Anyone who owns a commercial premises must ensure that regular inspections and maintenance is carried out on their fire alarm systems. Be advised by our own fire alarm system Stoke
technicians that it is important that these systems function correctly. It is not only a legal requirement but it is essential to the safety of those working and visiting your business.
Do You Need To Test Your Fire Alarm System?
Put simply yes, all commercial and industrial premises should test their fire alarm systems at least once a week as required under The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (Article 17). For such buildings it is also necessary that Fire Risk Assessments be carried out.
Fire Risk Assessments
These risk assessments evaluate the functionality of the fire alarm system however it doesn’t require that its engineering components be assessed. It does need to be demonstrated that the fire alarm systems are regularly maintained and tested so that any faults and damages can be identified and addressed. The risk assessor may also want to witness whether the fire alarm signal can be heard from all the applicable areas on the premises. Though these are often recognised and addressed by routine testing by electrical contractors a formal visual inspection of areas were sounders or loudspeakers are installed may be warranted at the risk assessment.
Fire Alarm Maintenance and Testing
Those who risk assess your fire alarm system will also need to see proof that you have arrangements in place for its on going service, testing and maintenance. These should be given to you in the form of reports by your electrical contractor which you should keep up to date records of. Generally, you should be able to provide the assessor with a record of the detailed history of any fire alarm system you have installed. This should include when it was last tested, what recent repairs if any it has had, a full and comprehensive list of any inspections or work carried out by your electrical contractor. It is also required that the premises itself be well kept and maintained as to reduce the risk of potential fire hazards.
The Weekly Test
During the working hours of business at your commercial premises there should be a manual fire safety check point in operation. It should be available to use at any time in case of emergencies as well as it being functional for the “Weekly Test”. During the weekly test it should be demonstrated that the fire alarm system can produce the correct fire alarm signal and that it is correctly transmitted and received. It is not necessary at this stage to confirm that sounder circuits operate correctly.
You should endeavour to keep the weekly test at the same time and day each week and that visitors, occupants and staff are made aware of the testing. They should be informed to report any issues they encounter in hearing an audible fire alarm signal whilst present in the building.
At the time and day of the weekly test a different manual call point should be used in order to test all the points around the building premises in rotation over a period of time. The result of the weekly test and the identity of the manual call points used should be recorded in the system log book.
The Responsible Person
The “Responsible Person” is classed as the individual who owns the commercial premises in which their business is situated. That person is responsible for ensuring various codes and requirements are met in accordance with fire safety regulations and the law.
- Carry out a Fire Risk Assessment and make a review of the premises.
- Identify risks and inform staff and representatives.
- Implement and maintain the appropriate fire safety measures to reduce the risk of harm
- Have an emergency plan in place.
- Provide staff with information on fire safety instruction and training.
- Install a full working fire alarm system that can be raised in the event of an emergency.
- The “Weekly Test” in addition to other maintenance.
- To keep an up to date record of the fire alarm systems history.
Advice From The Fire Alarm System Stoke Team
As experienced fire alarm installers we can assist with fire alarm Design, Installation, Commissioning and Maintenance of your new or upgraded fire alarm system. We have the freedom to specify systems from a range of manufacturers, rather than being tied to any one brand, which helps us to stay extremely competitive.