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Feb 16, 2015 / in Industry News / by

A common theme that you may see here on CFE is our reiteration of the importance of having your fire alarm systems tested. It is not simply another service we offer, it is something we are passionate about as an organisation considering the life-changing effect it can have on landlord, residents, business owners and employees.

Regardless of whether it is a site-wide commercial installation or a single alarm fitted in a residential property, fire alarm testing is not only required by law but recent statistics speak of the risks should you decide to ignore statutory requirements. Additionally, as can be the case, it is important to maintain a regular testing schedule in case of unforeseen health and safety inspections.

Fire Statistics Report 2014

Published at the end of last year, the Department for Communities and Local Government’s latest Fire Statistics for Great Britain give a clear picture of the potential for fire incidents from the lack of working fire alarms. The report details the fire statistics for both outdoor and indoor locations.

Of note is the fact that 39,600 fires in dwellings (house, flats, etc.) and 22,200 fires in other buildings occurred in the period April 2013 to March 2014. In the case of the fires in dwellings, 19% of the premises had a smoke alarm that did not work. Sadly, 275 people died due to indoor fires.

It is statistics like these that motivate us as Constant Fire & Electrical to repeatedly state the importance of fire alarm maintenance and testing to landlords and business owners. If inspection and maintenance is the difference between life and death then it is worth doing and worth doing well.

Correct Practices

Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, all commercial buildings, non-domestic and multi-occupancy premises in England and Wales are already required to undertake a fire risk assessment. Coupled with regular fire alarm system testing, this can greatly reduce the risk and injury from indoors fires.

If you are concerned about the working order of the fire alarm system or require your current maintenance schedule to be reviewed, get in touch with us and we can advise on the best solution.

The full report from the The Department for Communities and Local Government can be found here.