A Guide To Commercial Fire Alarm Testing For Safety
Smoke detectors and fire alarms are an essential tool for managing safe, successful business premises. These are your first line of defence against the threat of fires when fully functional and need to be kept in prime working condition to ensure this at all times.
Commercial fire alarms and detectors offer a range of benefits, including ensuring a safe evacuation during emergencies. They are required to be installed and regularly tested in a range of commercial premises across the UK. As the employer, it is your responsibility to ensure these standards are upheld.
Nomico Fire & Security is your local fire safety expert. We offer installation and maintenance of commercial fire alarms, smoke detectors and other fire suppression systems to keep businesses safe. Using our experience as safety experts, we are sharing everything you need to know about commercial fire alarm testing so you can ensure your business is a safe place to be.
The Importance Of Commercial Fire Alarm Testing
For many businesses, testing commercial fire alarms is often overlooked. With many other tasks taking priority, some managers may believe that simply having fire detectors installed in the first place is more than enough.
However, failure to test commercial fire alarms and smoke detectors can leave your premises vulnerable. This can cause issues during an emergency, preventing a safe evacuation of all employees, customers, and occupants as well as exposing the building to more damage.
Fire alarms provide an alert at the very first signs of fire, such as high temperatures or smoke. These alerts are designed to give the people present time to calmly evacuate the premises and call emergency services. The sooner these actions can be taken, the better the outcome.
Without functioning fire alarms and smoke detectors, it may take longer for people to become aware of the present dangers. Panic should be avoided during these emergencies, as it can cause people to act irrationally and therefore put themselves in danger.
As the employer, it is your responsibility to manage a safe building for your employees. If your premises are accessed by other members of the public, such as a store or office block, you are also responsible for their safety.
Simply having commercial fire alarms installed is not enough, as these need to be regularly tested to ensure they are in prime working order at all times.
Your Legal Requirements Regarding Commercial Fire Alarms
It is not just a good idea to ensure regular commercial fire alarm testing, but also part of your legal responsibility.
Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, also known as the Fire Safety Order, the responsible person on the premises needs to ensure regular commercial fire alarm testing. The responsible person, such as the employer or property owner, is also responsible for upholding all other fire safety regulations in the business.
These regulations state that fire alarms should be tested regularly to ensure they are in prime working condition. As these regulations are subject to change, regular commercial fire alarm testing also ensures that your premises are up-to-date and in line with the latest safety protocols.
As well as outlining the importance of commercial fire alarm testing, the Fire Safety Order also indicates how frequently this should be done.
For commercial sites and businesses, fire alarms should undergo complete system testing and maintenance every six months. This requires professional engineers, like Nomico Fire & Security, to get right and we can deliver the maintenance you need.
Fire alarm testing should be a weekly occurrence to ensure that the alerts can be heard and employees know how to behave during this process.
How To Test Commercial Fire Alarms
While the specific process for commercial fire alarm testing may vary based on the type of system in place, there are some guidelines every business should follow.
Each commercial fire alarm and smoke detector system will operate slightly differently, and it is best to follow manufacturer recommendations when testing. How long this process takes and what happens during commercial fire alarm testing is also subject to change, based on the size of the premises and the kind of system in place.
However, as a general guide, these steps can ensure successful testing of commercial fire alarms and smoke detectors in every industry:
1) Inform Staff And Customers
The first step in commercial fire alarm testing is to inform all occupants of the building that this is taking place. This prevents them from panicking and causing an unnecessary rush during normal business hours.
2) Check Connections
Before sounding the alarm, perform a visual inspection of the main control panel. You need to check for a connection between the commercial fire alarm system and the alarm receiving centre, as this will determine whether the alarms can be heard across the building.
3) Locate And Keep Manual Call Point Key
Ahead of sounding the fire alarms, make sure that you know where the manual call point key is. This should be kept close to the control panel during commercial fire alarm testing, as the system will need to be reset following this process.
Only approved personnel should have access to this manual call point key, such as managers. This makes it easier to keep track of its location and ensure it can be accessed during commercial fire alarm testing.
4) Activate The Alarm
Activate the manual call point and see if you can hear the alarm. This determines whether the auditory alert of fire alarms and smoke detectors across your premises is successful.
The alarm must be loud and noticeable across the premises. For large commercial sites, you will likely have multiple call points and each will need to be tested to ensure they can be heard in the immediate area.
5) Check Connection Again
When the alarm sounds, ensure that it shows up and is registered by the main control panel. This is a vital part of commercial fire alarm testing as it determines whether the entire system is operational and working as intended.
Control panels should indicate which call point was triggered. With some fire alarm systems, this can help you locate the source of the fire and prevent it from spreading.
If the call point location is correct, you can silence the alarm and rest it using your manual call point key.
6) Report Findings
All commercial fire alarm testing needs to be reported in a logbook, as this will be inspected during Fire Risk Assessments. As this is part of your role as the responsible person, reports of commercial fire alarm testing are used to prove you are doing your job effectively.
Once the alarm has been silenced, record the findings in the official logbook including successes and any issues that may have arisen.
7) Contact Alarm Centre
To ensure that your commercial fire alarm testing has been successful across the system, contact your fire alarm centre. When the alarm was triggered, the alarm centre should have been notified and received reports regarding your premises.
8) Return To Normal Function
Following a successful fire alarm test, make sure to take the control panel out of test mode and back to standard function
What To Do If The Fire Alarm Test Was Unsuccessful
If commercial fire alarm testing is unsuccessful, you need to reach out to engineers immediately. Whether the alarm did not sound, the location in the control panel was wrong or the alarm centre did not receive a report, you must seek professional help as soon as possible.
The purpose of regular fire alarm testing is to keep track of any issues and ensure they do not hinder the safety of your premises. If problems do arise during the testing, they need to be rectified as soon as possible and Nomico Fire & Security are here to help.
Our engineers offer fire alarm testing, and installation as well as comprehensive servicing and maintenance to ensure all your fire systems are in prime working order. Any issues that may arise during fire alarm testing can be resolved by our team. Alternatively, we can help you install your fire safety equipment if required.
Conclusion
Commercial fire alarm testing should be done regularly to ensure that your business is fully protected. Fires can be devastating, and fire alarms are your first form of defence. Without fire alarms, it can be difficult to save property, assets and lives.
Regular fire testing is required as part of the Fire Safety regulations across the UK and is the responsibility of the employer. You need to ensure that your business is a safe space for staff and customers alike.
While commercial fire alarm testing may look different for each premises, based on the scale of the business and the type of system used, there is a standard protocol which should be followed.
If any issues arise during your fire alarm testing, you should reach out to engineers to get these resolved immediately.
Contact Us Today
For additional support regarding commercial fire safety, including fire alarm testing and maintenance, reach out to the team today.
