[NA5 Active Alarm Counter]

No. That sounds wierd. There may be that you use P_First_Run to do something on startup.

What happens if the counter is UINT? You will never need have a negative number of alarms anyway.

Do you use an NX/NJ plc also?

[NA5 Active Alarm Counter]

You can make an function block that handles alarms through a STRUCT. I use a STRUCT for each alarm that takes in analog or digital input, analog alarm limits for "low", "low low (critical low)", "high", "high high". There is a setting for delay. There is a counter for the number of alarm events for each alarm. I keep track of the state of the alarm too. There is "normal", "active and no ACK", "active and ACKed" and "back to normal, no ACK". I also put the name of the alarm in the STRUCT. 
 

There will be a fair bit of programming the first time you make the FB, but the advantage is that you can manage a wast amount of alarms on a few lines of code if you create an array of alarm STRUCT and an array of FB_alarm.

 

FOR index := 0 TO 100 BY 1 DO
	FB_alarm[index](alarmSTRUCT[index], ack_all_input := ack_allButton, ENO => someBOOL);
END_FOR

You can do the same for the settings in your alarm STRUCT if you don't need special settings certain alarms.

FOR index := 0 TO 100 BY 1 DO
	alarmSTRUCT[index].settings.delay := TIME#1s;
END_FOR

//Or like this if you need to change settings for a few alarms
IF P_FIRST_RUN
	//Make initial settings the first scan after power up
	FOR index := 0 TO 100 BY 1 DO
		alarmSTRUCT[index].settings.delay := TIME#1s;
	END_FOR;
ELSIF
	//Get delay setting from a constant
	alarmSTRUCT[3].settings.delay :=TIME#20s;
	//Get setting from var
	alarmSTRUCT[15].settings.delay :=timeVar;
END_IF;

	

The only thing that is left then is to map the alarm input to an analog or digital input on your PLC.

[Can't monitor in simulator InOut variables in a Function Block]

You can possibly use the "Watch tab page" under view (ALT+4). 

[Sysmac Studio INT(Bits) to ARRAY of BOOL]

You can create a union of WORD and ARRAY[0..15] OF BOOL.

Then you can do something like this:

yourUnion.wordInUnion := INT_TO_WORD(yourINT);

Then you are able to address the bits in the array.

If you need to combine the 8 first elements of 8 arrays in one singe array with 96 elements you can do this with the AryMove instruction. I haven't given this much thought tough, there may be a more suitable approach.