Does My Fire Alarm Need to Be Serviced?

Under the terms of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, it’s not only mandatory for the vast majority of UK businesses to have a fire alarm, they also need to have them maintained regularly by someone with the experience and training to do the job properly.

In this article, we’re going to explore the laws surrounding fire alarm maintenance, find out what it involves and explain why Scutum North can do the job for you better and more cost effectively than other providers in North England.

What are the laws relating to fire alarm maintenance?

As mentioned above, the main regulations relating to fire alarm maintenance are to be found in the Fire Safety Order. In Article 17, it states that all your fire safety equipment – so not just your alarm – must be “maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair”. 

Just as importantly, it stresses that not just anyone can carry out the necessary work – it must be done by a ‘competent person’. And to remove any confusion or disagreement about what level of expertise ‘competent’ implies, it goes on to say that “A person is to be regarded as competent … where he has sufficient training and experience or knowledge and other qualities to enable him properly to assist in undertaking the preventive and protective measures”.

Further information and guidance on fire alarm maintenance can be found in BS 5839, which concentrates on how often it should happen. Basically, if you leave it for more than six months between maintenance visits, your system will no longer be compliant under BS 5839.

Again, there’s an emphasis on using someone who’s able to do the job to the right standard. They should, it states, have “specialist knowledge of fire detection and fire alarm systems, including knowledge of the causes of false alarms, sufficient information regarding the system, and adequate access to spares”.

What happens during fire alarm maintenance?

Given all that emphasis on how important – no, essential – regular fire alarm maintenance is, it’s understandable that you might want to know just what’s involved and what it is intended to achieve.

BS 5839 is pretty clear – if slightly long-winded – about the purpose of fire alarm maintenance. It should, it says, ensure that “faults are identified, preventive measures can be taken to ensure the continued reliability of the system, false alarm problems are identified and suitably addressed, and the user is made aware of any changes to the building that affect the protection afforded by the system”.

In practice, that means checking that all components are working effectively, there’s no buildup of dust and dirt preventing sensors from working at 100% effectiveness, there’s nothing stopping the control panel from receiving signals, all batteries have more than enough charge to last until the next visit – and much, much more.

Getting professional fire alarm maintenance in North England

If regular maintenance is a legal requirement – as well as being the only sensible thing to do if you want to keep your commercial premises and anyone on them safe – then you want to know you’re getting it done by someone able to do it to the standard required. So, how do you do that?

Firstly, you need to ensure your maintenance provider has the right accreditations. One key indicator to look for is that they are registered with BAFE (British Approvals for Fire Equipment), the UK’s independent fire safety registration body.

Secondly, knowing that your provider is part of an international group that has decades of industry experience keeping businesses safe across Europe and the United States is another good sign. That will give you the confidence that they are committed to providing a reliable service and have the history to back up claims of competence.

In both cases, Scutum North more than meets the requirements, but there’s more to what we can offer businesses across the north of England than that. That’s because we always aim to beat any other quote you get, so that you’re not only getting the benefit of our experience and expertise, you’ll also be getting exceptional value.

Want to know more? Then get in touch with our friendly advisors now and ask for further information and a free, no-obligation quotation.