To prevent your business premises from becoming part of such sad statistics, it’s crucial that you properly maintain your fire alarms and test them regularly. But what are the fire alarm testing regulations? And what is the right fire alarm testing frequency?

Is a Fire Alarm a Legal Requirement?

England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland all have different legal requirements for fire alarms. Each country’s regulations detail differing levels of protection, but is a fire alarm a legal requirement? In short, the answer is yes:

• In England and Wales, fire safety legislation falls under The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005;

• Scotland’s regulations fall under Part 3 of The Fire (Scotland) Act 2005;

• Northern Ireland’s laws come under The Fire Safety Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010.

Anyone who controls a building, such as an employer, managing agent or building owner, or even a tenant, is a “responsible person” and must ensure adherence to the required fire safety regulations relevant to their premises.

A responsible person must ensure a suitable fire detection and warning system is in place, and that the system gets tested correctly and regularly.

Fire Alarm Testing Regulations

If you are the person responsible for maintaining fire alarm systems at your premises, you’ll need to adhere to all appropriate fire alarm testing legal requirements. In the context of testing, you need to know how to test your fire alarm and how often.

Fire Alarm Testing Frequency

At a minimum, you must legally conduct six monthly inspections of your fire alarm system each year. When it comes to testing your fire alarms, the fire alarm testing frequency demanded by law is weekly.

For properties in England and Wales, the legislation covering fire alarm testing is Article 17 of The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

How to Test a Fire Alarm

Fire alarm tests are necessary for two reasons. Firstly, it ensures the system is fully operational. And secondly, people in your building, such as employees, are familiar with how the fire alarm sounds.

Fire alarm systems can differ depending on the make and model, and the type of building they protect. But, the general procedure is as follows:

• Inform all people in the building of an imminent fire alarm test;
• Check the alarm control panel has a valid connection to the ARC (alarm receiving centre) and put it into ‘test’ mode;
• Have a manual call point key on you, as you’ll need it to reset the system;
• Activate a manual call point, wait for the alarm sounders, and use the key to reset it;
• Go back to the alarm control panel, verify the manual call point location is correct, and then silence the alarm sounders;
• Write down the results of your fire alarm test in your fire logbook;
• Contact the ARC and confirm they’ve received your fire signal;
• Reset the alarm control panel and take it out of test mode.

How Britannia Can Help

Britannia Fire & Security is one of the UK’s biggest suppliers, installers, and maintainers of commercial fire alarm systems. We can ensure that your premises have a fully-functional alarm system that meets your needs and legal obligations.

Contact us today at 01733 246990 to find out how we can help your business stay safe.

Making sure your business is adhering to fire safety legislation is a legal requirement for all businesses. Understanding what this means for your company will allow you to make sure you are compliant.

What is The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005?

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, which went into effect on October 1, 2006, replacing the Fire Precautions Act 1961 and the Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations 1997/1999. It requires that all non-domestic premises be assessed for fire risk. It also necessitates the appointment of a competent person to conduct fire training and the implementation of appropriate preventative measures such as the installation of fire safety products.

Who and What Does it Apply To?

The Fire Safety Order requires that all business owners have an in-depth knowledge of fire safety. As the owner of a business, you are the ‘responsible person,’ and you have a legal obligation to provide fire safety care to your employees and anyone who visits your location.

Your Responsibilities Are:

You’ll need to know what fire hazards exist, what safeguards you have in place to protect employees and visitors from fire, what your emergency procedures are, and who your fire marshals are. The main points are:

• Your premise meets the required standards.
• Employees are provided with adequate fire safety training.

What “adequate fire safety training” means

Adequate fire safety training can vary from business to business but typically involves:

• Employee induction training for new employees to cover general fire safety guidance
• Periodic refresher training to make sure employees know their responsibilities and updates regarding best fire safety practices and procedural updates.
• Training to help support employees to carry out their required fire safety duties, especially when concerning work with increased fire risks
• Building skills regarding fire safety equipment such as fire extinguishers or fire warden training.

Fire Risk Assessments

You are required by law to ensure that a competent person has completed a Fire Risk Assessment if you are responsible for the premises. Additionally, if your business has five or more employees or is licenced under a current enactment, your Fire Risk Assessment must be documented. Additionally, the person responsible for the premises is required to:

• Identify those who might be more at risk.
• Reduce the risk of fire or eliminate the risk as is reasonably practical.
• Provide the appropriate fire precautions.
• Take additional measures where flammable or explosive materials are stored on the property.
• Create an emergency plan and record any findings.
• General fire precautions must be maintained.
• Facilities for use by firefighters must be maintained.
• Keep any findings of the risk assessment under review.

Guidance for required standards

Employers are required by law to undertake the risk-assessment-based regime to prevent fires and protect against the death and injury of employees and relevant persons in the event of a fire. This was the same duty imposed on employers by the Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations 1999. Still, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 broadens the duty to include all non-domestic premises to which employees or relevant persons have access.