Testing, testing

A number of our recent blog posts have focused on the topic of passive fire protection such as fire doors, but in this post we turn our attention to active fire protection and the importance of having a fully functioning, fully tested and maintained fire alarm system.

Firstly, its worth saying that all fire alarm equipment - including the smoke and heat detectors, the sounders, beacons and relays - should be installed and tested by a competent person such as a BAFE qualified engineer

However, it is also very important that all components of the fire alarm - including all the detectors - are fully tested regularly and certainly at least once a year. Dust can build up on detectors as a result of air conditioning outlets or building work for example and in fact, this is one of the five major causes of fire false alarms according to fire brigades.

At Fire Depot we stock the Testifier range of testers to ensure that detector servicing is completed efficiently and safely. The Testifier alarm testing equipment is uniquely capable of producing smoke, heat and CO stimuli. The tools offer fast and cost-effective compliance with test standards (BS 5839) and address RRFSO legislative issues concerning proof of competence.

Testifire testing equipment can also reduce the time spent on fire alarm testing by up to 66%. Some ways it does this are:

• A dramatic reduction in reset times through use of clearing cycle
• Using the latest technology stimuli generation and delivery
• The replacement of multiple tools with a single tester
• Using combined stimuli deployment on multi-sensor detectors
• Faster testing of higher temperature detectors with hi-heat mode

If you are an employer, a building owner, a landlord, an occupier or anyone else with control of a premises - such as a facilities or building manager or a managing agent - you are responsible for fire safety in a business and as such will need to ensure you know the answers to the following questions:

• Was the fire alarm system designed by a person qualified to design these systems?
• Was the fire alarm system installed correctly?
• Do you have documentation in the form of certificates for the Design, Installation, Commissioning and Handover of the system and were the certificates issued by reputable companies?
• Is the system regularly maintained and is there evidence available to support this, such as the fire alarm log book?

Life is precious and property and assets matter so at Fire Depot we make it our mission to provide quality, approved fire protection equipment and to share fire safety advice and fire equipment recommendations. You can view the full range of the Testifire products in more detail on the website and for help and advice on all fire protection and safety products, please contact the Fire Depot team on 0330 999 2233 or email us at sales@firedepot.co.uk.