RiskUKNovember2017

The readers of Risk UK
may not be fully aware
that there have been a
number of changes
made to British
Standard BS 5839 Fire
Detection and Fire
Alarm Systems for
Buildings – Part 1:
Code of Practice for
the Design,
Installation,
Commissioning and
Maintenance of
Systems in Non-
Domestic Premises
following the release
of the 2017 update.
Will Lloyd outlines the
fine detail
Will Lloyd: Technical Manager at
the Fire Industry Association
Changes to BS 5839-1: Fire
Detection and Alarm Systems
Not only is it important to understand BS
5839, but also to keep up-to-date with
any changes so that they can be
addressed and implemented at a given site.
Unlike other sectors where standards are used,
technically speaking there’s no ‘overlap’ or
‘phased entry periods’ for standards within the
fire industry. On that basis, if you haven’t
updated matters pertaining to your site(s) then,
unfortunately, you’re already behind the curve.
The Fire Industry Association (FIA) was
heavily involved in the update procedure for BS
5839-1. The last change to this British Standard
was back in 2013 and, since then, there has
been new research conducted which led to
some of the changes that have been made.
In combination with a number of other
stakeholder groups, the FIA determined to
investigate the causes of false alarms. At the
point of study, no-one knew precisely the exact
reasoning behind false and unwanted fire alarm
events as, in the main, any recording of such an
event is usually simply labelled as exactly that.
No-one knew with any great degree of certainty
why false fire alarms were occurring. This was
the starting point for a research project carried
out with the BRE under the heading ‘Live
Investigations of False Fire Alarms’.
An investigator linked up with the Scottish
Fire and Rescue Service in Glasgow to
investigate the true cause of false or unwanted
alarm signals. The data realised was then
collated and outlined by a researcher.
A surprising result was unearthed. One of the
main causes was actually through accidental
activation (ie people pushing the manual Call
Point button when there wasn’t really a fire in
progress). Sometimes, this was because
members of staff were working with large
trolleys (particularly in hospitals, factories or
warehouses where bulky or heavy items need
to be transported) and accidentally crashed
into the manual Call Point or otherwise knocked
it from the side, in turn activating the alarm.
In other instances, the unwanted signal was
activated when, quite innocently, individuals
pushed the manual Call Point button instead of
the ‘open door’ button when the Call Point was
sighted next to the door, or when staff thought
they could smell smoke. Occasionally, false fire
alarms were due to malicious activations.
As a response to this new research, the FIA’s
Fire Detection and Alarm Councils, along with
other FIA Council groups, reviewed the new
information generated and worked on adding
some changes to the British Standard in a bold
bid to reduce the number of false alarms.
The main change is that all new manual Call
Points must have some variety of protective
cover. This should help in preventing accidental
activation from impact and also force end users
of the fire alarm system to lift the cover before
activation, thereby adding an extra action to the
process of pressing the alarm. This ought to
assist in cutting back on the number of times
the button is pressed accidentally and make
anyone who intends to push the manual Call
Point (whether maliciously or not) think about
whether the alarm should actually be triggered.
Of course, covers for manual Call Points are
not new pieces of equipment. Many
manufacturers have been producing them for
some time now. However, the thing to
remember here is that any new installation
work must use a manual Call Point cover.
Does this mean retrofitting Call Point covers
on all currently existing Call Points? The simple
answer is: ‘No, not necessarily’.
The British Standard only really covers this
point for any new work undertaken since the
publication of the document. However, should a
client request an upgrade then of course this
can be provided. Alternatively, the upgrade can
be carried out at the next convenient juncture,
for example at the next service. The decision
about whether to retroactively fit covers on all
manual Call Points in a given building is down
to the ‘Responsible Person’ or duty holder.
‘Place of ultimate safety’
Another change in the update to BS 5839-1 is
point 20.1 referencing the ‘place of ultimate
safety’, wherein the clause has been expanded
to place emphasis on this.
The reason for the change here is because
not all exits from a building are specifically
designed as fire exits and, during the course of
a fire, people will use any exit (regardless of
whether it’s a designated fire exit). For
example, some openings in the building
envelope (such as a roller shutter door) are not
normally considered as a pedestrian exit, but in
an emergency are likely to be used as such.
Therefore, manual Call Points should be
located on escape routes and, in particular, at
all storey exits and all exits to open air that
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