Fire Maintenance
Without effective service and maintenance, even the
best installed fire protection equipment will deteriorate.
A service and maintenance agreement gives you:
- Compliance with British Standards and insurance
company requirements
- Reduced risk of false alarms and failure - saving
you money and business disruption
- Extended life from your equipment due to preventative
maintenance visits
Quite simply, preventative maintenance means peace
of mind.
BS5839:2002 calls for
increased checks to be carried out on each service visit
with a new emphasis on the continued suitability or
the system in line with building use and the nature
of occupancy, as well as further testing and recording
of system performance, with a particular emphasis on
“false alarm management”.
Under BS 5839:2002,
we are now obliged to inform you of any variations and
non compliance's to the new standard if your system
has been installed to the previous standard. Whilst
there is no legal obligation to upgrade, this audit
may help you make enhancements that will improve the
effectiveness of your system.
False Alarms
481,100 false alarms per year*, if broken down averages
a staggering 1318 false call outs per day, over 54 per
hour, every day.
A professional specialist service and maintenance agreement
will maintain your systems performance and ensure your
fire alarm and detection systems works when it is needed
most - in the event of a fire. British Standards recommend
that the number of service visits per annum should be
based upon a risk assessment, and should be a minimum
of twice a year. A professional specialist service and
maintenance agreement will
- Reduce the risk of incidence and failure
- Maintain the systems performance
- Extend the overall life expectancy of the equipment
- Reduce unwanted alarms and associated costs
Tips
It is advisable to keep a record of any maintenance
and testing of equipment, as this will be useful if
you are asked by the fire authority to demonstrate that
you have an effective system in place. (You must do
this if your premises are covered by a fire certificate.)
It is also good practice for employers and employees
to carry out routine checks on a daily basis. This would
include checking that, the control panel shows that
all electrical fire detection and alarm systems are
operating normally, or ensuring that any faults indicated
are recorded and dealt with;
- all emergency lighting systems that include signs
are lit and any defects recorded and dealt with;
- all escape routes, including passageways, corridors,
stairways and external routes, are clear of obstruction,
free of slipping and tripping hazards and available
for use when the premises are occupied;
- all fastenings on doors along escape routes operate
freely, so that they can be opened quickly in an emergency
without delay;
- all self-closing devices and automatic door holders/releases
work correctly, and that each door closes completely
(this check should include a look at any fitted flexible
edge seals, to ensure that they can still provide
an effective smoke seal);
- all exit and directional signs are checked to make
sure that they are correctly positioned and can be
clearly seen at all times; and
- all fire extinguishers are in position, have not
been discharged, are at the correct pressure and have
not suffered any obvious damage.
- Any defects should be reported in line with your
own procedures and repaired as soon as possible.
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