Your Questions Answered

 

In an Emergency

Q. What should I do if the fire system goes into alarm?
Follow your company’s fire evacuation procedure according to your fire risk assessment.

End-User Responsibilities

Q. What is a “responsible person”?

• Employers must ensure that the requirements of the Regulations are complied with in respect of every workplace, which is to any extent under his/her control.
• A person who has control of premises which contain more than one workplace, is responsible for ensuring that the requirements of the regulations are complied with in those parts over which he/she has control.

Q. What must the “responsible person” do?

• Carry out a fire risk assessment of the workplace.
• If five or more people are employed, record the significant findings of the fire risk assessment.
• Provide adequate firefighting equipment, fire alarm systems, emergency routes and exits to the extent that is necessary.
• Maintain any equipment and devices provided in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair.
• Take measures for firefighting in the workplace to the extent that is necessary, and nominate employees to implement those measures.
• Consult with employees.
• Inform other employers who also have workplaces in the building of any significant risks identified, which might affect the safety of their employees.
• Cooperate with other employers about the measures proposed to reduce or control those risks.

Q. What is a “Fire Risk Assessment”?
The general principles for carrying out a Fire Risk Assessment are based upon 5 fundamental steps:

Step 1: Identify Fire Hazards.

• Sources of ignition
• Sources of fuel
• Work Processes

Step 2: Identify the locations of people at significant risk in case of a fire.

Step 3: Evaluate the risks - are existing measures adequate?

• Control of ignition sources / sources of fuel
• Fire detection / warning
• Means of escape
• Means of fighting fire
• Maintenance and testing of fire precautions
• Fire safety training of employees

Step 4: Record the findings and action taken.

• Prepare an emergency plan
• Inform, instruct and train employees in fire precautions

Step 5: Review the assessment periodically and revise where necessary

Q. What spares should I have for my system?
Spares packages are tailored to your building and fire alarm systems specific requirements and can be discussed with our technical advisor. As a general rule additional smoke/heat detectors, manual call points with glasses and printer rolls are the minimum suggested spares.

Q. What is a “logbook”?
It is a requirement of the British StandardBS5839 that a log book should be retained on the premises in the care of a responsible person and should be available for examination by any duly authorised person/statutory body.

The log book should be used to record the following:

1. Date of any completion certificate including any certificate relating to alteration.
2. Date of each periodic inspection and test certificate.
3. Date and brief details of any defects and of the remedial action taken.
4. Date and brief details of each service, inspection or test carried out.
5. Date and brief details of any alterations to the fire alarm systems.

Q. Do I have to conduct any tests myself on my systems?

• Where a commercial property has a shared fire alarm system, it is the commercial property manager's responsibility to ensure that the fire alarm system is tested and maintained in accordance with the recommendations of BS 5839 Part 1, 2002. This means the premises should conduct a weekly audibility fire alarm test by testing a different Manual Call Point each week.
• These dates need to be detailed in the log book and any discrepancies reported to your preferred fire alarm maintenance provider.

Servicing

Q. How often should the fire alarm system be tested?
It depends on the size of your system: the British Standard states two or four visits per annum ensuring 100% of the Fire Alarm system is tested and certification issued.

Q. What will take place during the site visit?

• For the first visit our engineer will carry out a 100% test on all devices on the premises to ensure the whole system is operational.
• On subsequent visits, depending on the size of the premises, our engineer will either carry out a 50% or 25% test on devices.

Q. Why do the sounders have to ring during a service visit?
It is vital that once per annum bells and or sounders are tested to ensure they will operate correctly in the event of a genuine fire.

Q. What are the benefits of having my systems maintained?

• In accordance with the British Standards (BS 5839:1 2002) it is essential that any fire alarm system is subject to periodic inspection and servicing. This enables any potential faults to be identified and preventative measures to be put in place to ensure the continued reliability of the fire alarm system.
• Most insurance companies request Fire Alarm servicing certification as proof of servicing. Some insurance companies may invalidated policies should the Fire Alarm system not be proven as being maintained.

Q. How will the works be booked in with me?

• On signing a maintenance contract, our administration staff will call to book in your first service visit.
• Our administrative team will then call you to book in any subsequent service visits, be they 3 months or 6 months apart.
• We will never turn up on site without prior arrangement.

Q. Why are there coloured dots on my field devices?

• The coloured dots represent which service visit in the year that the particular device had been tested and found to be in working order.
• The dots are basically an audit trail so the service engineer knows which devices have been tested on which service visit and prevents the same device being tested in any given year.