Fire Systems

You should test your fire alarm once a week at a set time. Before you test you alarm, you must warn people inside the building that this is a regular test and that no evacuation is required. You must also advise your Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) that you are about to initiate the test so they do not alert the Emergency Services.

A Fire alarm certificate is a mandatory inspection and should be carried out in accordance with BS5839. These regulations are part of the fire detection and fire alarm systems for buildings; they cover design installation commissioning and maintenance.

One fire drill you should carry out at least one fire drill per year and record the results. You must keep the results as part of your fire safety and evacuation plan.

The smoke detectors in a fire alarm system often cannot tell the difference between smoke and steam. This can be annoying. Therefore, careful planning is needed for fire alarm installation to ensure they are not placed immediately next to the bathroom or cooking equipment in the kitchen.

You should look at the appropriate guide for your type of business premises and judge the appropriate type of extinguisher based upon the risks. In general, though you should provide one fire extinguisher for every 200m2 with at least 2 per floor. Guidance should be sought from one of our surveyors or a fire risk assessment should be carried out.

Yes. You must protect yourself and anyone else in the vicinity of your business from fire. To do this you must assess the risks and make general fire precautions.

Water - for use on wood, paper, textiles, etc. Dry Powder - for use on wood, paper, textiles, flammable liquids, gaseous fires and electrical fires Foam - for use on wood, paper, textiles and flammable liquids Carbon Dioxide - for use on wood, paper, textiles and electrical fires Wet Chemical - for use on wood, paper, textiles and cooking oil fires

Fire extinguishers must be serviced every 12 months or after each use by a BAFE SP101 certified service provider. If an extinguisher is found to be leaking, it should be serviced immediately.

In an average sized rental property, it is advisable for a landlord to provide the tenant with a fire blanket for the kitchen and a small portable fire extinguisher such as a 2 Litre Foam or 3 Litre Water with additive to cover the rest of the property.

Yes it should be tested once per month to ensure that it is working and the findings of the test recorded in a fire log book. It should also be tested once a year by a competent person.

There are three main ways to tell if your emergency lighting is working or not: 1. A green indicator LED, installed on or beside each emergency light fitting, will be illuminated. This means that the emergency fitting is connected and its batteries are charging. 2. If the fitting is disconnected from mains the green LED indicator will switch off and the fixture will illuminate using its battery power. This is another sign of correct function. 3. Emergency lighting should be tested briefly every month and should undergo a full duration test (normally 3 hours) at least once every year. This should be carried out by a “Competent Person” (as defined in the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. If it does not pass the test it should either be repaired or the “Responsible Person” should be informed.

A maintained emergency light is always on and will stay illuminated in the event of a power failure. These lights are usually installed in communal areas such as corridors and stair wells. A non-maintained emergency light only comes on in the event of a power failure. These lights will usually be installed in areas that don't need a permanent light source

This will depend on the type of emergency lighting setup you have. If your lights are part of the main lighting system then they will need to be turned off while the engineer carries out checks. However, our engineers are flexible and will always keep disruption to a minimum

There are certain premises where it’s legally required to install emergency lighting. This includes public places such as schools, hospitals, offices, and shops, and also covers places where people will be sleeping over such as hotels, nursing homes, and blocks of flats. Emergency lighting in these premises must meet strict British Safety standards and needs to provide a certain level of illumination, and have clearly marked signs showing people where to exit. Even if a new build doesn’t require emergency lighting by law, it’s still something you should consider installing, as it provides reassurance in an emergency situation.