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Fire Alarm Systems.....Be Alarmed
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Fire Alarm Systems
Our old friend the Regulatory Reform Order tells us that you have to have an adequate means of detecting a fire and giving warning. The fire alarm system you use depends very much on your workplace and the risks involved. It can range from one of the sophisticated, zoned fire alarm systems with smoke detectors, heat detectors, sprinklers, siren and flashing lights, to Nigel from accounts ringing a bell and shouting "FIRE!"
The 'Responsible Person' for your premises has a duty under the Order to ensure that any fire alarm systems are managed efficiently and maintained in good working order by a competent person.
In other words, it isn't enough just to have a fire alarm system fitted.
Ask yourself the following questions:
- Is there a person in your organisation who has specific responsibility for fire alarm systems?
- Are written records kept of testing, servicing and false alarms?
- Is your system serviced and maintained by a person competent in dealing with fire alarm systems? (usually a specialist contractor)
- Are false alarms and faults with fire alarm systems investigated quickly, and action taken to address the problem that caused it?
Manual Fire Alarm Systems
The most basic electrical fire alarm systems will typically consist of manual call points (break glass points), a sounding system (siren or bells) and probably a control panel.
The idea with such fire alarm systems is that when someone discovers a fire they smash a call point and raise the alarm, which is the signal for everyone to leave. One disadvantage with this manual system, of course, is that if a fire breaks out in the middle of the night when no-one is there, your premises are likely to be in a pretty bad state before anyone knows about it.
Automatic Fire Alarm Systems
Your Fire Risk Assessment should highlight whether your current fire alarm system is adequate to minimise the risks to your staff and premises. If you find that you have staff working alone where they may be unaware of a fire starting, then one of the fire alarm systems which include automatic fire detection would seem like the way to go.
Another key reason for having an automatic fire alarm system would be if you had areas where, if a fire broke out, you might not know about it for some time. For example, storage areas or rooms with electrical equipment that staff only rarely enter.
If you do move to an automatic fire alarm system for the first time, you need to ensure that the system is designed around your Emergency Plan. Your plan should dictate what the safest mechanism is for detecting fire and getting staff out of the building - and your fire alarm system must be tailored to this Plan.
All automatic fire alarm systems should have a control panel that will tell you exactly where in the building the fire has been detected. When the panel is installed, it will include decisions on how to divide the premises up into zones. Think very carefully about how you name these zones - consider whether you would understand what the name meant if you did not work there. For example, is a fireman more likely to understand where he might find the 'second floor meeting room' or the 'Johnson Suite'?
While many electrical contractors will install fire alarm systems for you, I would strongly recommend using a specialist contractor, and discussing your requirements thoroughly before you go ahead. You may even wish to consult a Health and Safety Consultant who specialises in commercial fire alarm systems.
Fire Alarm Systems - Testing and Maintaining
I have already said that all fire alarm systems should be supervised by a named Responsible Person in your organisation. In addition to this, though, it will need to be properly serviced and maintained, and this is too important to leave to anyone other than a specialist.
I would strongly recommend you set up an ongoing service contract with a specialist contractor to service your fire alarm systems at regular intervals. This is then one less thing for you to have to remember, making it more likely that it will always be properly maintained.
In addition to servicing and maintenance by a contractor, there are things that you need to do in-house to ensure that your fire alarm system is functioning properly. Have a look at the control panel once a day just to see that it is on, the status is normal and there are no faults being indicated. You also need to set up a regime for testing your break glass call points, the easiest way being to do it at a set time each week. You activate the call point by inserting a special test key.
The best way to do this is to test a different call point each week, gradually working your way around the building. Number all of your call points and keep a written record of when you test them and the outcome of the test. You can record this on a simple form. If you look at the bottom of the Equipment Testing page to find a selection of templates for inspection and testing forms.
Regular testing and maintenance of Fire Alarm Systems is essential, and you should keep records of this in case it is asked for by the Fire Authority.
