What Are The Rules For Fire Alarm Installation?

Fire alarms are pretty much mandatory in all commercial premises in the UK, as they are usually the quickest way of detecting the smoke and/or excess heat that might indicate the start of a potentially damaging fire. 

There are exceptions, but these are very small premises without high-risk activities or substances, without vulnerable people and where a fire is likely to be easily spotted and a shout of ‘Fire!’ will be sufficient to alert everyone present. 

It naturally follows that the fire alarm that is used should be appropriate to the risks present, and the best solution will be identified in the fire risk assessment for those premises. What is perhaps less obvious is that the installation of that fire alarm system is just as important as everything else – after all, if the alarms don’t meet the needs outlined in the fire risk assessment, or are installed incorrectly or in the wrong locations, they’re not going to be doing their job.

So, are there regulations surrounding fire alarm installation? The answer is yes and, in this article, we’ll be taking a look at them in detail.

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and British Standard 5839-1

The Fire Safety Order is the source of so much detail regarding fire safety rules and regulations, but in this case it doesn’t go into too much depth. It merely says that the responsible person for a premises needs to ensure that those premises are “equipped with appropriate fire-fighting equipment and with fire detectors and alarms” and that they “nominate competent persons to implement those measures”.

As always in the Fire Safety Order, a competent person is defined as someone who has “sufficient training and experience or knowledge and other qualities to enable him properly to implement the measures”.

Much more information is to be found under British Standard 5839-1 – or ‘BS 5839-1 Fire detection and fire alarm systems for buildings Part 1: Code of practice for design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of systems in non-domestic premises’, to give it its full title. This is the source of most of the regulations surrounding fire alarm installation, backed up by the non-regulatory BAFE SP203-1 Fire Detection and Fire Alarm Systems Scheme.

Designing a fire alarm system

The fire risk assessment identifies the need for a suitable fire alarm system, but what exactly is to be included in that system has to be individually designed to meet those needs. Designing a fire alarm system is also covered by BS 5839-1.

The design covers a wide range of measures, which include: 

• Identifying detection and alarm zones
• Specifying the location of call points, detectors, sounders and visual alarms
• What system and equipment is to be used
• Measures for limiting false alarms
• Specification of cables to be used in each circuit
• And much more!

Once the design has been completed, the designer should sign off a design certificate. It is this approved design that will be the guide when it comes to the installation.

Fire alarm installation

Once the fire alarm system has been designed, installation needs to be carried out to meet all the demands of that design. If changes are required to the design (as a result of previously unknown elements of the building, for example), the installer should get approval from the original designer before proceeding.

BS 5839-1 advises that: “The nature and quality of the installation work needs to be such as to maintain the integrity of the fire detection and fire alarm system and minimise the duration and extent of disablement of the system during maintenance or modifications”. It also stipulates that practices and workmanship conform to BS 7671 (for the electrical safety of the installation).

When choosing who to install your fire alarm system, we would always recommend choosing someone registered under the BAFE SP203-1 Fire Detection and Fire Alarm Systems Scheme. This is a third-party certification scheme that requires the installer to provide evidence that they have “the ability to successfully interpret system design requirements provided by the system design”. There is also a requirement for evidence that the provider has “a comprehensive understanding of the installation requirements as they are specified in relevant Standards and Codes of Practice”.

Although it is not a legal requirement that you use a BAFE registered installer, it cannot be emphasised too strongly how advisable it is. Basically, it tells you that your installer has been independently certified competent to do the job to the standards required by the law.

How Scutum North can help

Here at Scutum North, we’re a BAFE registered company able to carry out fire alarm installation across North England. We’re proud to be part of the national Scutum Group, which has been a leader in fire safety services across the UK, Europe and the rest of the world for over 25 years. 

We offer a comprehensive range of fire safety services and solutions, including professional fire risk assessments and the design, installation and maintenance of fire alarm systems.

Get in touch with us now to find out more and to ask for a free site visit to discuss your needs in more detail.