A fire alarm system is only as good as its design. Before we quote, we look at how your building is used, who sleeps in it, how people get out, and what your fire risk assessment says. That tells us which category of system you need, from a basic L5 or M system for a small shop to a full L1 system covering every room in a care home.
We install conventional panels for small premises, addressable systems for larger or more complex buildings, and radio (wireless) systems where cabling would damage historic fabric or disrupt occupants. Every system is commissioned against its design, and you receive a design, installation and commissioning certificate along with as-fitted drawings, a zone plan and a logbook.
BS 5839-1 was revised in 2025, and the 2025 edition now applies to new systems, extensions and modifications. If you are extending or altering an existing system, the new section on extensions and modifications sets out what needs to be checked, and we design to it from the start.
What is included
- Site survey and review of your fire risk assessment
- System category recommendation (L1 to L5, M, P1 or P2)
- Detector, sounder, beacon and call point layout drawings
- Cause and effect matrix for door holders, lifts, AOVs and plant shutdown
- Installation in fire-resisting cable (standard or enhanced)
- Commissioning, handover training and certification
- Logbook, zone chart and as-fitted drawings
- Optional remote monitoring to an alarm receiving centre
Who it is for
- Offices and shops
- Warehouses and industrial units
- Blocks of flats (communal areas)
- HMOs and student accommodation
- Care homes and hotels
- Schools and places of worship
The rules in each UK nation
England
Rented homes in England must have a smoke alarm on each storey used as living accommodation and a carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a fixed combustion appliance, other than a gas cooker. HMO licence conditions set by the local council often go further and call for a mains-wired, interlinked system to BS 5839-6.
Wales
Under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 and its fitness for human habitation regulations, landlords must fit a working, mains-powered smoke alarm on each storey of a rented home, interlinked with each other, and a carbon monoxide alarm where there is a combustion appliance.
Scotland
Since February 2022, every home in Scotland must have interlinked fire alarms: a smoke alarm in the living room, a smoke alarm in every circulation space such as hallways and landings, and a heat alarm in the kitchen, plus a carbon monoxide alarm where there is a fixed combustion appliance or flue.
Northern Ireland
Private tenancies in Northern Ireland must meet the fitness standards set by the Department for Communities, including working smoke, heat and carbon monoxide alarms. HMOs are licensed by councils under the Houses in Multiple Occupation Act (Northern Ireland) 2016, which sets fire detection standards as licence conditions.