Testing and maintenance of fire alarm is mandatory under the fire safety order and also a requirement within BS5839-1 2017, the standard for fire detection and alarms in non-domestic buildings.
Residents are obliged to complete testing on a regular basis, some of these checks can be complete in house by an appointed person. People should on a daily basis check the fire alarm control, with indicating equipment having a Green LED illuminated to show the panel is healthy & free of any fire or fault conditions with no Red or Amber LEDs flashing, respectively.
Complete test of the system
On a weekly basis, residents are expected to complete a test of the system
On a weekly basis, residents are expected to complete a test of the system by activating a manual break glass call point with a test key. This will trigger the panel into a fire condition alerting all sounders/bells, activating all peripheral devices (alarm receiving center, door retainers, access control, gas shut off, lift return to ground floor, music shut off, etc.).
On completion and return to healthy status, a record should be recorded of the test and which unit, zone was tested in the fire log book.
When to check the fire alarm?
A five-minute check of the fire alarm system should ideally be carried out once a week. In terms of an inspection and servicing visit, this should be carried out every six months – otherwise the fire alarm system won’t be BS 5839 compliant and puts lives at unnecessary risk.
What does a professional assessment involve?
A professional fire safety engineer should be fully compliant in the fire industry. This means he or she will be aware of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO) and, of course, the requirements of the BS 5839.
These outline the UK fire alarm regulations, stating that detectors should be tested to ensure that @FireIndustry: “Products of combustion are capable of passing into the sensing chamber of the detector and this testing should be carried out by a competent person.”
Fire alarm system under BS5839-1 2017 standard
The fire alarm system under BS5839-1 2017 is subject to a minimum Bi annual maintenance inspection by a competent person, the number of visits can be increased to Quarterly dependent on Fire Risk Assessment.
The National Fire Chief Council (NFCC) recommends use of a third-party certified contractor. They are pleased to tell that FireRite are certified to complete works to fire detection and alarm systems under NSi Gold ISO9001 2015 and BAFE SP203 Scheme.
Over the course of a calendar year, every device on a system has to be checked and tested a minimum once. After an inspection and service, a certificate should always be presented, with the date clearly recorded for future reference.
