Six Tips When Testing Your Fire Alarm System

In an emergency, your fire alarm system could save lives, property and potentially keep you in business.

As described in our last post, alarms can commonly be tested wrongly, leaving you vulnerable in the event of fire.

Here are some tips we would recommend you follow to ensure your alarm works when you need it:

1. Every week a break glass call point should be operated during normal working hours & the results recorded. A different call point to be tested each week, there is no maximum period for this e.g. 150 call points would take 150 weeks

2. Any occupants should report any poor audibility of sounders

3. Systems with staged evacuation or alert should be run through their full procedure, e.g. - test, alert & evacuation

4. In premises with shift patterns or out of normal working hours then a separate test should be made available once a month

5. Voice alarms should be tested in accordance with BS5839-8

6. Ensure that for monitored systems that the fire alarm & reset signal was received at the Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC)

To discuss your fire and security requirements in detail, please contact us or visit us online.

Visit our resources page for independent information relating to fire safety.

Five Common Mistakes When Testing Your Fire Alarm

Here are five of the most common mistakes when testing fire alarm systems.

1 - Triggering the fire system from the evacuate button on the main fire alarm control panel

2 - Testing from the same break glass call point each week

3 - Leaving the break glass test key in & then resetting the main panel

4 - Completing the test & not writing it down in the log book

5 - Not writing full details in the log book

In our next post, we will discuss six procedures to ensure your fire alarm is tested correctly.