Fire safety guides
Straight answers to the questions London building owners and managers actually ask us, on compliance, servicing, switching provider and choosing a system. Every guide states the date it was last verified.
BAFEFire Safety Register 303184
FikeApproved installer
C-TECCertified engineers
Gas SafeGroup registration
NICEICGroup registration
ibRegistered member
Published guides
Written by the engineers who do the work, checked against the standards, and free of the price estimates nobody can honestly give without seeing a building.
How often must a fire alarm be serviced?
Two service visits a year under BS 5839-1, plus a weekly test you carry out yourself. What each visit covers and what an inspector asks to see.
Read the guide ComplianceWho is the Responsible Person for fire safety?
The Fire Safety Order lands the legal duty on a specific person, defined by control rather than job title. How to tell whether that person is you.
Read the guide PracticalHow to switch fire alarm maintenance provider
You are not tied to whoever installed the system. Notice periods, closed protocol panels, and how to move across without a gap in cover.
Read the guide SystemsAddressable vs conventional fire alarm systems
One reports the zone, the other names the device. What that means for cost, false alarms and finding a fire, written for owners rather than engineers.
Read the guideThe services these guides relate to
Every guide above connects to work we carry out across London.
Maintenance & servicing
Six-monthly inspection by BAFE-certified technicians, with a certificate after every visit.
Maintenance & servicing
System takeover
Switch provider with no gap in cover. We audit your existing system free of charge before you commit.
Free takeover audit
Fire risk assessment
The legal starting point under the Fire Safety Order 2005, by a team that can also fix what it finds.
Fire risk assessmentAbout these guides
Who writes these guides?
Our engineering team, drawing on the standards we work to every day: BS 5839-1 for fire alarms, BS 5266-1 for emergency lighting and BS 5306 for extinguishers. Each guide carries the date it was last verified.
Why do the guides not include prices?
Because an honest price needs a survey. Floor area, construction, cable routes, the category your risk assessment calls for and the state of any existing wiring all move the figure more than anything we could publish. We quote in writing after looking at the building, free of charge.
Can I rely on these guides for legal compliance?
They explain the law and the standards in plain English, which is a good starting point, but they are not a substitute for a fire risk assessment of your specific premises. Where a guide touches your building, get it assessed properly.
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Have a question the guides do not cover?
Ask us directly. We call every enquiry back within one working day, and the survey is free.
- BAFE approved, Fike and C-TEC certified
- Written quote before any work starts
- Called back within one working day