Do I need a fire alarm system?
Approved Document B volume 1 and 2 is the legislative document that governs Fire Safety in all residential and commercial buildings, this document MUST be followed under U.K. law, this document together with all relevant British Standards relating to the type of system installed.
PLP Fire Protection carry out the design and installation of fire alarm systems in accordance with Approved document B and British Standard’s BS-5839 part 1 for commercial and part 6 for domestic premises.
I have a fire alarm system, does it need to be maintained?
Yes, it is a legal requirement under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 to ensure that a suitable Fire Risk Assessment is in place and your fire alarm systems are covered by a contract of maintenance and kept in full working order to ensure you remain compliant.
This Order reforms the law relating to fire safety in non-domestic premises. It replaces fire certification under the Fire Precautions Act 1971 it places specific duties on the responsible person and the Government states in its fire safety guidance documents:
“Third-party certification schemes for fire protection products and related services are an effective means of providing the fullest possible assurances, offering a level of quality, reliability and safety that non-certificated products may lack.”
It is important that your fire alarm systems are designed, installed and maintained by a suitably qualified and accredited company.
BAFE SP203-1 is a modular fire alarm third party certification scheme for companies involved in any one of the following services
- Design of Fire Alarms
- Installation of Fire Alarms
- Commissioning of Fire Alarms
- Maintenance of fire alarm systems
It is important to check that the company you are appointing has the correct module’s according to the type of works you are instructing them to do, PLP Fire Protection hold the full modular BAFE SP203-1 suite and can therefore provide BAFE third party certification from design stage right through to commissioning and ongoing maintenance.
BAFE is the independent register of quality fire safety service providers, who are certified to ensure quality and competence to help meet your fire safety obligations.