FIRE ALARM SYSTEMS SUPPLY & INSTALLATION

What is a Fire Alarm?

A fire alarm is a device that is used to alert people of fire and can come in many forms. It can be as simplistic as a bell or more complicated as an Addressable intelligent system.

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Do I need a Fire Alarm?

Many factors will determine whether a fire alarm is required. The size of the property, the risk of a fire occurring, the speed at which the fire could spread, high fire risk due to site activities, are their people sleeping on the property etc.

 

But how would the owner or the responsible person ultimately know if a system is required? 

In many buildings the awareness that a fire has started may be obvious to the people in the building (e.g. in a simple open plan office or Hall). In such scenarios, where escaping from the building is a simple operation, a shout of ‘fire’ or a basic device such as a manual operated bell that can be heard by everyone from a central point, may be all that is needed.

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However, if an alarm given from any single point as stated above is unlikely to be heard throughout the premises (minimum sound level of 65 decibels),a fire alarm system with sounders and manual call points is likely to be required.
Another scenario is, where there are unoccupied areas, or escape corridors in occupied buildings, in which a fire could start and progress to the extent that the escape routes could be compromised and become impassable before the fire is discovered. An automatic fire detection system with zone or area identification of the activate detector will be required.

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Fire Risk Assessment

A Fire Risk Assessment needs to be undertaken, and this will determine whether a fire alarm system is required. The person chosen to carry out the assessment must be competent, and this is usually proven by using a registered assessor of one of the authorised schemes. The assessor will carry out a comprehensive survey of the building, identify any fire risk and produce a report. The report will recommend what works needs to be carried out, or procedures to implement.

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Function of a Fire Alarm

Fire alarm and detection systems have two primary functions: to safeguard life inside the building and to protect the structure and its contents. You will find three main types of systems.

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1. All those designed to safeguard life are classified as Category L system.

2. To protect property by summoning the Fire and Rescue Service without delay are classified as category P.

3. While manually operated systems, wherein the fire alarm is by means of manual call point and so on, are classified as category M.

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Fire Alarm Category

Fire alarm systems could possibly be installed in properties in order to meet one, or both, of two important factors, which is life protection and that of the property. 

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The reasons may vary with time or place. Alternative probable reasons can be found, for instance, safeguards against company disturbance and safety of the environment; these will probably be satisfied with the recommendations within the fire code BS5839-1:2013 to safeguard of properties. 

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As a result of a huge assortment of programs for systems discussed within the fire code BS 5839, the types of systems are separated into several different Categories. 

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The assessor will confirm which fire alarm design is necessary for the risk involved. For the protection of Life, one of the following categories will be selected:

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• L1 – Highest coverage all areas of the building

• L2 – Escape routes, Rooms off of the escape routes and areas of high risk

• L3 – Escape routes and rooms off of the escape routes

• L4 – Escape routes only

• L5 – A mixture of the above

• M – Manual call points only

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Type of Fire Alarm System

Following that, you will have to select what type of system is best for your requirements and budget. The assessor will not tell you what kind to install as long as it is designed to the correct category and is installed to the fire alarm design code BS5839-1. 

When choosing a fire alarm, the user usually has the following choices:

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1. Conventional or Addressable
2. Wired or Wireless