Fire alarm testing

[Guest PHS]

Hi I'm trying to find out where it says fire alarm or smoke detectors can be checked 50% on a 6 monthly basis. I know is recommended that fire alarm systems are to be tested either quarterly or six monthly but  does that mean 100% check of all detectors and call points on the system.  

 

 

[AnthonyB]

The minimum service visits is 2 per year - on visits the minimum testing requirement is at least one call point or detector per zone or loop. However in a 12 month period all call points and detectors should have been tested at least once.

For convenience sites on 2 visits a year each one tests 50% of devices and on 4 visits each one tests 25% but there is no requirement to do it this way - in theory on a 4 zone conventional system with 10 devices per zone and two service visits a year you could test 4 (1 per zone) on one visit and the other 36 on the second visit.

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[Guest Darrel]

Hi Guys. Is it a legal requirement to test fire alarms on a weekly basis?

 

[AnthonyB]

On 03/04/2020 at 17:10, Guest Darrel said:

Hi Guys. Is it a legal requirement to test fire alarms on a weekly basis?

 

Not explicitly - the legal requirement is to ensure the system is subject to a suitable system of maintenance and are maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair.

However in deciding what is suitable reference would be made to both the Government's official fire risk assessment guides and the relevant British Standards, both of which require weekly testing. It is possible to have alternative regimes but the onus is on you to show why they would still be as suitable as the default of weekly tests.