Fire Alarm Maintenance Legal Requirements
In the UK, fire alarm maintenance is a legal requirement.
Regularly maintaining your fire detection system ensures your alarms are functioning properly. This is critical in the event of a fire.
Failing to do so could result in undetected fires, fines, prosecution, invalidated insurance, and, in worst cases, endangered lives.
Ensuring that your fire alarm system complies with the latest British Standards and legislation is paramount. In this blog post, we’ll take you through fire alarm maintenance laws in the UK, and what you need to do to ensure you’re following best practice.
Fire Alarm Maintenance Legal Requirements in the UK
There are two primary legislations to be aware of when it comes to fire alarm maintenance.
- All commercial premises must have an appropriate fire detection system.
- Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the ‘Responsible Person’ must ensure fire alarms are maintained and tested so that occupants are alerted in the event of a fire. Fire alarms should be fully functional at all times.
- British Standard BS 5839-1 recommends weekly user tests and periodic inspection and servicing to be carried out by a ‘competent person’ every 6 months, along with detailed maintenance records. The ‘competent person’ must have specialist knowledge of fire detection and fire alarm systems.
- In high-risk environments, more regular maintenance visits may be required.
- The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 place emphasis on the responsibilities around fire safety systems, especially in multi-occupied residential buildings. These regulations made it a requirement in law for responsible persons of high-rise blocks of flats to provide information to Fire and Rescue Services to assist them to plan and, if needed, provide an effective operational response. This reinforces the importance of regular maintenance checks, increases legal scrutiny on the responsible person’s compliance, and highlights the importance of documentation and communication.
What is Fire Alarm Maintenance?
Fire Alarm Maintenance is the process of inspecting, testing, and servicing your fire alarm system to make sure it is working correctly and efficiently, and compliant with UK legal requirements. This includes checking control panels, sounders, detectors, manual call points, and backup power supplies.
The British Standard BS5839-1 defines the tasks to be carried out during a fire alarm maintenance visit, including the functional testing of all fire alarm devices including smoke detectors, heat detectors and manual call points across a 12 month period.
Who is Responsible for Fire Alarm Maintenance?
While weekly fire alarm tests can be done in-house by a trained member of staff, periodic testing and servicing should be completed by an accredited fire safety contractor, like our team at Sunfish Services. BAFE SP203-1 is the Third Party Certification scheme for fire detection and alarm systems in the UK.
Click here to enquire about fire alarm maintenance for your alarm system.
Definition of a Responsible Person
According to the Gov.UK website, ‘The responsible person is the person who is responsible for the safety of themselves and others who use a regulated premises.
This is normally a building owner, or in residential properties, any other person in control of the premises. The responsible person is the person on whom most of the duties set out in the Fire Safety Order are imposed’.
Responsible Person Duties
- Carry out a fire risk assessment and keep it up to date.
- Ensure fire detection and alarm systems are installed and maintained in working order. Fire detection systems must be maintained by a professional at least every six months.
- Keep records of all maintenance and testing activities.
For buildings over 11 metres in height, the responsible persons must:
- Conduct quarterly checks on communal fire doors.
- Perform annual checks on flat entrance doors.
These requirements complement existing obligations under BS 5839-1 (for non-domestic premises) and BS 5839-6 (for domestic premises), which already specify weekly testing and biannual servicing of fire alarm systems.
Risks of Ignoring Fire Alarm Maintenance Legal Requirements
Failing to maintain your fire alarm system can result in severe consequences, including fires, prosecution, and invalidated insurance, and, in worst-case scenarios, endangered lives.
Why does it matter?
According to the Home Office’s official Fire Protection & Prevention Statistics from 2023:
- 6,008 fire safety audits were carried out by Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs).
- 2,142 informal notifications were issued (eg. letters of verbal advice).
- 2,038 enforcement notices were served.
- 206 prohibition notices were issued (used when there is an immediate risk to life).
- 110 alteration notices were issued (used to require changes to premises or procedures).
- 96 prosecutions were initiated under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
Of these 96 prosecutions:
- The majority resulted in convictions.
- Fines ranged from a few thousand pounds to over £100,000, depending on the severity of the breach.
- Some cases involved custodial sentences, particularly where there was serious risk to life or repeat non-compliance.
Failure to comply with these legal requirements is a crime.
Conclusion
It is important to be aware of the legal requirements associated with fire alarm maintenance. There are endless benefits to fire alarm maintenance, from saving money and happier employees, to saving lives. If you have any further questions or are looking for a professional to help you and your company with fire alarm maintenance, get in touch!