Which category of false alarm results from deliberate activation?

• A. Nuisance
• B. Technical error
• C. Operational mistake
• D. Malicious

Answer: (D)

Deliberate activation means someone intentionally triggers the alarm, making this a malicious false alarm. It’s an intentional act, such as a prank or someone with access who activates the system to cause a response. This is different from nuisance alarms, which occur due to non-threatening factors like steam, dust, or cooking smoke; technical errors, which are faults in the equipment or sensors; and operational mistakes, which are human errors in using or resetting the system but without a malicious intent. Recognizing intent is important because malicious activations are treated as security incidents and may lead to investigation and accountability.