Fire Alarms

Every fire alarm installed in a building must be maintained and inspected by a 'competent' person at least twice yearly. The routine inspection must be documented, and records kept on-site where the fire alarm is installed.

Overview of Fire Alarm Maintenance

The system must also be tested weekly by the occupier and all call points tested. These tests must also be well documented, and any failures rectified as soon as possible. If any building works is instigated a review of the fire alarm system must be carried out by your fire risk assessor and the recommendation implemented within a reasonable time. Third party accreditation is also widely recommended and advised in the fire safety order 2005.

The standard of system installed must be determined by your fire risk assessor not your fire alarm engineer, as often there is an ‘over provision’ recommended. A point to consider is that any fire alarm recommendations, should be in proportion to the proposed costs., i.e. if a small business is operating with a low turnover and small premises it would be unreasonable to expect the owners to pay for a full life system costing maybe 1000’s of pounds.