The Importance of Fire Alarms & Emergency Lighting

Fire Alarms + Emergency Lighting

Fire Alarms and Emergency Lighting are principal services in any fire safety system.

Thousands of businesses across the country utilise their capabilities to further protect people and property from the threat of fire.

Whilst fire alarm systems are designed to detect and alert people to the presence of fire, emergency lighting provides directions to make the safest and easiest exit from a premises.

Fire Alarm

Churches Fire & Security install, service and maintain a range of Fire Alarms, in accordance with the British Standard 5839, to suit any customer needs.

Required in most buildings as noted in the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, Alarms are installed based on the category of risk, and act as a critical part of a fire protection system.

A detailed Fire Risk Assessment will specify the category of system required to meet a business’ level of risk.

In the unfortunate event of a fire, early detection and warning to those in the vicinity is vital to ensure protection of life and the premises.

Fire Alarm Types

M

Manual System

Category M systems are manual systems and rely on the occupants of the building discovering the fire and operating the system to warn others. Such systems are a basic requirement in places of employment with no sleeping risk In addition to manual means of triggering an alarm, L category systems will also normally have an element of coverage using automatic fire detection such as smoke or heat detectors.

L5

Life Safety System Category 5

Category 5 systems are the ‘custom’ category and relate to certain special requirements that cannot be covered by any other category. Where such systems are specified, careful reference must be made to the objective of the cover, normally from a fire risk assessment.

L4

Life Safety System Category 4

Category 4 systems cover escape routes and circulation areas. Detectors might be sited in other areas of the building, but the objective is to protect the escape route.

L3

Life Safety System Category 3

Category 3 systems provide more extensive cover than Category 4. The objective is to warn the occupants of the building early enough to ensure that all are able to exit the building before escape routes become impassable.

L2

Life Safety System Category 2

L2 fire alarm system requirements or category 2 systems relate to automatic fire protection in defined areas of the building as well as satisfying the requirements of Category 3. The wider cover relates to parts of the building considered to have a high level of risk or fire hazard.

L1

Life Safety System Category 1

L1 fire alarm system requirements ensure that the whole of a building is covered with minor exceptions.

P2

Property Protection Category 2

Category 2 systems provide fire detection in specified parts of the building where there is either high risk or where business disruption must be minimised.

P1

Property Protection Category 1

The system is installed throughout the building – the objective being to offer the earliest possible warning of fire to minimise the time between ignition and the arrival of firefighters.

Fire Alarm Monitoring

Depending on the Category of your system, Fire Alarm Monitoring can provide peace of mind that your business is monitored in times when the premises is empty.

When an Alarm system is activated, a signal is sent immediately to an Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC). This facility is manned 24/7 by specially trained individuals who will notify the local fire service and nominated key holders.

Monitoring from Churches Fire & Security is subject to servicing and maintenance at regular intervals

Emergency Lighting

Emergency Lighting systems from Churches Fire & Security are installed and maintained to meet the British Standard 5266 recommendations.

A requirement of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 in non-domestic buildings, and common areas of Houses of Multiple Occupancy (HMO), Emergency Lighting is designed to illuminate escape routes and emergency exits in the event of a lighting or power failure.  Lighting can also be used to direct users to the location of fire fighting equipment, such as fire blankets and extinguishers.

Maintenance + Testing

All Emergency Lighting should be tested monthly by the Responsible Person within a business. This regular testing ensures that the system will work as expected during an emergency.

We’ve highlighted what you should be checking in this short video guide.

*Please note that more thorough inspections, involving full-duration tests, are required to be carried out by a Churches Fire & Security technician.

British Standard Updates

In the 2016 edition of British Standard 5266-1, it was recommended that full-duration tests are carried out annually on each emergency light. During this essential testing, there would be no Emergency Lighting in operation until the system had fully recharged. In this situation, it can mean that the tested building could not be occupied for this duration.

Churches Fire & Security work with customers to ensure systems are in working order, and the continuation of the work day as much as possible.

Read more on emergency lighting recommendations here.