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Fire Alarm Design & Installation
Fire alarm design, installation and upgrades to BS 5839 by BAFE SP203-1 certified engineers, for occupied housing, hotels and commercial buildings in London.
From the first survey to commissioning and handover, our own engineers design and install fire alarm systems in buildings that stay occupied, keeping the existing system live until the new one is proven.
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, installs and commissions fire alarm systems for housing associations, local authorities, hotels, heritage buildings and commercial clients across London and the South East. Almost all of it happens in occupied buildings, so we plan every project around the residents, guests and staff who are still there.
Where cabling would damage the building or disrupt residents, we often recommend a radio-linked system: see wireless fire alarms.
Certified to Design and Install Fire Alarms
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 Needs Replacing or Upgrading
These are the situations where we are most often asked to design and install a new fire alarm.
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.
How We Deliver a Fire Alarm Project
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.
Planning. Risk assessments and method statements, a Construction Phase Plan and a programme that keeps the building protected and disruption to a minimum.
Resident communication. Letters and reminders before each visit, a named project manager acting as resident liaison officer and, on larger schemes, drop-in sessions where residents can meet the team and ask questions.
Installation. Strip-out of redundant equipment, cabling and containment, new devices and panel, then fire stopping and making good, with the old system kept live until the new one is commissioned.
Commissioning. Every device tested, sound levels measured and recorded, and the cause and effect proven, usually with your consultant present.
Handover. Design, installation and commissioning certificates, as-fitted drawings, a zone chart at the panel, the logbook, O&M manuals and training for your staff.
Once the system is in, our engineers can look after it: see fire alarm servicing and maintenance.
Working in occupied homes
Most of our installations happen with residents at home, in sheltered schemes where people may be older or less mobile, and in hotels that cannot close. That shapes how we work:
Asbestos management surveys are used to plan where cabling, containment and equipment can go before anyone drills a hole.
Work is phased so the existing system stays live and every part of the building stays protected.
Access to flats is booked with residents and scheme managers, with appointments between 7am and 8pm and at weekends.
Every engineer is DBS checked, wears identification and leaves each area clean at the end of the day.
On a programme for one London housing association, the client's health and safety consultants visited our sites at various stages to check quality, progress and safety, and reported that the works were on schedule and every safety check had been passed.
“New fire alarm systems designed, installed and commissioned across 16 occupied properties, with residents at home throughout.”
Fire Systems Ltd delivered this automatic fire detection programme for a London housing association between 2021 and 2023.
Case Study: New Fire Alarm Systems in 16 Occupied Housing Properties
Between 2021 and 2023 we designed, installed and commissioned new automatic fire detection systems in 16 properties for a London housing association, across several different property types. Residents stayed in their homes throughout.
Scope. Initial site inspections, stripping out and disposing of the redundant systems, new fire alarm systems with cabling and containment, fire stopping and restoration, testing and commissioning, staff demonstrations and training, and recorded drawings and O&M manuals for every building.
Safety. We acted as Principal Designer and Principal Contractor, with a Construction Phase Plan for each site. The client's asbestos management surveys were used to decide where cabling and equipment could safely go, and every operative held non-licensed asbestos training.
Residents. Our project manager acted as resident liaison officer, supported by a dedicated site person in charge. We held coffee mornings so residents could meet the team, explained what would happen and what precautions to take, and sent reminder letters before each visit.
Handover. A final inspection and test was carried out jointly with the client's consultants. Once compliance was confirmed, each system was handed over with full documentation.
We are now delivering a larger fire alarm upgrade programme for another housing association, working with its appointed consultants from survey and design through to commissioning and handover, alongside routine maintenance across the same portfolio.
Fire Alarm Installation Questions We Are Often Asked
Can a new fire alarm be installed while residents stay in the building?
Yes. Almost all our installations are in occupied homes, sheltered schemes and hotels. We phase the work, keep the old system live until the new one is commissioned, and book access around residents.
How long does a fire alarm installation take?
It depends on the size of the building and how easy access is. A small block can take a few days; a large or complex building is phased over several weeks. We give you a programme before work starts and keep to it.
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.
What will we receive at handover?
Design, installation and commissioning certificates, as-fitted drawings, a zone chart beside the panel, the system logbook and O&M manuals. We also show your staff or scheme managers how the system works and how to carry out the weekly test.
