The Importance Of Obeying Fire Alarm Regulations

In many cases, fire alarm regulations may be perceived as unnecessary trouble by many business owners, tenants or building managers. Nonetheless, they could prove to be lifesavers for many people, in the event of a fire inside a building.

There are statistics that clearly show fire alarms installed and maintained according to British Standards 5839 save a lot of lives each year. Government figures show that there were 271 fire fatalities in England between April 2012 and March 2013. About 162 of these were in accidental dwelling fires. On top of this there were 3830 non-fatal casualties in fires in this time at a total of 154,000 fires attended across the country by local and national fire rescue services.

It has been estimated that early warning systems that follow the fire alarm regulations can save at least half of all lives lost in such fires and significantly reduce property damage. Parts of the fire safety management plan are designed to prevent fires or put them out. The fire alarm’s role is reduce or remove the chance of anyone getting hurt in case a fire does occur.

If you are a landlord, it is worth noting that unfortunately, fatal residential fires usually occur by night, when people in the house are sleeping, so they wake up when it’s already too late to escape and save their lives. If those houses and HMO’S had a fire alarm system, the residents could have been woken up by alarm noises and save themselves.

If you don’t know what the fire alarm regulations are you should follow our few tips to help you get some guidance:

1. Seek the advice of company such as Fire & Electrical Safety Ltd to perform a fire risk assessment according to the needs of your business or properties and recommend a fire alarm system suitable of the premises.

2. Install the most appropriate detection system throughout the building according to the fire risk assessment with the level of warning most appropriate to your business.

3. Use electricians qualified in fire safety systems to do the installation and provide regular maintenance.

4. Never skip routine maintenance of your fire alarm systems as per recommendation of your provider. This maintenance should be documented and to hand in case of fire service inspections and for your own peace of mind.

To ensure that the investment in early detection is worth it, you will need to have an emergency plan with clear escape plan in case of fire. The plan should be very well known by all residents, employees and take into account any visitors. You will need to be able to demonstrate that this plan has been communicated to the relevant parties through signage or training.

If you realise the importance of fire alarms and of their proper installation and maintenance, as well as the evacuation plans, you’ll have a lot more chance to save lives in the event of a fire.

Fire & Electrical Safety Ltd can offer you expert advice on all aspect’s of fire safety and cover Milton Keynes, Bedford, Aylesbury, Luton, Northampton, Oxford and all surrounding areas. Call us today for more information.