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187. It is essential that an outbreak of fire in premises should be detected at an early stage so that the occupants are alerted and the emergency fire action plan implemented as soon as possible. The longer a fire continues undetected, the greater the risk to the safety of occupants.
188. Premises providing sleeping accommodation should be provided with a fire warning and automatic detection system. The provision of a suitable fire detection and warning system (fire alarm system) will only achieve compliance with requirements where staff and other occupants know how to respond to system operation.
189. Some of the features of a fire alarm system may be:
Fire Alarm Features
190. Manual call points, often known as ‘break-glass’ call points, enable a person who discovers a fire to operate the fire alarm and immediately raise the alarm and warn other people in the premises of the danger. The provision of manual call points may not always be necessary. However, where circumstances dictate that their provision is appropriate, this should be taken into account in the system design.
191. Automatic fire detectors. The choice of type depends on the nature of the hazard, the required speed of system response and the need to avoid false alarms. The common types of automatic fire detector are heat detectors and smoke detectors.
192. Sounders are provided to alert occupants and should be capable of rousing them from sleep. It is possible that automatic fire detectors with integral sounders may be sufficient for most premises to which this guide applies. Where there are staff/guests/residents/tenants with hearing impairment to the extent that the fire alarm sounders cannot be perceived, then it will be necessary to consider whether there is a need to provide tactile and/or visual alarm devices for those persons.
193. Where installed, the control and indicator panel provides the facility for indication of fire and fault signals and manual controls such as silencing and resetting.
System Type
194. The type of fire alarm system suitable for different occupancy types can vary. It is essential that due consideration is taken of all relevant circumstances including occupant characteristics such as age, mobility, lifestyle and socio-economic factors when designing and installing a suitable system. However, fire safety risk assessment should be used to determine the type of system required. The following are benchmarks against which existing provision can be compared.
195. Individual flats, maisonettes and other small premises normally comprising of no more than two storeys in height should be provided with a fire alarm system (designed for dwellings) complying with the recommendations of BS 5839: Part 6 for a Grade D Category LD2 system, comprising interlinked, mains-operated smoke and heat detectors (with battery back-up) connected to either a regularly used local lighting circuit, or to an entirely independent circuit to which no other electrical equipment is connected.
196. Small premises comprising of 3 storeys in height should be provided with a fire alarm system (designed for dwellings) complying with the recommendations of BS 5839: Part 6 for a Grade A Category LD2 system. It should incorporate control and indicating equipment complying with the recommendations of BS EN 54: Part 2 and comprise interlinked, mains-operated smoke and heat detectors (with battery back-up) connected to an entirely independent circuit to which no other electrical equipment is connected.
197. Regardless of system type, fire detection should include at least one:
Inter-connection Of Fire Alarm Systems
198. In mixed-use multi-occupied/owned buildings where it is impractical or impossible to link individual systems together, the automatic fire detection installed in individual flats/accommodation should be extended into the common staircase escape route(s) at the same level as the entrance door to the premises.
Linked Operation
199. If an automatic life safety sprinkler system is installed in the building, this should be interlinked so that actuation in response to a fire should also cause operation of the fire alarm system.
Reducing False Alarms
200. False alarms from automatic fire detection systems are a major problem which cause disruption to the running of premises and result in many unwanted calls to the Fire and Rescue Service. If there are frequent false alarms in the premises, people may become complacent and may not respond correctly to a warning in the event of a real fire. False alarms should not be seen as inevitable: each one should be investigated and the cause identified. Where remedial action is required to prevent a recurrence, such as changing a detector head or re-siting a call point, then this should be implemented. A fire alarm system should never be disabled by staff/residents/tenants; if it is posing a problem then specialist help should be sought. Information on maintenance and testing of fire alarm systems is contained in Chapter 5.
201. In premises that are not usually staffed, such as HMOs, residents and tenants should be encouraged to notify the landlord/managing agent of false alarms that occur so that relevant remedial action can be taken.