What type of alarm indicates a potential issue in the system?

The best choice for indicating a potential issue in the fire alarm system is the supervisory alarm. This type of alarm is designed to monitor and report on the operational status of various components within the fire alarm system. When a supervisory alarm is triggered, it indicates that there is a condition that needs attention, which may not necessarily be an immediate threat like a fire but signals that something is not functioning properly or that there is a potential issue that could lead to a malfunction.

For instance, a supervisory alarm could be triggered by issues such as a battery failure, a loss of communication with a component, or maintenance needs that could impact the overall effectiveness of the fire alarm system. By alerting personnel to these problems, supervisory alarms ensure that preventive measures can be taken to maintain the safety and reliability of the system.

Other types of alarms, such as fire alarms, focus on active threats (like the detection of smoke or heat) while trouble alarms are typically associated with system faults that require immediate attention. Test alarms are used primarily for functional testing of the system rather than indicating issues.