Fire Alarm Maintenance and Monitoring

Thousands of business premises across the UK have working fire protection systems operating such as fire alarms, smoke detectors and heat detectors. All this fire safety equipment helps to give the business an early warning of danger should a fire break out on the premises.

Not only are fire alarms there to protect the lives of people, but they are there to protect a business and a property, helping to reduce the damage and devastation caused by a fire. This is why it is so important to ensure that your fire alarm system is kept well maintained, and in an environment of high risk, to also have round the clock monitoring too.

In high-risk environments a business will usually have automatic attendance from the fire service. On lower risk sites, where fire alarm monitoring is in place, the local fire authority will usually need a confirmation of a fire before sending an appliance out, just in case it is a false alarm, but will attend if necessary.

Regulatory Requirements

All business premises over a certain size will need to have a fire safety system installed to meet with current fire safety regulations. It is usual for regular maintenance tests to be carried out, such as weekly fire alarm sounding tests, regular inspections and fire equipment servicing, testing and replacements of faulty components.

Should a company fail to keep it’s fire safety equipment well maintained and in full working order, the risks to staff and to the business is too frightening to think about. You may think that you would be able to cope well to tackle a fire on your premises should one break out, but what if a fire was to take hold when your building was unoccupied?

Without a functioning fire alarm system in place, your premises would be at greater risk of damage at night when the building is closed up and vacated by people. What about weekends and holiday periods, especially at times of longer closure such as at Christmas. If your fire alarm isn’t working and there is no-one around to raise the alarm and call the fire service, can you imagine the devastation this would cause.

Business Insurance

A fire breaking out on your premises is going to be costly whichever way you look at it. However, the sooner the alarm is raised, the quicker the emergency services are called and the sooner the fire will be put out. This means there will be less fire damage for you to clean up and less repairs and replacements to pay out for. Don’t forget though that whatever business insurance you have taken out may not cover all of your fire damage costs. Some policies can even be invalidated if it discovered that your fire alarm wasn’t working or your fire protection system failed because it wasn’t in full working order before the fire.

If you have just moved into new business premises and are unsure if your fire alarm system is adequately set up for the type of business you operate, it is worth calling in a specialist fire safety firm to come and inspect your system. They can check your equipment to make sure it is working correctly and make recommendations about extra fire protection steps you should take.