Fire Alarm 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.