Sheltered Housing Scheme Requirements
In 2019, BS 5839-6, the British standard covering the maintenance of Grade D domestic fire alarm systems, introduced enhanced criteria stating that all Grade D systems within sheltered housing schemes and dispersed telecare enabled fire alarm systems must be inspected and serviced at a frequency of 12 months by a competent person.
The inspection and service procedure is detailed in BS 5839-6 and includes confirmation that a fire alarm test signal is correctly received to the alarm receiving centre and the information displayed there is correct, a visual inspection to confirm a number of things such as a clear space of 500mm around each fire detector, changes to use or occupancy, building alterations etc., cleaning of detectors, and functional testing of fire detectors using test apparatus that applies simulated smoke and/or heat to confirm that all detectors are interlinked.
Following the servicing, the competent person must issue a BS 5839-6 Inspection and Servicing Certificate making a declaration of conformity to the British standard.
Six Years On: Where Are We?
Given this step up in compliance for sheltered housing schemes, which has now been in place for some 6 years, are social housing and premises management aware of these changes? Have industry leaders and governance organisations such as scheme providers, electrical certification bodies and trade associations actually informed them?
If not, then it is unlikely that maintenance contracts have been enhanced to include the inspection and servicing of Grade D fire alarms on an annual basis. Subsequently, premises management would not be in a position to evidence compliance by having a certificate on record for each year since 2019 when the requirement was introduced.
Demonstrating Competence
How would premises management demonstrate competence of their maintenance provider?
BAFE DS301 Scheme for the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of Grade D fire alarm systems was introduced in July 2021 and is the only third-party certification scheme for Grade D fire systems. Electrical technical assessment specifically excludes assessment to BS 5839-6.
Take Action
To learn what domestic fire alarm system compliance actually requires, register for a free CPD-certificated knowledge transfer session. Delivered at your premises by FireAngel Technologies in strategic partnership with Rely on Fire Check, this session provides delegates with a comprehensive understanding of compliance and competence requirements, plus practical solutions for Grade D fire alarm systems.
