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SERVICE & MAINTENANCE
The following section is a summary of the requirements in BS5839 Part 1
For comprehensive information a copy of BS5839 Part 1 can be purchased from the British Standards
Institution via their web site at www.bsi-global.com.
THE NEED FOR MAINTENANCE
Your Fire Alarm System is working 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The detectors and control & indicating
panel are operating continuously and the fire alarm circuits are constantly monitored.
Legislation such as the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and other legislation protecting both
employees and the public require premises operators to conform with standards for Fire Alarm Systems.
It is a requirement of BS 5839 Part 1 that the system is subject to periodic inspection and servicing so that
faults are identified, preventive measures can be taken to ensure the continued reliability of the system,
false alarm problems are identified and suitably addressed, and the user is made aware of any changes to
the building that affect the protection afforded by the system.
The inspection and servicing recommendations in this clause should be carried out by a competent
person. A 'Competent Person' is a person or fire alarm servicing organisation with specialist knowledge
of fire detection and fire alarm systems, including knowledge of the causes of false alarms, sufficient
information regarding the system, and adequate access to spares.
The period between successive inspection and servicing visits should be based upon a risk assessment,
taking into account the type of system installed, the environment in which it operates and other factors
that may affect the long term operation of the system. The recommended period between successive
inspection and servicing visits should not exceed six months. If this recommendation is not implemented,
it should be considered that the system is no longer compliant with this part of BS 5839
DUTIES OF THE RESPONSIBLE PERSON
The system user needs to appoint a single, named member of the premises management to supervise
all matters pertaining to the fire detection and fire alarm system. The role of this person is to ensure that
the system is tested and maintained in accordance with the recommendations of BS 5839 Part 1, that
appropriate records are kept and that relevant occupants in the protected premises are aware of their roles
and responsibilities in connection with the fire detection and fire alarm system.
This person also needs to ensure that necessary steps are taken to avoid situations that are detrimental to
the standard of protection afforded by the system and to ensure that the level of false alarms is minimized.
ROUTINE MAINTENANCE & TESTING
DAILY
The 'Responsible Person' should check the control panel to make sure no faults or pre-alarm conditions
are indicated and that the green 'Supply Healthy' lamp is lit.
WEEKLY
The Fire Alarm System should be tested on a weekly basis as recommended in BS5839 Part 1 clause 44.2.
Every week a manual call point should be operated during normal working hours. The weekly test should
be carried out at approximately the same time each week. Instructions to the occupants should be that
they report any instance of poor audibility of the fire alarm signal.
A different manual call point should be used at the time of every weekly test so that all manual call points
in the building are tested in rotation over a prolonged period.
The result of the weekly test and the identity or location of the manual call point used should be recorded
in the system log book.
Eclipse Installation, Commissioning & Operating Manual
Approved Document Ref: UI-ECL-01 Issue 8.0
32
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