RiskXtraJune2019
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FIRE SAFETY<br />
Andrew Speake: National<br />
Technical Manager at Aico, a Fire<br />
Industry Association member<br />
company. Andrew works closely<br />
with a number of leading industry<br />
organisations and assists with<br />
R&D on new products<br />
Improved Protection<br />
and Clarification<br />
Andrew Speake examines the<br />
revised British Standard focused<br />
on domestic fire alarms<br />
BS 5839-6 is the Code of Practice for the<br />
design, installation, commissioning and<br />
maintenance of fire detection and fire<br />
alarm systems in domestic premises. When it<br />
was first introduced back in 1995, BS 5839-6<br />
changed everything. Whether you were a<br />
landlord, a specifier or an installer, here at last<br />
was a clear and detailed set of standards to be<br />
observed. The contents of BS 5839-6 were<br />
quickly adopted and have been standard<br />
practice since then in both existing dwellings<br />
and new builds. The Building Regulations and<br />
other guidance documents reference this British<br />
Standard, so its importance cannot be over<br />
emphasised.<br />
BS 5839-6 was revised in 2004 and then<br />
again in 2013, both times taking into<br />
consideration technological developments and<br />
addressing Best Practice accordingly. Its been<br />
around a decade between each set of revisions<br />
so why, just six years since the last set of<br />
revisions, was a new version released this year<br />
on Tuesday 30 April?<br />
The answer isn’t to be found in new<br />
technology, but rather in the will of<br />
professionals in housing, fire and safety to<br />
improve the level of fire protection in domestic<br />
dwellings, which ultimately provides residents<br />
with a greater chance of escape unharmed from<br />
a fire in their home.<br />
While there have been a number of minor<br />
revisions within BS 5839-6:2019, plus multiple<br />
definitions that have been updated throughout,<br />
the biggest changes by far apply to the grades<br />
of alarms and the type/level of protection for<br />
each identified dwelling. The ‘Grade’ determines<br />
the type of alarm to be used and the ‘Category’<br />
the level of protection required.<br />
Changes to Fire Alarm Grades<br />
Under BS 5839-6, fire alarms are classified into<br />
grades from A to F. Grades B and E have been<br />
removed in 2019, with Grade D being the common<br />
for domestic properties that will form the focus of<br />
this particular discourse.<br />
Under the previous standard, Grade D required<br />
one or more interlinked mains powered smoke<br />
alarms (and heat alarms if required), each with an<br />
integral back-up supply, with the back-up supply to<br />
be delivered in the form of a rechargeable lithium<br />
or alkaline battery.<br />
Under the revised BS 5839-6, Grade D has been<br />
replaced with Grades D1 and D2 which differ in<br />
terms of the back-up power supply:<br />
• Grade D1 calls for a tamper-proof standby supply<br />
consisting of a battery or batteries, with lithium<br />
being the standard battery type. These are long-life<br />
battery cells lasting the recommended lifespan of<br />
the alarm and are designed such that they cannot<br />
easily be removed by the user. Grade D1 alarms are<br />
the preferred option for social housing as they<br />
remove the risk factor<br />
• Grade D2, on the other hand, requires an integral<br />
standby supply consisting of a battery or batteries<br />
(usually 9 V PP3) which need to be replaced at<br />
regular intervals by the end user throughout the<br />
life of the alarm by<br />
Changes to these grades provide greater clarity<br />
for alarm specifiers and installers, which is very<br />
much to be welcomed.<br />
While Grade D alarms feature most heavily in<br />
BS 5839-6:2019, Grade F systems also warrant<br />
mention here due to changes in Scottish legislation<br />
earlier this year which permits their use. Grade F<br />
systems use only battery-powered alarms. As with<br />
Grade D, Grade F has now been divided into F1 and<br />
F2 in the same fashion as that noted above.<br />
Minimum levels of protection<br />
Under BS 5839-6, different classes of premises<br />
are identified and the minimum grade of fire<br />
alarm system and category of fire protection<br />
provided for that specific type of property are<br />
22<br />
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