panic	O
and/or	O
bringing	O
resources	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
emergency	O
services	O
)	O
to	O
a	O
place	O
where	O
they	O
are	O
not	O
needed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
False	B-Error_Name
alarms	I-Error_Name
may	O
occur	O
with	O
residential	O
burglary	O
alarms	O
,	O
smoke	O
detectors	O
,	O
industrial	O
alarms	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
signal	O
detection	O
theory	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
False	B-Error_Name
alarms	I-Error_Name
have	O
the	O
potential	O
to	O
divert	O
emergency	O
responders	O
away	O
from	O
legitimate	O
emergencies	O
,	O
which	O
could	O
ultimately	O
lead	O
to	O
loss	O
of	O
life	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
some	O
cases	O
,	O
repeated	O
false	B-Error_Name
alarms	I-Error_Name
in	O
a	O
certain	O
area	O
may	O
cause	O
occupants	O
to	O
develop	O
alarm	O
fatigue	O
and	O
to	O
start	O
ignoring	O
most	O
alarms	O
,	O
knowing	O
that	O
each	O
time	O
it	O
will	O
probably	O
be	O
false	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
term	O
“	O
false	B-Error_Name
alarm	I-Error_Name
”	O
refers	O
to	O
alarm	O
systems	O
in	O
many	O
different	O
applications	O
being	O
triggered	O
by	O
something	O
other	O
than	O
the	O
expected	O
trigger-event	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
term	O
“	O
false	B-Error_Name
alarm	I-Error_Name
”	O
may	O
actually	O
be	O
semantically	O
incorrect	O
in	O
some	O
uses	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sociologist	O
Robert	O
Bartholomew	O
explains	O
that	O
there	O
are	O
many	O
negative	O
effects	O
of	O
false	B-Error_Name
alarms	I-Error_Name
,	O
such	O
as	O
"	O
fear	O
,	O
havoc	O
,	O
disruptions	O
to	O
emergency	O
services	O
,	O
and	O
wasted	O
resources.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
U.S.	O
false	B-Error_Name
alarms	I-Error_Name
cost	O
police	O
agencies	O
up	O
6.5	O
million	O
personnel	O
hours	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
the	O
International	O
Association	O
of	O
Chiefs	O
of	O
Police	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
2002	O
study	O
by	O
the	O
U.S.	O
Justice	O
Department	O
estimated	O
the	O
cost	O
of	O
false	B-Error_Name
alarms	I-Error_Name
to	O
be	O
as	O
high	O
as	O
$1.5	O
billion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
this	O
cost	O
,	O
many	O
cities	O
now	O
require	O
permits	O
for	O
burglar	O
alarms	O
,	O
have	O
enacted	O
verified	O
response	O
protocols	O
,	O
or	O
have	O
introduced	O
fines	O
for	O
excessive	O
false	B-Error_Name
alarms	I-Error_Name
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
types	O
of	O
false	B-Error_Name
alarms	I-Error_Name
can	O
be	O
prevented	O
by	O
taking	O
more	O
time	O
to	O
disarm	O
systems	O
,	O
and	O
entering	O
a	O
home	O
with	O
at	O
least	O
one	O
hand	O
free	O
to	O
properly	O
disarm	O
one	O
's	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Preventing	O
this	O
type	O
of	O
false	B-Error_Name
alarm	I-Error_Name
is	O
usually	O
achieved	O
by	O
changing	O
the	O
main	O
and	O
backup	O
batteries	O
and/or	O
improving	O
reliability	O
of	O
a	O
power	O
source	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	O
and	O
doors	O
that	O
are	O
not	O
fully	O
closed	O
can	O
cause	O
the	O
alarm	O
contacts	O
to	O
be	O
misaligned	O
which	O
can	O
result	O
in	O
a	O
false	B-Error_Name
alarm	I-Error_Name
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
,	O
if	O
a	O
door	O
or	O
window	O
is	O
left	O
slightly	O
ajar	O
,	O
wind	O
may	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
blow	O
them	O
open	O
which	O
will	O
also	O
cause	O
a	O
false	B-Error_Name
alarm	I-Error_Name
.	O
</s>
<s>
False	B-Error_Name
alarms	I-Error_Name
are	O
also	O
common	O
with	O
smoke	O
detectors	O
and	O
building	O
fire	O
alarm	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Smoking	O
cigarettes	O
,	O
cooking	O
at	O
high	O
temperatures	O
,	O
burning	O
baked	O
goods	O
,	O
blowing	O
out	O
large	O
numbers	O
of	O
birthday	O
candles	O
,	O
fireplaces	O
and	O
woodburners	O
when	O
used	O
around	O
a	O
smoke	O
detector	O
can	O
all	O
be	O
causes	O
of	O
these	O
false	B-Error_Name
alarms	I-Error_Name
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
steam	O
can	O
trigger	O
an	O
ionization	O
smoke	O
detector	O
that	O
is	O
too	O
sensitive	O
,	O
another	O
potential	O
cause	O
of	O
false	B-Error_Name
alarms	I-Error_Name
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
industrial	O
alarm	O
management	O
,	O
a	O
false	B-Error_Name
alarm	I-Error_Name
(	O
nuisance	B-Error_Name
alarm	I-Error_Name
)	O
could	O
refer	O
either	O
to	O
an	O
alarm	O
with	O
little	O
information	O
content	O
that	O
can	O
usually	O
safely	O
be	O
eliminated	O
,	O
or	O
one	O
that	O
could	O
be	O
valid	O
but	O
is	O
triggered	O
by	O
a	O
faulty	O
instrument	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
(	O
signal	O
)	O
detection	O
theory	O
,	O
a	O
false	B-Error_Name
alarm	I-Error_Name
occurs	O
where	O
a	O
non-target	O
event	O
exceeds	O
the	O
detection	O
criterion	O
and	O
is	O
identified	O
as	O
a	O
target	O
(	O
see	O
Constant	B-Algorithm
false	I-Algorithm
alarm	I-Algorithm
rate	I-Algorithm
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
1983	O
Soviet	O
nuclear	O
false	B-Error_Name
alarm	I-Error_Name
incident	O
was	O
caused	O
when	O
the	O
Soviet	O
Air	O
Defense	O
Forces	O
 '	O
early	O
warning	O
system	O
erroneously	O
detected	O
inbound	O
missiles	O
from	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
,	O
when	O
in	O
reality	O
it	O
was	O
a	O
misreading	O
caused	O
by	O
a	O
specific	O
alignment	O
of	O
sunlight	O
on	O
high-altitude	O
clouds	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
lieutenant	O
colonel	O
,	O
Stanislav	O
Petrov	O
,	O
recognized	O
the	O
false	B-Error_Name
alarm	I-Error_Name
,	O
which	O
avoided	O
a	O
full	O
scale	O
nuclear	O
war	O
between	O
the	O
two	O
countries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
term	O
"	O
false	B-Error_Name
alarm	I-Error_Name
"	O
is	O
actually	O
a	O
misnomer	O
,	O
and	O
is	O
regularly	O
replaced	O
by	O
the	O
term	O
"	O
nuisance	B-Error_Name
alarm	I-Error_Name
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
False	B-Error_Name
alarms	I-Error_Name
could	O
also	O
refer	O
to	O
situations	O
where	O
one	O
becomes	O
startled	O
about	O
something	O
that	O
is	O
later	O
determined	O
to	O
be	O
untrue	O
.	O
</s>
