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Fire Alarm Design
Fire alarm surveys, categories, detector selection, drawings and cause and effect for buildings across London and the South East.
From the first survey to consultant acceptance, our own engineers develop a fire alarm design around the building, its occupants and the fire strategy.
A fire alarm is only as good as its design. The category of cover, where each detector goes, what type it is, how loud the sounders are and what the system does when it operates all have to match the building, the people in it and the fire strategy. Get the design wrong and the alarm either fails to warn people in time or goes off so often that residents stop trusting it.
Fire Systems Ltd designs fire alarm systems for housing associations, local authorities, hotels, heritage buildings and commercial clients across London and the South East. We review the building, its occupants and the fire strategy before agreeing the category of cover and equipment.
For delivery after the design is agreed, see Fire Alarm Installation
Qualified Fire Alarm Design
Fire Systems Ltd holds BAFE SP203-1 third-party certification for the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of fire detection and alarm systems, audited by SSAIB, a UKAS-accredited body. We are NICEIC registered for the electrical work involved and members of the Fire Industry Association.
Our design and commissioning engineers hold FIA qualifications in fire detection design and advanced fire alarm commissioning, and our Technical Manager, Dax Patel, signs off every design. On larger projects we act as Principal Designer and Principal Contractor under CDM 2015, and everyone on site holds non-licensed asbestos training.
The Standards Behind a Fire Alarm Design
BS 5839-1:2025. The code of practice for the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of fire alarms in non-domestic buildings and the common parts of flats. It sets the category of cover, detector spacing, sound levels and zoning.
BS 5839-6:2019. The code of practice for fire detection inside homes, setting the grade and category of smoke and heat alarms in each flat.
BS EN 54. The product standards every detector, call point, sounder and panel we install is made to.
BS 7671. The IET Wiring Regulations, which govern the mains supply and cabling behind the system.
Approved Document B. The Building Regulations guidance on fire detection for new buildings and material alterations.
CDM 2015. Fire alarm installation is construction work, so it needs a Construction Phase Plan and competent people in the Principal Designer and Principal Contractor roles.
What we decide with you at design stage
The category. From Category M (manual call points only) through L5 to L1 (automatic detection throughout) for life safety, agreed with you and your fire risk assessor.
Detector types. Smoke, heat, multi-sensor or carbon monoxide detection, chosen for each room. BS 5839-1:2025 now favours smoke, multi-sensor or CO detection in sleeping areas.
Wired or wireless. A conventional or addressable wired system, or a radio-linked system where cabling is impractical.
Warning devices. Sounders loud enough to wake people where they sleep, plus visual beacons and vibrating pads for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Cause and effect. Exactly what happens when each device operates: which sounders run, which doors release, which smoke vents open and what is signalled to a monitoring centre.
When a Fire Alarm Design Needs Reviewing
We survey the building, review the fire risk assessment and fire strategy, and give you a clear, costed recommendation.
Fire risk assessment actions: The assessor has found areas without detection, the wrong category of cover, or a system that no longer matches the building or its evacuation strategy.
Ageing or failing systems: Panels and devices that keep going into fault, parts that are no longer made, or a conventional system that cannot tell you which device has operated.
Too many false alarms: Detectors in the wrong place or of the wrong type cause repeated false alarms, and residents start to ignore the alarm.
Refurbishment and change of use: New layouts, partitions or a change of use change the fire risk, and the alarm has to change with it.
Higher-risk buildings: Blocks of 18m and over need fire alarm records that form part of the golden thread, and a design that works with the building’s evacuation strategy.
Not sure what your building needs? We survey it, review the fire risk assessment and fire strategy, and give you a clear, costed recommendation.
From Survey to an Accepted Design
Survey. We record the existing system, the layout, ceiling types, cable routes and asbestos survey information, and check them against the fire risk assessment.
Design. We design to the category agreed with you, produce drawings and a cause and effect, and submit them to your consultant or fire engineer for acceptance.
Our Technical Manager, Dax Patel, signs off every design. Designs are submitted to your consultant or fire engineer for acceptance before work starts.
Once the design is agreed, see Fire Alarm Installation
Survey, Drawings and Consultant Acceptance
Survey. We record the existing system, the layout, ceiling types, cable routes and asbestos survey information, and check them against the fire risk assessment.
Design. We design to the category agreed with you, produce drawings and a cause and effect, and submit them to your consultant or fire engineer for acceptance.
The category, detector selection, sound levels and cause and effect must match the building and its evacuation strategy. Our design and commissioning engineers hold FIA qualifications in fire detection design and advanced fire alarm commissioning.
The category of cover, detector locations, warning devices and cause and effect are agreed around the building, the people in it and the fire strategy.
From an Agreed Design to Installation
Drawings and cause and effect are submitted to your consultant or fire engineer for acceptance before work starts. The installation team then plans the programme around the residents, guests and staff who remain in the building.
Read about planning, installation, commissioning and handover on Fire Alarm Installation
Fire Alarm Design Questions
Should we choose a conventional or addressable system?
A conventional system tells you which zone has operated; an addressable system tells you exactly which device. Addressable systems make it much quicker to find the cause of an alarm or fault, so we usually recommend them for anything beyond a small building.
Do you design the system as well as install it?
Yes. We hold BAFE SP203-1 certification for design, installation, commissioning and maintenance. Our designs go to your consultant or fire engineer for acceptance before work starts.
