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Evacuation Alert Systems
BAFE SP207-certified evacuation alert systems to BS 8629, designed, installed and maintained for high-rise residential buildings across London and the South East.
Every system is designed to BS 8629 and accepted by your fire engineer before work starts. We use wireless sounders inside flats so no cables enter residents' homes, then service the EAS every six months alongside the fire alarm, emergency lighting and AOVs in the same block.
An evacuation alert system (EAS) lets the fire and rescue service sound an evacuation signal in specific flats, floors or zones of a residential building. It is operated only by firefighters, from a secured control panel at the fire service access point, and is separate from the building's fire alarm.
Fire Systems Ltd is a BAFE SP207-certified contractor based in Kingston upon Thames. We design, install, commission and maintain evacuation alert systems to BS 8629 for housing associations, local authorities and managing agents across London and the South East.
We have specialised in wireless fire alarm installations since 2007. That experience shapes how we retrofit EAS into occupied blocks: protected cabling where the standard calls for it in communal areas, and wireless sounders inside flats so no cables enter residents' homes.
BAFE SP207 Certified for Evacuation Alert Systems
Fire Systems Ltd holds BAFE SP207 third-party certification for evacuation alert systems, the scheme that assesses contractors against BS 8629.
Our evacuation alert engineers are trained on BS 8629 and the equipment we install. Our Technical Manager, Dax Patel, holds BS 8629 evacuation alert systems certification and signs off designs and engineer competence. Every engineer's qualifications are held in our Mango QMS, which blocks them from being allocated to work they are not certified for.
SP207 sits alongside our other certifications: BAFE SP203-1 (fire alarms), SP203-4 (emergency lighting), SP101 (extinguishers), DS301 (domestic detection), IFCC SDI 19 (smoke control), and ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001.
The Regulations and Standards Behind Evacuation Alert Systems
Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 report. Recommended that the government develop national guidelines for evacuating high-rise buildings, including the means of alerting residents. BS 8629 followed in 2019.
BS 8629. The code of practice for the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of evacuation alert systems for use by fire and rescue services in buildings containing flats.
Approved Document B. Since 1 June 2022, recommends an EAS to BS 8629 in new blocks of flats with a top storey more than 18m above ground.
Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022. Evacuation alert systems are among the essential fire-fighting equipment that must be checked every month in residential buildings of 18m or seven storeys and above, with faults not fixed within 24 hours reported to the fire service.
Building Safety Act 2022. In higher-risk buildings, EAS design, commissioning and maintenance records form part of the golden thread.
How BS 8629 shapes our designs
An EAS is not a second fire alarm. BS 8629 treats it as a firefighting tool, and that changes how it has to be designed and installed:
Fire service control only. The evacuation alert control and indicating equipment (EACIE) has key-switch controls for each floor or zone. It sits in a locked, tamper-resistant enclosure at the fire service access point, so only firefighters can operate it.
Secure housing. On our installations the EACIE enclosure meets LPS 1175 Issue 8 security rating B3 or STS 205 resistance class BR2.
Protected cabling. EAS cabling needs more mechanical protection than a standard fire alarm. In communal areas we run it in metal conduit or galvanised steel trunking, agreed with the client's fire consultant.
A distinct signal in every flat. Each flat gets an evacuation alert sounder, with visual devices where residents are deaf or hard of hearing, so the EAS signal cannot be confused with the fire alarm.
Wireless inside flats. Running metal conduit into homes is intrusive and unsightly. Where the design allows, we use wireless sounders inside flats, so no cables enter residents' homes.
Every design is submitted to the client's fire engineer or consultant for acceptance before we start work.
Which Buildings Need an Evacuation Alert System?
An EAS is about tall residential buildings where residents are normally told to stay put. These are the situations where we are most often asked to help.
New blocks of flats over 18m: Approved Document B (England) has recommended an evacuation alert system to BS 8629 in new blocks of flats over 18m since 1 June 2022. It is a mandatory requirement in Scotland.
Existing high-rise blocks with concerns about stay-put: There is no blanket legal requirement to retrofit, but an EAS is often recommended where a fire risk assessment, fire strategy review or the fire service questions whether stay-put remains appropriate, for example because of external wall or compartmentation issues.
Blocks moving away from waking watch: Where a building has changed to simultaneous evacuation as an interim measure, an EAS can form part of the long-term strategy once remediation is complete, giving the fire service control over who evacuates and when.
High-rise sheltered and supported housing: Residents may need more time or help to leave. Phased evacuation of the floors most at risk, controlled by firefighters, avoids sending everyone into the stairs at once.
Not sure where your building stands? We survey the block, review the fire strategy with your fire engineer or assessor, and tell you plainly whether an EAS is needed and what it involves.
EAS Maintenance to BS 8629
BS 8629 requires an evacuation alert system to be inspected, tested and serviced by a competent person every six months. Our maintenance visits follow the standard and the specifications our housing clients issue.
Every 6 months:
Battery charge voltage checked with mains on, before any discharge test
Standby power capacity confirmed
All EACIE controls and indicators checked
Fault circuits tested by simulating faults
Radio signal strengths on wireless systems checked and recorded
Accessible cable fixings in common parts inspected
Every 12 months, in addition:
Every sounder operated individually from the EACIE, for no more than 10 seconds each
Every zone's manual control operated to confirm the alert sounds in the right zone
Defects are logged, reported and quoted for remedial works. Certificates are issued electronically through our Infor ERP system.
We support new installations and systems already in place. For an existing EAS we test its operation, check it against BS 8629, inspect the logbook and records, and give a costed list of remedial works where performance or documentation falls short.
Our EAS work sits within long-term fire safety contracts for major London housing providers. For one major housing provider, our SP207 certification lets us design and maintain evacuation alert systems across their high-rise buildings. That work is part of a contract covering 3,500 properties since 2019, running at 96% compliance across all assets and 100% KPI performance.
Because the same team maintains the fire alarm, emergency lighting, AOV and dry risers in many of these blocks, the EAS is serviced by engineers who already know the building.
“22 storeys. BS 8629 design accepted by the client's consultants. Wireless sounders in every flat, so no cables entered residents' homes.”
Fire Systems Ltd designed, installed and commissioned this evacuation alert system for a London housing association, completed in early 2022.
Case Study: Evacuation Alert System for a 22-Storey Residential Block
A London housing association's Senior Fire Safety Programme Manager asked Fire Systems Ltd to design, install and commission an evacuation alert system for a 22-storey residential building. The installation was completed in early 2022.
Design. Working from the client's layout drawings, our design team produced a BS 8629 design with full material and installation costs. The client's health and safety consultants reviewed and accepted the design before work began. Our design team completed BS 8629 training before the project.
Installation. The EACIE was housed in a tamper-proof enclosure meeting LPS 1175 Issue 8 (B3) or STS 205 (BR2), placed for easy fire service access, with key-switch control of each floor. Communal cabling was run in galvanised steel trunking. It costs more and takes longer than standard containment, but gives the best protection against damage in a busy residential block. Inside the flats we used wireless sounders, so no cables or conduit entered residents' homes.
Residents. Milap Patel, our Projects Manager, held fortnightly progress meetings with the client and acted as Tenant Liaison Officer. A dedicated Site Person in Charge managed day-to-day contact with scheme managers and residents. Residents were invited to coffee mornings to meet the team, and appointment letters were sent in good time.
Handover. We tested and commissioned the system, trained staff on its operation, and handed over as-fitted drawings, O&M manuals, the logbook, and design, installation and commissioning certificates. Building documentation is kept in a secure fire brigade information box.
Evacuation Alert System Questions We Are Often Asked
Is an evacuation alert system the same as a fire alarm?
No. A fire alarm detects fire and warns people automatically. An evacuation alert system has no detectors and never sounds automatically. It is a separate system that only firefighters can operate, from a secure panel at the fire service access point, to tell residents on chosen floors or in chosen flats to leave.
Do existing high-rise blocks have to install an EAS?
There is no blanket legal requirement to retrofit an EAS in England. Approved Document B recommends one in new blocks of flats over 18m. In existing buildings an EAS is usually recommended where the fire risk assessment, fire strategy or the fire service questions whether stay-put remains suitable.
How often does an evacuation alert system need servicing?
BS 8629 requires inspection and servicing by a competent person every six months, with every sounder operated individually once a year. In residential buildings of 18m and over, the EAS must also be checked every month under the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022.
Will residents confuse the EAS with the fire alarm?
They shouldn't. BS 8629 requires the evacuation signal to be different from the fire alarm signal, and residents must be told what each one means in their fire safety instructions. Where residents are deaf or hard of hearing we fit visual devices too.
Can an EAS be installed without disrupting residents?
Yes. Communal cabling runs in protected containment in the corridors and stairs. Inside flats we use wireless sounders wherever the design allows, so no cables or conduit need to enter residents' homes.
