Bsi bip 2109 2013

The a dvice provided b BS 583 -1:2 1 , the British Sta nda rd code of pra ctice for fire detection a nd fire a la rm systems, is presented in the form of ex la na tory informa tion folow

Commissioning a nd

Se ond edition publshed b BSI in 2 0

Third edition publshed in 2 0

This new edition firs publshed in 2 13

b

BSI Sta nda rds Limited

3 9 Chiswick High Roa d

London W 4 4A L

© The British Sta nda rds Ins itution 2 13

A ll right r se ved Exc pt a s pe mit ed u de the C op rig t ,

De ig s a d Pat ent s Act 19 8, no pa rt o this publca tion ma y be

r pr duc d, s o ed in a r trieva l sys em o tra nsmit ed in a ny frm

o b a ny mea ns – ele tr nic, photo op ing, r c rding o othe wise

– without prio pe mis ion in writing fom the publshe

Whis eve y ca re ha s be n ta ken in developing a nd c mpi ng this

publca tion, BSI a cc pt no la bi ty fr a ny los o da ma ge ca used,

a rising dir ctly o indir ctly in c n e tion with r la nc on it c ntent

exc pt to the extent tha t such la bi ty ma y not be excluded in la w

W hie eve y ef rt ha s be n ma de to tra ce a ll c p right holde s, a nyone

cla iming c p right should get in touch with the BSI a t the a bove a ddr s

BSI ha s no r sponsibi ty f r the pe sis enc o a ccura cy o

UR Ls fr exte na l o third-pa rty inte net websites r fr ed to

in this bo k, a nd do s not gua ra nte tha t a ny c ntent on such

websites is, o wi r ma in, a ccura te o a ppr pria te

The right o Coln S T od to be identified a s the a utho o this

Wo k ha s be n a sse ted b him in a cc rda nc with se tions 7

a nd 7 o the C op r ig t , De ig s a d Pat ent s Act 19 8

Ty eset in Century Scho lbo k b Monolth

Printed in Gr a t Brita in b Be f rt Gr up, www.be frt c u

Bri sh Libr ar y C at alog in in P ublcat ion Dat a

A ca talogue r c rd fr this bo k is a va ila ble fom the British Libra ry

ISBN 9 8 0 5 0 8 7 3 4

Keith, Ja yne a nd Fiona , a ll of whom ma k e me prou every

da y A nd to Ka ren for her und ing love a nd su port

(Plus a specia l mention for the ca ts of Hut on Ro f.)

This cur ent ver ion is a lso dedica ted to the memory of a go d fiend

a nd colea gue of over 3 yea rs, Joh Northey (1 38-2 1 ), a member

of the tech ica l commit e responsible for a ll ver ions of BS 583 -1

(a nd its predeces or, CP 1 1 ) since the 1 7 s a nd cha irma n of the

commit e for ma ny yea rs unti the time of his dea th in 2 1

I would a lso wish to inclu e in my dedica tions those fourte n souls

who died in the tra gic fire a t Rosepa rk Ca re Home in Ja nua ry 2 04,

and a ll of their loved ones Their dea ths led to the a mendment of

BS 583 -1 in 2 1 a nd, hence, to this cur ent revision of this bo k

The fire sa fety profes ion, throu h improvements in sta nda rds,

wi strive to ensure tha t such a tra gic event never oc ur a ga in

Ab ut the a tho ix

8 The fire a la rm contra ct a nd definition

9 The inter a ce betw een the fire a la r m sy stem

1 Communica tion with the fire a nd rescue ser vic 1 1

1 Audible, visua l a nd ta cti e fire a la rm signa ls 1 9

1 Spa cing a nd siting of a utoma tic fire dete tor 1 1

2 Ele trica l sa fety a nd ele tr oma gnetic compa tibi ity 2 3

Col n To d MSc, FIFir eE, FBEng, MIR M, MSFPE, C.Phy s,

FInstP, C.Eng, FIET gra duated f om Edinb rgh Univer ity with a n

honour degre in Phy sic He then underto k a one y ea r Ma ster’s degre

in Fir e Sa fety Engine ring, developing a specific interest in q a ntita tiv e

asses ment of risk , mathematica l model ng a nd sy stems engine ring

In 1 7 , he joined the ca ptive insura nce compa ny of Uniever Ltd

A s a member of the risk ma na gement section, he ca rried out reg la r

fire surveys of Uniever premises a nd wa s responsible for providing

in-house a dvice on los prevention ma tter He la ter joined the tech ica l

depa rtment of the Fire Ofices’ Commit e (FOC), which dea lt with the

prepa ra tion of codes a nd sta nda rds on fire protection a nd a pprova ls of

fire protection eq ipment With the FOC he specia lized in electrica l

ma tter , a nd wa s responsible for a sses ing the suita bi ty of fire a la rm

eq ipment for FOC a pprova l During this time, he represented the FOC

on na tiona l commit e s inclu ing those of BSI (The FOC wa s la ter

incorpora ted into the Los Prevention Counci a nd, subseq ently, the

Buiding Resea rch Esta blshment.)

Coln T od is a cha rtered engine r a nd a Felow of the Institution

of Engine ring a nd T ech olog (formerly the Institution of Electrica l

Engine r ), the Institute of Physic , the A ssocia tion of Buiding

Engine r a nd the Institution of Fire Engine r He is a corpora te

member of the Institute of Risk Ma na gement a nd the Society of Fire

Protection Engine r He is a lso a sta nda rds a ssocia te of the British

Sta nda rds Society

As the fina l President of the UK Chapte of the Society of Fir e

Protec tion Engine r , he was instr umental in the merge betwe n

that orga nization a nd the Soc iety of Fire Safety Engine r s to form the

Institute of Fire Sa fety, whic h su seq ently bec a me the Engine r ing

Counci Division of the Institution of Fire Engine r s ( FE) (now the

Registrants’ Grou of the Institution) He is a prev ious membe of

the Board of the Div ision and the Div ision’s Member hip Commit e ,

whic h for many y ears he c haired The Division was empowered to a ward

engine ring q ualifications, inclu ing cha r tered engine r, to suita bly

q ualified fire safety engine r He is also a prev ious member of the

IFE Board, where he held the r esponsibi ty fo tech ical is ues He

serv es on a numbe of British Sta nda r ds Commit e s, inc lu ing those

c onc er ned with fire detec tion a nd fire ala r m sy stems He also r epresents

the Confeder a tion of Br itish Ind stry on a n ex ert gr ou of the Los

Prevention Cer tification Board that is responsible for the dev elopment

of appr ov a l s hemes for all aspects of automatic fir e a larm eq ipment

Coln is also ex erienced in a sses ment of fir e a larm c ontr a c tor ’

c ompetence in fir e a larm wor k , a c ting on behalf of c er tification bodies

He a lso acts as a tech ical ex ert for the United King om Acc redita tion

Ser v ice (UKAS), in the acc redita tion of c er tification bodies that c ertific a te

fire ala r m c ontr a c tor s unde the relev ant ind str y c ertific a tion sc hemes

Coln’s consulting pra ctice, C.S T od & A ssocia tes Ltd, is independently

certifica ted b the Na tiona l Security Inspectora te (NSI) for the design

a nd verifica tion of fire detection a nd a la rm systems under the British

A pprova ls for Fire Eq ipment (BA FE) SP2 3 Scheme for fire a la rm

specia lists The pra ctice wa s the fir t independent consulting pra ctice

to receive this certifica tion

This bo k folows on f om two previous g ides to BS 583 -1:2 0 writ en

b Coln T od a nd p blshed in 2 0 , 2 0 a nd 2 08 Since p blca tion

of these ea rler g ides, some a mendments ha ve be n ma de to the code,

whie fire sa fety legisla tion in the United King om ha s be n su ject to

ra dica l cha nge

The a dvice provided b BS 583 -1:2 1 , the British Sta nda rd code of

pra ctice for fire detection a nd fire a la rm systems, is presented in the

form of ex la na tory informa tion folowed b specific recommenda tions

The ex la na tory informa tion helps rea der to under ta nd the ra tiona le

behind the recommenda tions This bo k serves to further tha t

under-sta nding I is not a repla cement for the code

This g ide not only ex la ins the code, it a lso provides extensive

informa tion rega rding is ues tha t ha ve to be considered when designing,

insta llng a nd commis ioning a fire detection a nd fire a la rm system I

could be considered a s a cour e textbo k for a ll those concerned with

fire detection a nd fire a la rm systems, inclu ing user , reg la tor a nd

those who a pprove fire detection a nd fire a la rm systems

The g ide benefits f om the fa ct tha t Coln T od wa s contra cted b

BSI to prod ce the dra ft for the 2 0 ver ion of BS 583 -1 In prepa ring

tha t dra ft, Coln consulted va rious interested pa rties I a lso benefits

fom the fa ct tha t Coln is a member of the BSI tech ica l su commit e

(FSH/12/1), responsible for the code, a nd of its pa rent commit e

FSH/12 He wa s involved in the commit e dis us ions tha t to k pla ce

before the 2 0 ver ion of the code wa s p blshed a nd in those before

ea ch of the a mendments to the code were ma de, inclu ing those lea ding

to the la test (2 1 ) edition of the code

Coln wa s pa rticula rly instrumenta l in proposing a nd dra fting the

a mendments in 2 1 tha t were ma de a s a result of the findings of the

Fa ta l A ccident Inq iry into the tra gic fire a t Rosepa rk Ca re Home

in Scotla nd in 2 04, which resulted in the dea ths of 14 elderly a nd

infirm pe ple Coln wa s a Crown ex ert witnes a t the Inq iry, a nd

recommenda tions he ma de to the Inq iry for a mendments to BS 583 -1

were commended in the findings of the Inq iry for considera tion The

BSI tech ica l commit e responsible for BS 583 -1 ha d no hesita tion

in considering a nd a dopting Coln’s recommenda tions in the hope tha t

they would help to prevent such a tra ged in the future

J Na r

C hair ma , BSI Te h ical C ommite FSH/12/1

The a im of this bo k is to provide g ida nce on the cur ent edition

of BS 583 -1, which wa s p blshed in Ma rch 2 1 The code, which,

a s one pa rt of the BS 583 suite of codes a nd sta nda rds, bea rs the

generic hea ding ‘Fir e dete t ion a d fir e alar m systems fr bui din s’

is entitled ‘C ode o pr act ic fr de ig , instal at ion, commis ionin

a d mainten nc o systems in non-dome tic pr emis s’ A s such, the

code represents the univer a l ‘Bible’ for those involved in the design,

insta lla tion, commis ioning, ma intena nce a nd use of fire detection a nd

fire a la rm sy stems in the United King om

Compla nce with the code is very commonly req ired b b iding

control bodies throughout the United K ingdom, fire and res ue

a uthorities a nd other a uthorities who ma y enfor e provisions for fire

sa fety in certa in oc u a ncies (e.g housing a uthorities in the ca se of

houses in multiple oc u a tion, or Hea lth a nd Sa fety Executive for

construction sites) Freq ently, property insurer a lso req ire a utoma tic

fire detection systems complying with the recommenda tions of the code,

or a re prepa red to ta k e a ccount of such systems in their underwriting

considera tions, provided the system comples with the code

Consulting engine r a lso commonly dema nd compla nce with the

code, often a s pa rt of the electrica l specifica tion for a b iding However,

folowing the 2 0 ver ion of BS 583 -1, a simple reference to the code,

a long with siting of devices on a ssocia ted dra wings, do s not, b itself,

constitute design of the system, a s tha t term is defined in the code

W herea s, under previous ver ions of the code, there could be some

a mbig ity a s to whether some a spects of design were the responsibi ty

of the specifier, the su pler of the eq ipment, or the insta ller, the s ope

a nd d ties of the ‘designer’ since the 2 0 ver ion of the code a re much

clea rer, thereb , hopeful y, resulting in les contra ct disp tes if systems

a re found to fa ll short of compla nce with the code Ex erience shows,

nevertheles , tha t there is sti a n ed ca tiona l proces req ired before

the identity a nd role of the ‘the designer’ is fuly under to d b a ll

releva nt pa rties

This g ide is les deta iled tha n the eq iva lent g ide to the 1 8

ver ion of the code The rea son for this is tha t the code now conta ins

su sta ntia l ex la na tory text tha t provides ba ck ground informa tion

on the rea son for the ma jority of the recommenda tions ma de within

the code More ver, the ‘unb ndlng’ of the ex la na tory text a nd the

recommenda tions within the code, efectively ma k es the ex la na tory

text, refer ed to in the code a s ‘Commenta ry’ a form of g ide to

the recommenda tions of the code A lthou h, inevita bly, some of the

contents of this g ide wi virtua lly repea t pa rts of the commenta ry

within the code, the intention of this g ide is not merely to p l together

such ex la na tory text into a single document Instea d, the g ide is

intended to provide rea der with g ida nce on pra ctica l a pplca tion of

the recommenda tions in a va riety of situa tions, ta king into a ccount the

insight to the recommenda tions provided b the commenta ry Thus,

this g ide is not a su stitute for the code itself, b t should be rea d in

conjunction with the code

The g ide should not be rega rded a s ofering a ny fina l a uthorita tive

interpreta tion on a ny recommenda tions of the code, a lthou h it is

hoped tha t the opinions ex res ed a re a n a ccura te reflection of the

releva nt BSI tech ica l commit e ’s intent when the code wa s p blshed

If it is es entia l to obta in a definitive interpreta tion, such a s in the

event of a disp te, a dvice ma y be sou ht f om BSI, which wi refer the

ma tter to the releva nt commit e Ultima tely, the fina l a rbiter in such a

disp te ca n, however, only be the courts Hopefuly, the cur ent edition

of BS 583 -1 is suficiently les a mbig ous a nd clea rer tha n previous

ver ions tha t the ne d for such interpreta tions, a nd the oc ur ence of

disp tes, a re not common T o further a ssist user in interpreta tion, BSI

ha s p blshed a series of interpreta tions given in response to q eries

p t to the tech ica l commit e (ra ther lke FA Qs on internet websites)

This informa tion is given in PD 6 3 , the la test ver ion of which wa s

p blshed in 2 1

In 2 0 , there were ra dica l cha nges to fire sa fety legisla tion in Grea t

Brita in, with grea ter responsibi ty pla ced on those who employ pe ple

to work in, a nd/or ha ve control over, b idings to ensure the a deq a cy

of fire preca utions in the b idings for which they a re responsible More

specifica lly, suita ble a nd suficient fire risk a sses ments ne d to be

ca rried out b a ll such d tyholder Eq iva lent cha nges to legisla tion in

Northern Irela nd were implemented in 2 1

There is a compel ng logic in this a pproa ch to fire sa fety, a nd it ha s

a lrea dy led to a much more flexible a nd pra gma tic a pproa ch to the

formula tion of a ppropria te ‘recipes’ for fire sa fety in b idings There

is no dou t tha t this ha s led to en a nced recognition of a utoma tic fire

detection a s one of the ingredients in the recipe W herea s, tra ditiona lly,

diferent components of fire protection were thou ht to be wa tertight

compa rtments, ea ch considered sepa ra tely a nd independently of the

other , the modern a nd more holstic a pproa ch to fire sa fety recognizes

the influence tha t the presence of a utoma tic fire detection ca n ha ve

on the level of sa fety a fforded oc u a nts of a b iding, sometimes

resulting in the pos ibi ty to rela x req irements in respect of other

fire preca utions This recognition ha s become more ex lcit since

the p blca tion of a new comprehensive g ide to the design of fire

preca utions in b idings, in the form of BS 9 9 For exa mple, BS 9 9

permits slghtly longer dista nces of tra vel to fire exits, a nd a slght

red ction in the width of exits, if a suita bly designed fire wa rning

system is provided

This modern a pproa ch to fire sa fety is clea rly a ck owled ed a nd

wel recognized within BS 583 -1 (a s a mended) On this ba sis, it is

rea sona ble to a ssert tha t the 2 1 edition of the code constitutes a n

importa nt member of the suite of codes a nd sta nda rds on which fire

sa fety in the twenty-fir t century is ba sed The 2 1 edition of the

code wa s the culmina tion of thre a mendments to the 2 0 ver ion,

neces ita ting this fourth edition of this g ide These fa ctor , cou led

with the ra te a t which fire detection tech olog a dva nces, ma k e it

unlk ely tha t the cur ent code a nd this cur ent edition of the g ide wi

ha ve the 14-yea r lfe of its predeces or

The ea rlest codes of pra ctice for the insta lla tion of a utoma tic fire

detection a nd a la rm systems were those prod ced b the then Fire

Ofices’ Commit e (FOC) The ‘Commit e ’ comprised representa tives

of most of the ma jor fire insurer in the United King om, a nd the

‘rules’ of the FOC were a ssocia ted with fire insura nce underwriting

considera tions

The FOC wa s constituted to represent fire insurer ’ interests, a fter

insurer sufered numerous severe fire los es in the la tter pa rt of the

ninete nth century, pa rticula rly in London wha rf a nd wa rehouses

A lthou h the FOC beca me wel k nown throu hout the world a s a fire

protection a pprova ls a nd code prod cing bod , its principa l ra ison d’être

wa s to set minimum ra tes or ‘ta rifs’ for diferent cla sses of tra de

Insura nce premium dis ounts could be ofered to clents who insta lled

a deq a te fire protection mea sures, wherea s premium pena lties could be

imposed for risk s tha t ha d a dver e fea tures

In order to ensure tha t the fire protection systems for which premium

dis ounts could be ofered were rela ble a nd efective, it wa s neces a ry

for the FOC to enter the b sines of a pproving eq ipment; the fir t hea t

detector (k own then a s a n ‘a pproved thermosta t’) wa s a pproved in the

ea rly 2 th century I wa s, however, a lso neces a ry to develop ‘rules’

for the insta lla tion of the fire protection eq ipment Thus, the ea rlest

a utoma tic fire detection codes of pra ctice in the United King om were

a ssocia ted with protection of property, ra ther tha n sa fety of lfe

A lthough simple, electrica l, ma nua l fire a la rm systems beca me

wel recognized a s es entia l for protection of oc u a nts of b idings,

it wa s to be ma ny deca des before a utoma tic fire detection beca me

recognized in the sa me lght A utoma tic detection tended to be rega rded

a s insuficiently rela ble, or un eces a ry, for protection of lfe A s

recently a s the 1 7 s, g ida nce tha t su ported the (now repea led) Fire

Preca utions A ct 1 7 , in respect of certifica tion of hotels a nd boa rding

houses under the A ct, a dvised tha t a ma nua l fire a la rm system wa s

suficient a nd tha t a utoma tic fire detection might only be neces a ry to

compensa te for shortcomings in structura l fire protection mea sures,

such a s mea ns of es a pe (Even toda y, it is, tha nk fuly very ra rely,

pos ible to find a hotel or boa rding house tha t ha s very lt le a utoma tic

fire detection, ha ving be n certifica ted under the Fire Preca utions A ct

in the 1 7 s However, such a situa tion would not me t the sta nda rds

now a pplca ble in Engla nd a nd Wa les under the Reg la tory Reform (Fire

Sa fety) Order 2 0 * Shortcomings in fire detection should be identified

b the fire risk a sses ment req ired b this legisla tion a nd should be

a cted u on b the releva nt d tyholder (norma lly the employer).)

1951 code: CP 327.4 4/ 402/ 501

The British Sta nda rds Institution (BSI) fir t prod ced a code of pra ctice

(CP 3 7.404/40 /50 ) in 1 5 This code of pra ctice wa s ba sed on the

FOC rules a nd, inde d, reference to these rules, a nd more pa rticula rly,

the FOC lst of a pproved eq ipment, wa s f eq ently ma de in situa tions

in which the role of the a utoma tic fire detection system did rela te to lfe

sa fety, ra ther tha n the property protection objective for which the rules

a nd the a pproved lst were p blshed

1972 code: CP 1019

The FOC continued to p blsh their rules, a nd both these rules a nd

the BSI code a ppea red to sta nd the test of time, in tha t a new ver ion

of the BSI code did not a ppea r unti 1 7 , when it wa s p blshed a s

CP 1 1 A rg a bly, it wa s only then tha t the specia list na ture of fire

a la rm systems wa s recognized within BSI, in tha t, wherea s CP 3 7

comprised a series of codes of pra ctice for telecommunica tions fa ci ties,

sound distrib tion, clock systems a nd fire a la rms, CP 1 1 wa s a code

of pra ctice dedica ted to the insta lla tion a nd servicing of electrica l fire

a la rm systems

*

a nd equiva lent legisla tion in Scotla nd a nd Northe n Ir la nd

S stems designed a nd insta lled in a ccorda nce with CP 1 1 sti

exist toda y, b t, a s they wi be over 3 yea rs old, they wi be coming

to the end of their na tura l lfe, pa rticula rly if they incorpora te a

uto-ma tic detector A lthou h these systems might continue to sa tis y the

req irements of legisla tion, it is lk ely tha t they would fa ll significa ntly

short of sa tis ying the recommenda tions of a ny su seq ent ver ion

of BS 583 -1 For ex mple, CP 1 1 contained no q a ntita tive

recommenda tions rega rding sound pres ure levels of a la rm signa ls;

it wa s merely req ired tha t there be a t lea st two sounder inside the

b iding a nd, in the ca se of a system incorpora ting a utoma tic fire

detector , a n a dditiona l sounder outside the b iding With rega rd to

a udibi ty, the recommenda tion wa s tha t the ty e, number a nd loca tion

of a la rm sounder should be such tha t the a la rm wa s distinct fom the

back ground noise in every pa rt of the premises

None of the wiring used in a CP 1 1 system ne ded to be fire resisting,

a nd the wiring to fire a la rm sounder did not ne d to be monitored

For sma ll ma nua l systems, a single power su ply wa s sa tis a ctory, a nd

it is only with the p blca tion of the 2 0 ver ion of BS 583 -1 tha t

this recommenda tion, which continued to a ppea r within the ea rler

ver ions of BS 583 -1, wa s withdra wn However, such systems do not

me t cur ent legisla tion, a s they contra vene the req irements of the

Hea lth a nd Sa fety (Sa fety Signs a nd Signa ls) Reg la tions 1 9 * (se

Cha pter 2 )

The fa ct tha t CP 1 1 ha d a lfetime of only eight yea rs before it wa s

completely revised a nd p blshed a s BS 583 -1, compa red with the

2 -yea r lfe of its predeces or, is a reflection of the spe d with which

developments were oc ur ing in the field of fire detection a nd a la rm

sy stems (a nd electronic genera lly) Eq a lly, a number of concepts tha t,

toda y, we rega rd a s ‘modern’ were a ddres ed in CP 1 1

For exa mple, the forerun er of the modern ‘voice a la rm system’ which

now wa rra nts its own dedica ted code of pra ctice (BS 583 -8

1

wa rra nted

a su cla use in CP 1 1 , which a ddres ed the su ject of ‘a udible a la rms

provided b p blc a ddres eq ipment’ Simia rly, two-sta ge a la rms were

a ddres ed, a lbeit tha t this subject wa rra nted only a single sentence

More ver, some of the concepts, a nd even the deta iled text, incorpora ted

within BS 583 -1:2 1 a re identica l to specific cla uses of CP 1 1 ; a n

exa mple concerns the use of ma ins powered sounder to reinfor e the

prima ry fire a la rm sounder in a rea s with high a mbient noise levels

*

a nd equiva lent legisla tion in Northe n Ir la nd

1

BS 5 3 -8:2 1 ,Fir detetion an fir e alarm s st ems f buidings – C ode o practic

f the deign, inst alat ion, c mmis ioning an maintenanc o v ic alar m s stems

There wa s a n implca tion in CP 1 1 tha t ma nua l fire a la rm systems

were provided to sa tis y legisla tion a nd tha t a utoma tic fire detector

were p rely provided for property protection This principle a rose

f om the a ttitu es to a utoma tic fire detection des ribed a bove a nd

the fa ct tha t CP 1 1 wa s ba sed on the fire insurer ’ FOC rules

Thus, CP 1 1 ‘a llowed’ ma nua l ca ll points to be incorpora ted within

a utoma tic fire detection systems, b t, if a utoma tic fire detection wa s

insta lled, compla nce with CP 1 1 dema nded tha t every portion of the

b iding should be covered, other tha n sma ll la va tories, which could

rely on detection within a ny common lob y serving them; this reflected

insurer ’a ttitu es tha t ma nua l ca ll points did not contrib te to property

protection a nd tha t pa rtia l covera ge b a utoma tic fire detection wa s not

recognized a s a va lid principle for fire insura nce p rposes

BS 5839-1:1980

BS 583 -1 wa s fir t p blshed in 1 80 a s a revision of CP 1 1 For the

fir t time, the 1 80 code wa s prod ced b a fire sta nda rds commit e

within BSI, a s op osed to a more genera l electrica l engine ring

commit e A lthou h, on the fa ce of it, this fir t ver ion of BS 583 -1

ha d the sa me eight-yea r lfe a s its predeces or, in fa ct the 1 80 code wa s

a mended five times, in some ca ses q ite funda menta lly, betwe n 1 80

a nd 1 8

Unlke CP 1 1 , BS 583 -1 drew a significa nt distinction betwe n

systems intended for the protection of lfe a nd those for the protection

of property The role of a utoma tic fire detection, pa rticula rly for

protection of es a pe routes, wa s a ck nowled ed For property protection,

the code sti l encoura ged protection of a ll pa rts of the premises with

a utoma tic detector However, for the fir t time, it wa s a ck nowled ed

tha t a lower sta nda rd of protection, b insta lla tion of detector in high

risk a rea s only, could sti be worthwhie However, a ‘hea lth wa rning’

wa s inclu ed to dra w a ttention to the fa ct tha t such a n insta lla tion

would be unlk ely to sa tis y the req irements of fire insurer

A nother ma jor diference betwe n BS 583 -1 a nd CP 1 1 wa s tha t

the use of telephones for initia ting a fire a la rm signa l within a b iding

wa s no longer recommended; such a n a rra ngement, whereb the

fire a la rm signa l wa s given b dia llng a predetermined number on a

telephone, wa s a ccepta ble under CP 1 1

A lso, other importa nt cha nges fom CP 1 1 (either in the fir t

p blshed ver ion of BS 583 -1 or a s it wa s ultima tely a mended b

1 8 ) inclu ed a distinction betwe n ca bles tha t were permis ible if

opera tion d ring a fire wa s req ired a nd ca bles permis ible where

prolonged opera tion d ring a fire wa s not req ired In the former

ca se, which would a pply to, for exa mple, a la rm sounder cir uits, PV C

insula ted ca bles in ste l cond it were no longer a ccepta ble without

a dditiona l fire protection (e.g b cha sing into wa lls or protection b

fire-resisting construction) PV C insula ted ca bles in rigid PV C cond its

did not req ire such a dditiona l protection, a s it wa s considered tha t

grea ter therma l insula tion would be provided to the ca bles

A nother new principle introd ced within the fir t ver ion of

BS 583 -1 wa s a ne d to a void tota l los of the fire a la rm signa l

throu hout a b iding in the event tha t fire results in a short cir uit

of a sounder cir uit a t a single point in the b iding The intent of this

recommenda tion, which is dis us ed further in Cha pter 1 , wa s widely

misunder to d, to the extent tha t, even toda y, this is ue is proba bly the

most misunder to d a spect of fire a la rm design pra ctice

For the fir t time, q a ntita tive g ida nce wa s given on sound pres ure

levels within BS 583 -1 I wa s no longer a deq a te to ofer the fire

oficer a tour of the b iding a nd hope tha t the fire a la rm signa l would

be suficiently a udible to him The recommenda tion for a minimum

sound pres ure level of 6 dB(A ), or 5 dB(A ) a bove ba ck ground noise,

a nd 7 dB(A ) a t the bedhea d in sle ping risks, wa s introd ced

A very importa nt development in the world of fire protection wa s a lso

reflected for the fir t time in BS 583 -1:1 80, na mely the self-conta ined

domestic smok e a la rm A n a mendment to the origina l 1 80 code ga ve

importa nt a dvice on the use of domestic smok e a la rms tha t is sti va lid

toda y Inde d, recommenda tions for the insta lla tion of a t lea st two

smok e a la rms in a two-storey house, a nd for the inter on ection of

smok e a la rms, exce ded the fir t ‘oficia l’recommenda tions prod ced b

the Home Ofice a round eight yea rs la ter I is interesting to note tha t

it wa s then not unti 1 9 tha t the origina l g ida nce wa s ‘redis overed’

or a t lea st recir ula ted, in the g ida nce tha t su ported the Buiding

Reg la tions 1 9 in Engla nd a nd Wa les, b which time, sa dly, dea ths

ha d oc ur ed in two-storey dwel ngs ‘protected’ b the single smok e

a la rm tha t Home Ofice g ida nce su gested would be a ccepta ble on the

ba sis tha t it wa s bet er tha n nothing

In 1 82, d ring the ea rly lfe of BS 583 -1:1 80, the fir t a ddres a ble

systems, in which ea ch detector wa s sepa ra tely identifia ble a t the

control a nd indica ting eq ipment, a ppea red on the UK ma rk et Since

these ha d not be n a nticipa ted when the 1 80 code wa s writ en, it did

not a deq a tely ca ter for such systems These ‘new genera tion’ systems

ga ve rise to new perplexities in terms of compla nce with the let er, or a t

lea st the spirit, of the code Pa rticula r is ues included zona l indica tion;

some pe ple cla imed tha t, since a text displa y of the identity a nd

loca tion of ea ch detector could be given a t the control a nd indica ting

eq ipment, conventiona l zone indica tor were un eces a ry

A nother is ue wa s tolera nce to fa ult conditions, pa rticula rly short

cir uits The la rge number of devices tha t could now be con ected

on a single cir uit c ea ted the potentia l for a rea s la rger tha n tha t of

the conventiona l zone to lose protection in the event of a single fa ult

This led to the introd ction of short-cir uit isola tor , b t perplexity

rega rding the number a nd loca tion of isola tor rema ined

This situa tion wa s merely a reflection of the fa ct tha t codes of pra ctice

do not lea d tech olog , b t merely endea vour to a rticula te go d custom

a nd pra ctice in the use of existing tech olog There is, therefore,

a lwa ys a ‘pha se a ngle’ betwe n tech olog a nd the codes of pra ctice

tha t des ribe recognized go d pra ctice in its use However, if, toda y, one

exa mines a ny a ddres a ble systems insta lled betwe n 1 82 a nd 1 8 , it

ca n wel be the ca se tha t the systems do not comply with the 1 80 code

for rea sons des ribed a bove, whie, eq a lly, they do not comply with the

1 8 code, a s the recommenda tions of tha t code could not ha ve be n

a nticipa ted a t the time of their insta lla tion

BS 5839-1: 1988

W hen the code wa s revised in 1 8 , a ccount wa s ta ken of a ddres a ble

systems, b t a ll recommenda tions of the code could be a ppled to both

conventiona l a nd a ddres a ble systems Inde d, genera lly, the view wa s

ta k en tha t the introd ction of a ddres a ble systems, whie providing

ma ny benefits, should not significa ntly inc ea se the v lnera bi ty of

the system to fa ults Hence, for exa mple, the 1 8 code recommended

tha t, in the event of a single fa ult condition, the a rea throu hout which

protection wa s disa bled should not exce d the ma ximum permit ed

for a single zone This is, of cour e, in erently true in the ca se of a

conventiona l system, in which a cir uit a nd a zone a re synonymous, b t

neces ita ted the provision of short cir uit isola tor a t zone bounda ries

(b t not neces a riy every zone bounda ry in the ca se of sma ll zones) in

the ca se of a ddres a ble systems

The slower spe d of mic oproces or in those da ys could mea n

something of a dela y betwe n ma nua l ca ll point or detector opera tion

a nd the opera tion of fire a la rm sounder , pa rticula rly in systems in

which, to minimize fa lse a la rms, devices were poled severa l times to

confirm their a la rm sta tus before a fire a la rm signa l wa s given W hie a

short dela y betwe n opera tion of a fire detector a nd the sounding of the

a la rm wa s not significa nt (a nd, inde d, wa s a lrea dy permit ed b the

sta nda rds of the da y), concern wa s ex res ed rega rding pos ible dela ys

betwe n opera tion of a ma nua l ca ll point a nd the sounding of the fire

a la rm The concern did not rela te to the overa ll eva cua tion time, b t in

the confusion tha t could result if some ne opera ted a ma nua l ca ll point

a nd the system a ppea red not to opera te

If, for exa mple, a lght switch were opera ted b t the lghts did not

come on for 1 seconds, long before tha t period ha d ex ired it would be

considered tha t the lght wa s inopera tive Given tha t, in a n emergency,

time a ppea rs to pa ss more slowly, on per eption tha t a ma nua l ca ll

point wa s inopera tive, a per on might folow some ina ppropria te

cour e of a ction Pa rticula r concern wa s ex res ed rega rding certa in

oc u a ncies, such a s hospita ls W herea s, in other oc u a ncies, it would

be rea sona ble to a ssume tha t, ha ving opera ted a ma nua l ca ll point, a

per on would eva cua te the b iding, in hospita ls sta ff a re tra ined to

ra ise the a la rm a nd then begin movement of pa tients If the fire a la rm

system were considered to be inopera tive, a nur e might wel move

further fom the pa tients who ne d a ssista nce in order to ra ise the

a la rm b other mea ns

After much deba te of this su ject, the tech ica l commit e responsible

for the code decided tha t, whie not wishing to pena lize new tech olog,

there wa s a ne d to lmit the dela y betwe n opera tion of a ma nua l

ca ll point a nd the sounding of a la rm devices in, a t lea st, the zone of

origin (which would then be a udible to a nyone opera ting the ma nua l

ca ll point) In order to minimize the efect of this recommenda tion on

systems a lrea dy in the ma rk etpla ce a t the time, a ma ximum dela y of

eight seconds wa s recommended in the 1 8 code; this fig re wa s ba sed

on the ma ximum time dela y tha t wa s k own to oc ur with systems

a lrea dy on the ma rk et However, the code ga ve notice tha t this period

would be red ced to thre seconds f om 1 Ja nua ry 1 9

This thre -second period rema ined somewha t controver ia l throu hout

the 1 9 s, a t lea st within the Europea n Sta nda rds forum Some Europea n

countries sa w no go d rea son for imposing such a short period for the

ma ximum permis ible dela y The result wa s tha t, when the Europea n

prod ct sta nda rd for control a nd indica ting eq ipment, BS EN 54-2, wa s

p blshed in the UK in 1 98, a ma ximum time dela y of 1 seconds wa s

permit ed (a retrogra de step in the opinion of the a uthor)

This presented a diemma when the code wa s further revised in

2 0 Should the code concede tha t a 1 -second dela y wa s permis ible,

pa rticula rly a s a funda menta l principle of Europea n sta nda rdiza tion

is tha t ba rrier to tra de betwe n Europea n countries should not be

permit ed b na tiona l codes (unles strictly neces a ry on the grounds of

sa fety)? A lterna tively, should the ma ximum dela y of thre seconds be so

sa crosa nct a s to c ea te a situa tion in which prod cts complying with the

Europea n Sta nda rd a dopted in the UK, a nd, therefore, pos ibly even

third-pa rty certifica ted in a ccorda nce with the sta nda rd, could not be

used in insta lla tions complying with BS 583 -1?

Ultima tely, it wa s a gre d tha t the ma ximum period of thre seconds

should rema in within BS 583 -1:2 0 , b t in conjunction with ‘a

hea lth wa rning’ tha t BS EN 54-2 permits a dela y of 1 seconds A s a

compromise, the code a dvises tha t a dela y of betwe n thre seconds

a nd 1 seconds might be a ccepta ble, b t only with the a gre ment of

the releva nt enfor ing a uthority a nd the recording of the dela y a s a

va ria tion in the completion certifica te

By 1 8 , there wa s much grea ter use of a utoma tic fire detection for

protection of lfe, pa rticula rly in premises in which pe ple sle p The

origina l principle for certifica tion of hotels under the Fire Preca utions

A ct, tha t a ma nua l fire a la rm system wa s suficient, ha d evolved into

a req irement tha t, in the event of a fire within, sa y, a hotel bedro m,

a utoma tic fire detection should give a suficiently ea rly wa rning for

those beyond the ro m of fire origin to ma k e their es a pe before smok e

f om the fire ma de es a pe routes impa ssa ble In pra ctice, this ‘es a pe

route protection’ tra nsla ted into the insta lla tion of smok e detector

within es a pe routes, such a s cor idor a nd sta ir a ses

A round the mid 1 80s, however, the Home Ofice bega n to q estion

whether the objective des ribed a bove wa s a deq a tely a chieved b the

insta lla tion of smok e detector in es a pe routes only This led to very

elega nt resea rch work b the then Fire Resea rch Sta tion, involving ful

s a le fire tests in a rig tha t simula ted a hotel cor idor with bedro ms

opening into it

The resea rch showed tha t, under certa in conditions (b t only certa in

conditions), it wa s pos ible tha t, when a fire oc ur ed in a bedro m,

smok e could smok e log the cor idor, preclu ing es a pe b those beyond

the ro m of fire origin, before detection b smoke detector in the

cor idor, spa ced a t the norma lly specified interva ls for these detector

This resea rch wa s ta k en into a ccount in the 1 8 code, which introd ced

the concept of the ty e L3 (‘es a pe route protection’) system In this

system, detector a re insta lled not only within the es a pe routes, b t

a lso a ll ro ms opening onto es a pe routes

The p rpose of the L3 system wa s to provide a specifica tion for

a utoma tic fire detection in cir umsta nces in which the detection wa s

req ired to protect sle ping oc u a nts under legisla tion, pa rticula rly

the (now repea led) Fire Preca utions A ct (i.e in hotels a nd boa rding

houses) I wa s a pprecia ted tha t the L3 system would represent a

considera bly inc ea sed cost, compa red with the provision of detection

p rely in es a pe routes However, a s the resea rch showed tha t, in the

specific conditions of the resea rch set-u , u to nine minutes’ extra time

for es a pe could be a chieved, simply b insta llng hea t detector within

the bedro ms, the a dditiona l cost a ssocia ted with this grea tly inc ea sed

level of protection wa s considered justifia ble

A s much of the smoke tha t c ea ted the problem within the cor idor

a rose fom p rolysis of the timber of the bedro m do r, ra ther tha n

fom the hot b oya nt prod cts of the fire, the objective, in the L3

system, wa s to give a wa rning before the do r itself wa s under severe

a tta ck b fire The BSI tech ica l commit e considered tha t this could

be ea siy a chieved b the use of either a hea t or smok e detector, a s even

a hea t detector would provide a generous time for es a pe before the

timber a t the hea d of a timber do r wa s undergoing p rolysis

More-over, for the p rposes of this objective, the exa ct loca tion of the detector

wa s not c itica l

A ccordingly, the 1 8 code introd ced the principle tha t, for ‘es a pe

route protection’ with the objective defined a bove, the detector in

ro ms opening onto es a pe routes could be either hea t detector or

smok e detector , a nd tha t the detector ne d not be cei ng mounted, b t

could be mounted, for exa mple, on the wa ll close to the do r The la tter

insta lla tion pra ctice wa s permit ed for ea se of insta lla tion, thereb

minimizing the cost impa ct of the en a nced, a nd more ex ensive,

protection recommended

Unfortunately, when the 1 8 code was p blshed, many fire

a uthorities throu hout the UK tota lly misunder to d the concept of the

L3 system Ma ny fire oficer a ssumed tha t the new req irements for

fire detector within ro ms opening onto es a pe routes (which beca me

a req irement for certifica tion of hotels a nd boa rding houses under the

Fire Preca utions A ct) were intended to protect the sle ping oc u a nt

in the ro m of fire origin In efect, they thou ht tha t the objective of

the a utoma tic fire detection in sle ping risks ha d cha nged In fa ct, the

‘goa lposts ha d not moved’ in a ny wa y; the intention of legisla tion a nd

the L3 system des ribed in BS 583 -1 wa s sti only to protect those

beyond the ro m of fire origin

Ba sed on this mis onception, ma ny fire a uthorities rejected the

idea of hea t detector within bedro ms Fire oficer bega n to impose

req irements for smoke detector in a ll hotel bedro ms in the ca se of

new a pplca tions for certifica tion under the Fire Preca utions A ct (a nd,

sometimes, even when ma teria l a ltera tions were ca rried out to existing

hotels) I wa s not unti 1 9 tha t definitive g ida nce on this is ue wa s

prod ced b the Home Ofice/Scot ish Ofice in the form of wha t wa s

commonly k nown a s the ‘Purple Guide’ which provided g ida nce to fire

a nd res ue a uthorities on the fire preca utions tha t should be req ired

a s a prereq isite of certifica tion of hotels a nd boa rding houses under

the Fire Preca utions A ct

The ‘Purple Guide’ a dvised tha t the detector insta lled in hotel

bedro ms should be hea t detector in the ca se of hotel bedro ms tha t

a re to be oc u ied b one or two per ons; this wa s to a void the much

higher incidence of fa lse a la rms a ssocia ted with smok e detector The

g ida nce did, however, a dvise tha t it wa s rea sona ble to ex ect smoke

detector in a ccommoda tion provided specifica lly for disa bled per ons

or elderly pe ple, who ma y ne d a ssista nce in ca se of fire, dormitory

a ccommoda tion for a la rge number of pe ple, or other cir umsta nces

in which there might be a high proba bi ty of ignition Unfortuna tely,

b the time this g ida nce wa s prod ced, ma ny fire a uthorities were

entrenched in their polcy of req iring smok e detector in hotel

bedro ms A number of fire a nd res ue a uthorities even su gested tha t

the Home Ofice were in er or in their interpreta tion of BS 583 -1

Some of the confusion a rose f om the fa ct tha t the ‘Purple Guide’

a lso recommended tha t the a utoma tic fire detection a nd a la rm system

be a ty e L2 system The new L2 system, fir t defined in the 1 8

code, wa s, b definition, eq iva lent to a n L3 system with the a ddition

of fire detection in a rea s in which the norma l oc u a nts a re especia lly

v lnera ble to fire sta rting in their vicinity a nd a rea s with a high

proba bi ty of ignition, such tha t fire could sprea d to a ffect the b iding’s

oc u a nts The g ida nce on the L2 system a lso sta ted tha t, in the ca se

of sle ping a ccommoda tion, a ny smoke detector in the ro m should

be sited in a ccorda nce with norma l recommenda tions, ra ther tha n

be, for exa mple, wa llmounted I wa s a rg ed b some fire a nd res ue

a uthorities tha t the L2 designa tion, in conjunction with the a bove

a dvice, su ported their req irements for smok e detector in bedro ms

In fa ct, the code a lso a dvised tha t a reference to a ty e L2 system

wa s virtua lly mea ningles unles the pa rty specifying L2 cla rified the

a rea s to be protected b detector , over a nd a bove the a rea s tha t would

req ire protection in a ty e L3 system In efect, the Home Ofice ha d

folowed this a dvice per ectly b specifying tha t smoke detection should

be insta lled in certa in ro ms, such a s those used b disa bled pe ple In

efect, the detector in these ro ms were ‘L2’ detector , whie the hea t

detector insta lled in other bedro ms were pa rt of the ba sic L3 system

Ultima tely, the is ue of interpreta tion of the code wa s refer ed to the BSI

tech ica l commit e , who confirmed tha t there wa s no a noma ly betwe n

the g ida nce conta ined in the ‘Purple Guide’ a nd the recommenda tions

of BS 583 -1; the Home Ofice ha d fuly under to d the concept behind

ty e L3 a nd ty e L2 systems (which is ha rdly surprising, since they ha d

funded the resea rch tha t led to the ne d for the L3 concept)

Nevertheles , this is ue rema ined, if a nything,even more controver ia l

under the new fire sa fety legisla tion tha t ca me into efect in Grea t

Brita in in 2 0 In Engla nd a nd Wa les, sector-specific g ida nce on

the Reg la tory Reform (Fire Sa fety ) Order 2 0 is prod ced b the

Depa rtment for Communities a nd Loca l Government (DCLG) One

specific g ide dea ls with sle ping a ccommoda tion Unfortuna tely, tha t

g ida nce is fa r fom definitive in terms of the ty pes of detector tha t

should be insta lled in the bedro ms of hotels, boa rding houses, hostels

a nd simia r premises, a bdica ting responsibi ty for such a decision to

the findings of the fire risk a sses ment The ‘su gested’ sta nda rd of

protection for such premises is Ca tegory L2

However, BS 583 -1 a dvises tha t a ny specifica tion of Ca tegory L2 ne ds

to inclu e deta ils of those a rea s of the b iding tha t a re to be protected;

the DCLG g ide is sient on this ma tter The reference to Ca tegory L2

simply mea ns tha t the system should sa tis y the recommenda tions for

a Ca tegory L3 system, with the a dditiona l objective of a ffording ea rly

wa rning of fire in specified a rea s of high fire ha za rd level a nd/or high

fire risk

Category L3 ca n be satisied with hea t, smok e, carbon monoxide or

multisensor fire detec tor in ro ms opening onto es ape routes Without

further informa tion, the DCLG g idance is, therefore, to va gue for

c onsistent interpreta tion

Some enfor ing a uthorities in Engla nd a nd Wa les to k the view

tha t legisla tion now dema nds protection of a n individ a l(s) within the

bedro m of fire origin, using the power of enfor ement to req ire the

origina lly a ccepta ble hea t detector to be cha nged to smok e detector

Other endea vour to per ua de u gra ding of this na ture, b t se no

rea son to enfor e such a cha nge, unles a s compensa tion for some other

shortcoming Yet other , se no shortcoming in existing provision of

hea t detector in a ccorda nce with origina l pra ctice

In Scotland, Scot ish Government sector-specific g uid nce on

the eq iva lent Scot ish legisla tion ( he Fire (Scotla nd) A ct 2 0 in

conjunction with the Fire Sa fety (Scotla nd) Reg la tions 2 0 ) ta k es the

form, in the ca se of sle ping a ccommoda tion, of two g ides, one dea ling

with sma ll premises, whie a nother dea ls with medium-sized a nd la rge

premises The former g ide, which is a pplca ble to, for exa mple, a

sma ll boa rding house, uneq ivoca lly recommends smok e detector in

bedro ms The g ide for medium a nd la rge premises provides excelent

dis us ion rega rding the diferent ty es of detector, b t, a s in the ca se

of the DCLG g ide, reles solely on a reference to a Ca tegory L2 system,

without further deta iled a dvice on how this should be interpreted

Eq a lly, in the ex erience of the a uthor, Scot ish fire a nd res ue

a uthorities tend to a dopt a pra gma tic a pproa ch to the ma tter in the ca se

of existing premises

Of cour e, BS 583 -1 simply sets out a menu of systems f om which

specifier , reg la tor a nd enfor ing a uthorities ca n select the system of

their choice The code do s not provide recommenda tions on the na ture

of the protection tha t should be provided in a ny specific oc u a ncy,

a lthou h, since the 2 0 ver ion, a n informa tive a nnex in the code

ha s commented tha t, in the bedro m a rea s of hotels a nd hostels, the

design req irements a re usua lly ba sed on the recommenda tions for

a Ca tegory L3 system No a mendment to this informa tion ha s be n

considered neces a ry b the introd ction of new fire sa fety legisla tion

in 2 0 or the new edition of the code in 2 1

In genera l, the recommenda tions in the code on protection of es a pe

routes rema in consistent with those in the 1 8 code However,

endea vour ha ve be n ma de to further ex la in a nd cla rify the concept

of es a pe route protection In a ddition, a minor rela xa tion f om the

recommenda tion to insta ll detector in ro ms opening onto es a pe

routes is given in the ca se of short cor idor tha t a re sepa ra ted f om

other sections of the es a pe routes b fire resisting construction

However, the recommenda tions of BS 583 -1 in respect of the use of

hea t detector were sti q estioned, a nd even cha llenged, b some fire

a nd res ue a uthorities I wa s even su gested tha t BS 583 -1 wa s in

confl ct with na tiona l fire sa fety legisla tion The ma tter wa s brou ht to

a hea d when a hotel cha in cha llenged a n enfor ement notice, is ued b

a fire a nd res ue a uthority under the Reg la tory Reform (Fire Sa fety)

Order 2 0 , req iring tha t, in one of their hotels, hea t detector in

bedro ms be cha nged to smok e detector The ma tter wa s refer ed to

the Sec eta ry of Sta te for a Determina tion, which the legisla tion in

q estion permits in the ca se of certa in tech ica l disp tes betwe n the

Responsible Per on under the legisla tion a nd a n enfor ing a uthority

Determina tions a re binding on the enfor ing a uthority

The ca se p t to the Sec eta ry of Sta te b the enfor ing a uthority

wa s tha t, b fa ilng to protect a deq a tely the oc u a nts of a bedro m

in which a fire sta rts, the use of hea t detector in hotel bedro ms

contra vened the Reg la tory Reform (Fire Sa fety) Order The hotel

cha in a rg ed tha t the origina l intent of the detector in hotel bedro ms

wa s not rela ted to protection of the oc u a nts of the bedro m (other

tha n in the ca se of bedro ms for disa bled per ons, in which, in the hotel

in q estion, smok e detector were provided) The a lleged cha nge of

req irement brou ht a bout b the reform of fire sa fety legisla tion wa s

cha llenged The hotel cha in cited compla nce of the existing system,

with hea t detector in bedro ms, with BS 583 -1, a nd refer ed to

the very low risk to oc u a nts of hotel bedro ms, ba sed on sta tistic

rega rding the low number of fires to bedro ms, the other fire protection

mea sures a nd the neglgible number of fire fa ta lities in bedro ms

(rega rdles of the ty e of detector insta lled) Rela nce wa s a lso pla ced on

the fire risk a sses ment tha t ha d be n ca rried out The concern of the

hotel cha in wa s not simply cost, b t the inc ea sed level of fa lse a la rms

tha t were lkely to oc ur

The a dvice given to the Sec eta ry of Sta te b the Chief Fire a nd

Res ue A dviser wa s tha t the fire risk a sses ment ha d be n ca rried out

a ppropria tely, a nd the Chief Fire a nd Res ue A dviser noted compla nce

with BS 583 -1 In contra st, he considered tha t the fire a nd res ue

a uthority ha d ba sed their a sses ment on genera l a rg ments a bout risk

without demonstra ting why this pa rticula r hotel presented a higher risk

tha n those a nticipa ted in BS 583 -1 A ccordingly, the a dvice conclu ed

tha t the use of hea t detector in this hotel wa s a n a ppropria te tech ica l

solution for compla nce with legisla tion Conseq ently, the Sec eta ry of

Sta te determined tha t the existing hea t detector ena bled compla nce

with the legisla tion a nd tha t there wa s no ne d to cha nge these to

smok e detector

Determinations are case-specific, b t this very important

Determina tion vindica ted the recommenda tions set out in the British

Sta nda rd The ful Determina tion ca n be v iewed on the web (ht ps://

www.gov.uk/government/uploa s/system/u loa s/at achment_d ta/

fi e/80 7/Determination_in_respect_ f_the fire safety_a eq acy_ f_

fire.p f) I wa s considered b the Chief Fire Oficer ’ Associa tion tha t,

a s a result of this Determina tion, further cla rifica tion or ex la na tion of

the releva nt recommenda tions in BS 583 -1 wa s req ired A ccordingly,

further ex la na tion of the think ing behind the recommenda tions wa s

inclu ed in PD 6 3 : 2 1

Returning to other, a nd les controver ia l, new a spects introd ced into

the code in 1 8 , the code, for the fir t time,provided recommenda tions

on ra dio- inked systems in which, a t tha t time, fire detector a nd

ma nua l ca ll points could be ln ed to control a nd indica ting eq ipment

b ra dio, ra ther tha n wiring At the time in q estion, it a ppea red to the

BSI tech ica l commit e tha t only one commer ia lly a va ila ble system

wa s used in significa nt number A ccordingly,on the ba sis tha t ‘if it isn’t

brok en, don’t fix it’ the recommenda tions for ra dio- nk ed systems in

the 1 8 code were ba sed on the design of tha t pa rticula r system Thus,

for exa mple, the recommenda tion in the 1 8 code tha t sounder cir uits

in ra dio- in ed systems should be ‘ha rd wired’ ra ther tha n ‘wireles ’

simply a rose f om the fa ct tha t,a s the one ma jor commer ia lly a va ila ble

system did not use ra dio- inked sounder , there wa s no ne d to consider

these or ma k e recommenda tions for them

In the 1 8 code, a ll a dvice on domestic smok e a la rms wa s removed

Instea d, a s a n a ppendix to the code, the Home Depa rtments’ Smo e

alar ms in t he home

2

bo k let wa s reprod ced I is this bo klet tha t

su gested tha t one smok e a la rm might be suficient – g ida nce tha t

wa s, ha ppiy, su seq ently rever ed a ga in, in the ca se of houses of two

or more storeys, a s dis us ed ea rler in this cha pter

By 1 8 , the inc ea se in the use of a utoma tic fire detection ha d led to

a commensura te inc ea se in the number of fa lse a la rms A ccordingly,

the 1 8 code ga ve more deta iled recommenda tions on the a voida nce

of fa lse a la rms A n entire cla use of the code wa s devoted to this su ject

BS 5839-1:2002 ( a nd t he 2013 edition)

By 2 0 , the 1 8 code wa s ra pidly becoming out of touch with the

la test tech olog a nd with custom a nd pra ctice In a ddition, the la ck

of cla rity of some recommenda tions, to the extent tha t wha t wa s, or

wa s not, a positive recommenda tion could be dificult to determine,

cou led with the somewha t the retica l dis us ions in some cla uses,

were c ea ting problems

Insta lla tions were dificult to a udit under certifica tion s hemes for

designer a nd contra ctor , such a s the BRE Certifica tion LPS 1 14

s heme a nd the BA FE mod la r s hemes, the la tter of which were

la unched in 2 0 The 1 8 code could a lso be q ite dificult for sma ll

contra ctor to implement, in view of some of the dificulties des ribed

a bove I wa s therefore found tha t, in insta lla tion a udits b certifica tion

bodies, ma ny cons ientious contra ctor , striving ha rd to comply with

the recommenda tions of the code, fel short of compla nce, sometimes a s

a result of recommenda tions tha t were tuck ed a wa y within somewha t

a ca demic dis us ion of ma tter , such a s stra tifica tion of smok e

In a ddition, b 2 0 , the role of a utoma tic fire detection in fire

engine ring solutions wa s wel recognized a nd, in a les sophistica ted

ma nner, a s a ne d identified in the fire risk a sses ments tha t were, b

then, req ired under legisla tion However, the 1 8 code, a nd its five

system ‘ty es’ were insuficiently flexible to ca ter for the ‘ta ilor-ma de’

use of fire detection a ssocia ted with these modern concepts

2

This b ok let wa s pro uc d b the Home Ofic /Scot ish Home a nd Hea lth

Depa rtment/Northe n Ir la nd Ofic in 1 8

However, perha ps the grea test shortcoming of the 1 8 code wa s tha t

it did not a deq a tely reflect the ma nner in which fire a la rm contra cts

opera te The 1 8 code wa s writ en a round a mythica l orga niza tion

o cha ra cter, k own a s ‘the insta ller’ Certifica tion of the completed

insta lla tion rested, a ccording to the code, with the commis ioning

engine r of the insta ller

In pra ctice, ma ny fire a la rm systems a re designed b consulting

engine r , ra ther tha n b the insta ller, pa rticula rly in the ca se of la rge

new b iding projects The insta ller is often a n electrica l contra ctor, whose

sole role is to insta ll the system in a ccorda nce with the req irements of

the designer Under these cir umsta nces, the commis ioning engine r

ma y be employ ed b the ma nufa cturer or su pler of the fire a la rm

eq ipment, who is contra cted p rely to su ply a nd commis ion the

eq ipment

In the situa tion des ribed a bove, it is entirely unrea sona ble to

ex ect the commis ioning engine r to certifica te tha t the design a nd

insta lla tion of the system comples in ful with a ll recommenda tions

of the code of pra ctice More ver, it ma y be beyond the a bi ty of the

commis ioning engine r to ca rry out this ta sk, since he/she is not a

design engine r This ha s led to widesprea d compla ints tha t BS 583 -1

certifica tes were mea ningles Whi e this is q ite a va lid compla int, it is

under ta nda ble a s to how this situa tion ha s a risen

The 2 0 code wa s dra fted b consulta nts, a cting under contra ct to

BSI The consulta nts were ta sk ed with dra fting a code tha t would ta k e

a c count of a dva nces in tech olog, b t tha t wa s simpler tha n the 1 8

code Pa rt of this simplfica tion wa s to comprise remova l of un eces a ry

ex pla na tory text, so tha t the code wa s ‘user-fiendly ’, a lbeit tha t the

consulta nts were instructed to identify a ny ex la na tions tha t rema ined

neces a ry There wa s a lso a req irement to ta k e a ccount of the ma ny new

Europea n sta nda rds for fire a la rm prod cts, which ha d be n p blshed

su seq ent to 1 8 A ccount wa s a lso to be ta k en of interpreta tions

giv en b the BSI tech ica l commit e on va rious cla uses of the 1 8

code, a ll of which ha d be n p blshed in the form of the 1 9 ver ion of

PD 6 3 In a ddition, recognition of the ne d for risk a sses ment a nd

the importa nce of per orma nce ba sed req irements wa s neces a ry

The brief to the consulta nts f om BSI a lso req ired a dditiona l, or

more comprehensive, g ida nce on a number of ma tter , pa rticula rly

fa lse a la rms, b t a lso inclu ing servicing a nd ma intena nce Most

dificult a nd controver ia l of a ll, the consulta nts were to ta k e u a wel

k nown ‘poisoned cha lice’ b reviewing the g ida nce given on ca bles

A deba te ha d ra ged for ma ny yea rs on the su ject of the fire resisting

ca bles used in fire a la rm systems A s a result of this, a BSI work ing

grou ha d determined tha t two diferent ‘gra des’ of fire resisting ca ble

were neces a ry The consulta nts were ta sk ed with ma k ing proposa ls

a s to the cir umsta nces in which ea ch gra de would be a ppropria te;

specifica lly, there wa s a ne d for proposa ls a s to the cir umsta nces

in which only the ‘en a nced’ gra de of fire resisting ca bles should be

recommended

In order to a ddres these req irements, the new code wa s, for the

fir t time, writ en in ‘pra ctice specifica tion’ forma t The forma t of the

cur ent code is dis us ed in the next cha pter of this g ide

The cur ent code a lso a ddres es a t lea st four tech ologies tha t fir t

beca me a va ila ble, or, a t lea st, beca me much more common, since

the p blca tion of the 1 8 code These inclu e ca rbon monoxide

fire detector , vide smok e detection a nd multi sensor detection In

a ddition, a n interesting new cla use within the code dea ls with fire

wa rning systems for dea f pe ple This cla use is a n importa nt step

forwa rd in ma k ing b idings sa fer for use b dea f pe ple

A n importa nt intention for the cur ent code is tha t it should much

bet er reflect the ma nner in which fire a la rm contra cts opera te

A ccordingly, the code gives recognition to the va rious pa rties involved

in the contra ct, na mely the designer or specifier, the insta ller, the

commis ioning engine r , the ma intena nce orga niza tion a nd the user

Sepa ra te recommenda tions a re given for ea ch of these pa rties

The term system ‘ty e’ ha s now be n repla ced b the term system

‘ca tegory’ (The term ‘ty e’ is somewha t imprecise, a s a reference to

system ty e could rela te to whether the system is conventiona l or

a ddres a ble, smok e detection or hea t detection, etc.) In a ddition, two

new system ‘ca tegories’ were introd ced, na mely the L4 system a nd L5

system These a re dis us ed in a la ter cha pter of this g ide

In the revision of the code, no existing recommenda tion wa s

con-sidered a s sa crosa nct A ll existing recommenda tions were ca refuly

reviewed, a nd, if considered a ppropria te, modified Thus, the 2 0 code

conta ined a number of q ite deta iled tech ica l cha nges, inclu ing a

cha nge (genera lly a n inc ea se, b t under some cir umsta nces, a minor

dec ea se) in the ma ximum dista nce a nyone should ha ve to tra vel to

rea ch the nea rest brea k gla ss ca ll point

Flexibi ty ha s a lso be n given in the sound pres ure levels prod ced

b the system, with a sma ll red ction in the minimum sound pres ure

level in the ca se of sta irwa ys, sma ll ro ms a nd ‘specific points of lmited

extent’ Recommenda tions for sta nd y ba ttery ca pa city were simplfied,

resulting in a red ction in the minimum ca pa city recommended in

some ca ses (During the prepa ra tion of the 2 1 ver ion of BS 583 -1,

this su ject wa s revisited a s a result of comments received b the

commit e , b t the origina l 2 0 recommenda tion rema ins uncha nged.)

The ma ximum period betwe n service visits ha s a lso be n inc ea sed,

su ject to determina tion tha t it is a ppropria te to do so on the ba sis of a

risk a sses ment

The is ue of fire resista nce of ca bles wa s a ddres ed b a new

recom-menda tion tha t a ll ca bles used within the fire a la rm system, including

those ca rrying the ma ins su ply, should be fire resisting, whie specific

situa tions in which only ca bles of enha nced fire resista nce should be

used a re identified

Perha ps one of the most importa nt cha nges in the 2 0 code wa s

the much grea ter significa nce a tta ched to a voida nce of fa lse a la rms

S bsta ntia l hopes ha ve be n pin ed on the code to ma k e a ma jor

impa ct on the number of fa lse a la rms tha t a re genera ted b a utoma tic

fire detection a nd a la rm systems J st prior to p blca tion of the 2 0

ver ion of BS 583 -1, over 2 0,0 0 fa lse a la rms were genera ted b fire

a la rm systems ea ch yea r, a nd this is no longer rega rded a s a ccepta ble

b centra l government, fire a nd res ue a uthorities a nd user of fire

detection a nd a la rm systems This ha s led, in Engla nd, to non-response

polcies to signa ls genera ted b fire a la rm systems (a t lea st in certa in

ty es of premises a nd/or certa in times of da y), unles the presence of a

fire ca n be confirmed b some ne In Engla nd, power ha ve a lso be n

given to fire a nd res ue services to cha rge for a ttenda nce a t certa in

ca tegories of fa lse a la rm (e.g mis-nsta lled systems)

The code now imposes a ‘c a dle to gra ve’ responsibi ty for lmita tion

of fa lse a la rms on a ll pa rties The ma jor responsibi ty for a voida nce of

fa lse a la rms is imposed on the designer However, the insta ller ha s a

minor role to pla y The commis ioning engine r ha s a n importa nt role

to pla y in check ing tha t the insta lled system is lk ely to be sa tis a ctory

in its immunity to fa lse a la rms The user is ex ected to ma na ge the

b iding a nd the system properly in order to minimize fa lse a la rms

W hen the system is serviced, under the code, it is the responsibi ty

of the servicing orga niza tion to monitor the fa lse a la rm record a nd

to provide suita ble a dvice where a ppropria te New benchma rk fig res

for a nticipa ted a nd a ccepta ble ra tes of fa lse a la rms were incorpora ted

within the 2 0 code

W herea s, in the 1 8 code, fa lse a la rms wa rra nted a single cla use

within one section of the code, since 2 0 , one entire section of the

seven sections into which the code is divided is devoted p rely to the

ma tter of lmita tion of fa lse a la rms The code stres es the importa nce

for the designer a nd the commis ioning engine r to consider fuly the

recommenda tions conta ined in this section of the code

A ma jor cha nge in phiosophy towa rds a utoma tic tra nsmis ion of

fir e a la rm signa ls to the fire a nd res ue service wa s to be found in the

2 0 ver ion of the code Previous ver ions of the code ha d provided

informa tion on methods for tra nsmit ing fire a la rm signa ls fom

protected premises to the fire a nd res ue service, a lthou h the very

deta iled informa tion conta ined in the 1 80 code wa s not inclu ed

within the 1 8 code

However, no previous ver ion of the code ha s positively recommended

whether, in fa ct, there is a ny ne d to tra nsmit signa ls a utoma tica lly

to the fire a nd res ue service or a n a la rm receiving centre (A RC) The

2 0 code to k a completely diferent a pproa ch In the cur ent code, it

is recognized tha t, if the objective of the system is property protection,

unles the premises a re continuously ma nned on a 24-hour ba sis, the

objective wi not be a chieved unles there is a utoma tic tra nsmis ion

of signa ls to the fire a nd res ue service (norma lly via a n A RC) Thus,

the code recommends tha t a ll Ca tegory P systems ha ve a fa ci ty

for a utoma tic tra nsmis ion of signa ls to the fire a nd res ue service,

unles the premises a re continuously ma nned Fa ilure to provide such

a fa ci ity in a Ca tegory P system is, therefore, a va ria tion fom the

recommenda tions of the code, which would ne d to be a gre d with the

interested pa rties a nd recorded a s a va ria tion in the releva nt certifica te

(se Cha pter 8)

In genera l, the sa fety of oc u a nts of b idings should not depend

on intervention b the fire a nd res ue service (other tha n in specia l

ca ses, such a s residentia l ca re homes a nd hospita ls) Thus, in genera l,

BS 583 -1 do s not rega rd fa ci ties for a utoma tic tra nsmis ion of fire

a larm signa ls to the fire a nd res ue service a s a bsolutely es entia l in a

Category L system Simia r comments a pply, of cour e, to a Ca tegory

M system, since the system ca nnot genera te a n a la rm signa l unles

some ne is there to opera te a brea k gla ss ca ll point; this per on ca n

then ensure tha t the fire a nd res ue service a re summoned

However, the code do s recommend tha t, if the ea rly summoning of the

fir e a nd res ue service is considered c itica l to the sa fety of oc u a nts,

fa ci ties should be provided for a utoma tic tra nsmis ion of a la rm signa ls

to a n a la rm receiving centre, unles there a re rela ble a rra ngements for

summoning of the fire a nd res ue service b per ons in the b iding;

this might a pply, for exa mple, in a hospita l tha t ha s no 24 hour ma nned

switchboa rd f om where a n emergency ca ll ca n be ma de

The 2 1 edition of the code a lso ma kes the specific recommenda tion

tha t a utoma tic tra nsmis ion fa ci ties be provided in residentia l ca re

homes Tha t a mendment a lso notes tha t, in Scotla nd, the Buiding

(Scotla nd) Reg la tions (which a pply to new b iding work ) req ire

a utoma tic tra nsmis ion in the ca se of hospita ls, residentia l ca re homes

a nd shop ing centres

In a ddition, in certa in non-domestic premises in multiple oc u a tion,

such a s a n ofice b iding with numerous tena nts, a sma ll b sines

pa rk , or some reta il pa rks, a utoma tic tra nsmis ion of fire signa ls might

be neces a ry to a Ca tegory L system If such premises a re served b

a single fire a la rm system, BS 583 -1 recommends tha t this system

should ha ve the fa ci ty for a utoma tic tra nsmis ion of signa ls to the

fire a nd res ue service, unles there a re rela ble a rra ngements for

summoning the fire a nd res ue service when the system opera tes

The problem do s not a rise in the ca se of ma nua l fire a la rm systems

for the rea sons a lrea dy sta ted However, if there is a utoma tic fire

detection, the opera tion of a fire detector in the oc u ied premises of

one oc u ier might wel a ffect the sa fety of other oc u ier , none of

whom might rega rd it a s their responsibi ty to summon the fire a nd

res ue service when the fire a la rm system opera tes a s a result of a fire

a la rm signa l tha t do s not ema na te fom their own premises Thus, in

these cir umsta nces, there ma y be a ne d for tra nsmis ion of fire a la rm

signa ls to the fire a nd res ue service via a utoma tic mea ns

There is no dou t tha t the 2 0 code of pra ctice wa s revolutiona ry

in ma ny respects, a s it incorpora ted numerous new idea s tha t should

result in more rela ble a nd trou le-fe insta lla tions tha t more closely

comply with both the intent a nd the let er of the code tha n ha s

previously be n the ca se

However, the extensive na ture of the cha nges incorpora ted within

the 2 0 code were such tha t, since 2 0 , new a mbig ities a nd

perplexities ha ve come to lght A s a result of these, the code wa s fir t

a mended in December 2 04 A lthou h most of the a mendments ma de

were minor, or even editoria l, the number of a mendments wa s such

tha t, ra ther tha n is uing a n a mendment slp, the code wa s reprinted

to incorpora te the a mendments A further a mendment wa s ma de in

A pri 2 08 a s a result of, in 2 0 , the five-yea rly review tha t a ll British

Sta nda rds undergo A ga in, a lthou h in principle, the cha nges ma de

were prima riy editoria l, some of these a mendments conta in importa nt

a mplfica tion or cla rifica tion of a dvice, a lbeit no ma jor cha nges to

specific recommenda tions The A pri 2 08 a mendment a lso u da ted

references to fire sa fety legisla tion

No ma tter how ha rd commit e s try to ma k e British Sta nda rds clea r

a nd una mbig ous, specific projects or cir umsta nces often bring to lght

problems in interpreta tion BSI receive a sma ll, b t a lmost continuous,

flow of q eries on interpreta tion of BS 583 -1 So tha t a ll user of

the code ca n benefit f om the interpreta tions given b the commit e

responsible for BS 583 -1, a ll significa nt q eries a nd interpreta tions

a re p blshed in PD 6 3 , a new ver ion of which wa s p blshed in

2 1 ; reference ha s a lrea dy be n ma de to the ex la na tion in PD 6 3

rega rding the a ccepta nce, in BS 583 -1, of the use of hea t detector

in hotel bedro ms For designer a nd other with a ne d for intima te

under ta nding of BS 583 -1, PD 6 3 is a lmost es entia l rea ding

The p blca tion of the 2 1 edition of BS 583 -1 a rose f om the

findings of a tra gic fire a t the Rosepa rk Ca re Home, La na rk shire in

Ja nua ry 2 04 Fourte n elderly a nd infirm pe ple died in the fire even

thou h the b iding wa s modern, p rpose-b it a nd not pa rticula rly

la rge In 2 1 , the findings of a Fa ta l A ccident Inq iry were p blshed

The Sherif Principa l,before whom the Inq iry wa s hea rd, found tha t, a s

wel a s systemic fa ilures of the owner to ma na ge fire sa fety, there were

fa ilngs in numerous fire preca utions a nd in the fire risk a sses ment for

the Home Va rious recommenda tions in respect of fire a la rm systems

in residentia l ca re homes were commended b the Sherif Principa l for

considera tion Without exception, a ll these recommenda tions ha ve now

be n incorpora ted into BS 583 -1

Specifica lly, a s a result, in the 2 1 edition, BS 583 -1 now ma k es the

folowing recommenda tions or comments:

1 W here oc u a nts of a b iding wi ne d a ssista nce f om sta ff

to eva cua te the b iding (e.g in residentia l ca re homes a nd

hospita ls), the fire a la rm system should be a ddres a ble if there a re

fa ci ties for more tha n 1 pe ple to sle p

2 Ex erience shows tha t the responsibi ty for the provision of a

zone pla n is often i -defined, lea ding to the a bsence of a suita ble

zone pla n when a n insta lla tion is ha nded over I is importa nt tha t

this responsibi ty is defined a t a n ea rly sta ge of the pla nning of

a n insta lla tion

3 In r esidential c ar e homes, fac ilties should be pr ov id ed fo automatic

tr ansmis ion of alar m signals to an alar m r ec eiv ing c entr e

4 In residentia l ca re homes, where ea rly exting ishing a ction b the

fire a nd res ue service is c itica l to lfe sa fety, it is not a ppropria te

to dela y the summoning of the fire a nd res ue service when the

fire a la rm system opera tes

5 In residentia l ca re homes, a sta ff a la rm should not incorpora te

a ny dela y in summoning of the fire a nd res ue service when

the fire a la rm system opera tes, b t there ma y be a dela y in the

genera l a la rm signa l, provided a ll sta ff a re ma de a wa re of the fire

a la rm signa l

6 In a t lea st one multiple fa ta lity fire, it ha s be n determined

tha t some or a ll of the dea ths could ha ve be n a voided if a

dia gra mma tic representa tion of the premises (commonly des ribed

a s a zone pla n) ha d be n provided in close proximity to the control

a nd indica ting eq ipment (CIE) A ccordingly, it is importa nt to

ensure tha t a suita ble zone pla n is provided a dja cent to a ll CIE

(inclu ing repea t control a nd indica ting eq ipment), unles the

CIE incorpora tes a suita ble displa y, (e.g a n i umina ted mimic

dia gra m) The objective is to ensure tha t those responding to a

fire a la rm signa l (inclu ing sta ff on the premises a nd fire-fighter )

a re given una mbig ous informa tion a s to the loca tion of a fire

(A definition of zone pla n is a lso now inclu ed.)

7 A r ra ngements for fitering of a utomatic summoning of the fire a nd

resc ue serv ice b an a la rm receiv ing centre should not be appled

to signa ls fr om fir e a larm sy stems in residentia l c a re homes

8 Before a ccepting a fire a la rm system, the p r ha ser or his

representa tive should ensure tha t a suita ble dia gra mma tic

representa tion of the premises is provided close to a ll CIE

9 When a servicing orga niza tion ta k es over servicing a rra ngements

for a n existing fire a la rm system, ma jor a rea s of non-compla nce

with BS 583 -1, which should be documented a nd identified to

the user, inclu e the a bsence of a zone pla n or other suita ble

dia gra mma tic representa tion of the premises

1 The user of the fire a la rm system should ensure tha t, where

neces a ry, a suita ble zone pla n is displa yed a nd k ept u to da te

1 Within the system a ccepta nce certifica te is a req irement for the

per on who a ccepts the system to verify (b tick ing a box) tha t a

suita ble zone pla n, or other suita ble dia gra mma tic representa tion

of the premises) is provided on or a dja cent to a ll control a nd

indica ting eq ipment

I wi be noted tha t these eleven a mendments a ll rela te to two

objectives, na mely the ra pid a nd una mbig ous identifica tion of the

loca tion of a fire a nd the ra pid summoning of the fire a nd res ue service,

with pa rticula r reference, in both ca ses, to residentia l ca re homes This

is beca use one ma jor a spect of the Rosepa rk fire wa s confusion b sta ff

a s to the loca tion of the fire (its fire a la rm system wa s non-a ddres a ble

a nd ha d no zone pla n, b t only a zone lst) a nd a nine minute dela y

betwe n sounding of the fire a la rm system a nd summoning of the fire

a nd res ue service The Fa ta l A ccident Inq iry conclu ed tha t ra pid

a nd una mbig ous identifica tion of the loca tion of the fire might ha ve

prevented some or a ll of the fourte n dea ths, whie ea rly a ttenda nce

of the fire a nd res ue service might ha ve prevented four of the dea ths

Since the 2 1 edition of BS 583 -1 wa s instiga ted p rely a s a result

of the findings of the Rosepa rk Fa ta l A ccident Inq iry, it wa s not

intended to underta k e a complete revision of the code in 2 1 However,

the op ortunity wa s ta ken to ma ke a mendments on other ma tter

The most significa nt of these rela tes to high sensitivity a spira ting fire

detection systems Resea rch ha s shown tha t these systems ca n ofer

simia r benefits to bea m-ty e smok e detection systems in b idings

with very high cei ngs However, this ha d never be n a ck owled ed in

BS 583 -1, which lmited the cei ng height a t which the systems could

be used to a much lower height tha n bea m-ty e smok e detector The

2 1 edition efectively c ea tes eq iva lence betwe n the two forms of

smok e detection

The 2 1 edition a lso inclu es va rious editoria l cha nges The most

importa nt of these is the elmina tion of the term ‘responsible per on’

mea ning the per on(s) in the premises responsible for da y-to-da y

control of the fire a la rm system a nd a ssocia ted ma tter The term ha s

be n drop ed in fa vour of the term ‘premises ma na gement’ a s the term

‘responsible per on’ ha s a lega lly defined, b t diferent, mea ning within

the Reg la tory Reform (Fire Sa fety) Order

In the cour e of prepa ring the 2 1 edition, v a rious rec ommendations

for radio- nk ed systems ha ve be n remov ed This is bec a use the

recommenda tions rela ted to ra dio- nk ed prod c ts, whic h a re now the

su jec t of BS EN 54-2

3

Howev er, in respect of power su ples, BS 583 -1

ma k es additiona l rec ommendations, over a nd above the req ir ements of

BS EN 54-2 This is dis us ed in Chapte 2 of this bo k

A further su tle, b t importa nt, a mendment ha s be n ma de to

commenta ry within the cla use on ma intena nce This a mendment wa s

ma de specifica lly a s the result of a ca se involving prosecution of a fire

a la rm contra ctor under the Reg la tory Reform (Fire Sa fety) Order In

the ca se in q estion, pa rt of the prosecution’s a llega tions (a lbeit not

the principa l a llega tion) wa s tha t, since the fire a la rm contra ctor ha d,

d ring a one-of ma intena nce visit, pointed out to the user tha t there

wa s no zone pla n a nd tha t a udibi ty wa s po r in pa rt of the premises,

the contra ctor wa s not simply ca rrying out routine ma intena nce b t

wa s a dvising on u gra ding of the system I wa s then a lleged tha t the

contra ctor wa s, therefore, in brea ch of the Reg la tory Reform (Fire

Sa fety) Order b fa ilng to point out other a rea s of non-compla nce with

BS 583 -1

3

BS EN 5 -2 :2 0 , Fir e detec tion a nd fir alarm sy stems Comp nents using r a dio lnk s

In the event, the prosecution drop ed al cha rg es a ga inst the

contra ctor a fter the contra ctor commis ioned a n independent ex ert

witnes report The contra ctor’s defence costs were pa id f om p blc

funds, b t he ha d be n p t to considera ble a ng ish, lost time a nd

rep ta tiona l risk Routine ma intena nce of a fire a la rm system do s not

inclu e a review of design However, it is importa nt tha t contra ctor

a re encoura ged to point out shortcomings in system design tha t they

ha ppen to notice I is, therefore, counter-prod ctive for there to be a ny

implca tion tha t, b pointing out, sa y, only one shortcoming in a system

with thre shortcomings, la bi ty fa lls on the contra ctor for those he

fa iled to identify A ccordingly, a new pa ra gra ph of commenta ry in the

2 1 edition ma k es it clea r tha t routine ma intena nce do s not involve

a review of design, a nd tha t a ny defects in design pointed out b a

ma intena nce contra ctor ca nnot be ta k en a s a n implca tion tha t a ll such

defects ha ve be n, or ne d be, identified

I wi be noted tha t cha nges ma de in the 2 1 edition, thou h dea ling

with only a sma ll number of is ues, a re significa nt I is, therefore

importa nt tha t user of BS 583 -1 refer only to the cur ent edition

User of the code ca n confirm tha t they a re using the cor ect edition

b lo k ing a t the f ont cover, on which the da te a ppea rs

If user of a ny code consider tha t a n a mendment to a code or sta nda rd

ma y be neces a ry, or tha t some cla rifica tion ma y be req ired, it is a lwa ys

worthwhie writing to the BSI commit e responsible for its prod ction,

in this ca se, commit e FSH/12/1 A ll such comments, whether fom

a ma jor insta ller, a sma ll electrica l contra ctor, a single independent

consulta nt or who ver, a re a lwa ys given serious considera tion, a nd it is

fom such comments tha t codes of pra ctice sometimes develop a nd k eep

pace with custom a nd pra ctice A s a sserted in the previous cha pter, it

ca n rea sona bly be a nticipa ted tha t the 2 1 edition of the code wi ha ve

a shorter lfetime tha n its predeces or