Fire Alarm Installation & Servicing

A fire alarm system is only as good as its design, its installation and the maintenance regime that keeps it working when it matters. LC Electrical Services designs, installs, commissions and services fire alarm systems for offices, retail units, warehouses, schools, factories and mixed-use buildings across the North East, working to BS 5839-1, the British Standard covering fire detection and alarm systems in non-domestic premises.

Every project starts with the correct category of system for the building and its use. BS 5839-1 sets out a range of categories, from L systems intended primarily for life safety through to M systems, which are manual only, relying on break glass call points with no automatic detection. Choosing the right category depends on factors including the height and layout of the building, sleeping risk, occupancy numbers and any specific requirements from a fire risk assessment or the local fire authority. We advise on the appropriate category before any equipment is specified, rather than defaulting to a standard package.

This service is for businesses, landlords, schools and public sector bodies that need a new fire alarm system installed, an existing system extended or upgraded, or a system that has fallen out of a proper servicing regime brought back into compliance. It also covers buildings undergoing refurbishment or change of use, where the existing detection and alarm provision often needs to be reassessed against the new layout.

The legal position is clear under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. The responsible person for a non-domestic premises must ensure that appropriate fire detection and warning systems are provided and kept in efficient working order. An uncommissioned, badly maintained or poorly documented system does not meet that duty, and in the event of a fire or an enforcement visit, the paperwork behind the system is examined as closely as the equipment itself.

Our process begins with a free site survey, during which we assess the building, discuss the intended category of system with you and identify any existing infrastructure that can be retained or needs replacing. From this survey we produce an itemised quotation, breaking down design, containment, cabling, detection devices, control equipment, sounders and commissioning as separate items so you can see exactly what the project involves.

Installation is carried out by our qualified engineers, following the agreed design and containment method appropriate to the building fabric and use. On completion, every system is fully commissioned, with each detector, call point and sounder circuit tested individually and as part of the whole system, before certification is issued confirming the installation meets BS 5839-1.

Once a system is commissioned, ongoing compliance depends on regular testing and servicing. We set up weekly test regimes for on-site staff, usually a simple call point test recorded in the fire log book, and we carry out periodic professional servicing visits in line with BS 5839-1 recommendations, checking batteries, detector sensitivity, control panel operation and overall system integrity.

For clients taking on a building with an existing fire alarm system of unknown history, we can carry out a full condition survey, identifying whether the system meets current standards, whether it has adequate detection coverage for the layout, and whether documentation exists to support its ongoing use, before recommending repair, extension or replacement.

Documentation handover is a core part of every project. On completion of installation or commissioning you receive the system design record, commissioning certificate, as fitted drawings where relevant, and a fire log book ready to record weekly tests and any faults. This is the paperwork a fire risk assessor, insurer or enforcing officer will expect to see, and it stays with the building for the life of the system.

We also work alongside emergency lighting testing and general electrical maintenance contracts, so that fire alarm servicing visits can be scheduled at the same time where it makes sense, reducing the number of separate contractor visits your business needs to manage.