The Need For A Fire Alarm System

FACT: 60% of businesses fail to resume trading after a fire...

The need for a fire alarm system in any specific building will normally be determined by the authority responsible for enforcing fire safety legislation in the building and/or by a fire risk assessment carried out by the owner, landlord, occupier(s), or employer(s), as appropriate.

Usually it is required to install some form of fire alarm system in virtually all buildings, other than very small premises that are relatively open-planned so that any fire will be quickly detected by occupants, who will be able to warn others by word of mouth or a simple mechanical device such as hand operated bells. 

Automatic fire detection is normally required by legislation to supplement the manual system in premises in which people sleep. Automatic fire detection might also be necessary to satisfy legislation under the following circumstances:

1.Where the automatic fire detection forms part of a fire engineering solution;

2.Where fire protection systems, such as door closing facilities or smoke control systems, are to be operated automatically in the event of fire;

3.Where the low level of occupancy of a building, or part of a building, is such as to create the potential for fire to prejudice means of escape by occupants before they are aware of the fire.