UK fire alarm regulations only state that your fire alarm system must be ‘adequately maintained’, however BS 5839 recommends that a fire alarm system should be inspected by a competent person at least every 6 months and the government recommends following this standard.  In fact, if you work out of large premises, a quarterly service is recommended, as there are many more components to your fire alarm system, and therefore more opportunities for something to go wrong.

Veriserv offer a full fire alarm service programme which complies with British Standard 5839. You can be confident that we will keep your fire alarm in good working order and compliant to current legislation.

Single systems or multi-site, we can service any make or type of fire alarm system, providing you with certification for your records.

Why is fire alarm servicing important?

There are two main reasons to keep your fire alarm in working order:

1. To alert occupants in the event of fire and so prevent loss of life
2. To prevent false alarms

Whilst the first reason may seem obvious, the second reason is less well known.  The fact is that false alarms account for a huge number of fire brigade call-outs.  This incurs a lot of expense and, more importantly, could mean that the fire brigade is otherwise occupied when a real emergency arises.  The fire brigade has now imposed charges for call-outs at premises which have a high number of false alarms, as an incentive for businesses to keep their fire alarms better maintained.

Fire Alarm Testing

When our technician has completed the service of your fire alarm system, he will test it to check that it is working correctly and ensure that the bells/sounders reach the required decibel sound levels.

Have you already got a maintenance regime in place?

Are you not happy with this service?

Veriserv can test your systems and provide you with a report to detail any deficiencies. We are happy to take over existing systems after agreeing any system improvements that may be required to bring these systems up the required standards.

If you have any concerns about your fire alarm system, please call 01543 225306, or fill out one of our contact forms to arrange a free assessment of your premises, with one of our fully trained engineers.

Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO), business principles and responsible people have a duty to protect people in the event of a fire.

The responsible person would generally be the owner, landlord or business director or even a member of staff who is delegated with responsibility for fire safety.

Fire extinguishers are essential equipment to help fight a fire should one breakout. A visual inspection should be carried out together with a periodic maintenance programme. A competent person who is qualified by training and has the experience to undertake the inspections and maintenance should carry out regular visual inspections of all the fire extinguishers within a property.

BS5306:3 Code of Practice for Fire Extinguisher Service and Maintenance provides recommendations on how to conduct a visual inspection. The points are as follows:

• Each extinguisher is correctly located in the designated place;
• Each extinguisher is unobstructed and visible;
• The operating instructions of each extinguisher are clean and
  legible and face outwards.
• Each extinguisher has not been operated and is not obviously
  damaged or has any missing parts.
• The reading of any pressure gauge or indicator fitted to an
  extinguisher is within operational and safety limits.
• The seals and tamper indicators of each extinguisher are not
  broken or missing.

There are four classes of fire extinguishers – A, B, C and D – and each class can put out a different type of fire.

• Class A extinguishers will put out fires in ordinary combustibles such as wood and paper.
• Class B extinguishers are for use on flammable liquids like grease, gasoline and oil.
• Class C extinguishers are suitable for use only on electrically energised fires.
• Class D extinguishers are designed for use on flammable metals.

If you employ 5 or more people records should be kept and it is a legal requirement to maintain a permanent record of all servicing, maintenance and inspections which could be audited by the Fire Services Inspectorate.

We can review your existing provision for extinguishers and provide you with a suitable service and maintenance programme to ensure you comply with current fire regulations. We can also carry out a full fire risk assessment of your business premises if required. This would, for example, include Fire Alarm Systems, Escape routes, Extinguishers and signage.

Please call 01543 225306 or fill out one of our contact forms to arrange a free fire risk assessment of your premises, to discuss your fire prevention needs, or to arrange a maintenance programme. Speak to one of our fully trained engineers today.