our service
Fire Alarm Servicing & Maintenance
Fire alarm servicing to BS 5839-1: planned maintenance, 24/7 call-outs, repairs and digital certificates from BAFE SP203-1 certified engineers in London.
Planned servicing, 24/7 call-outs and repairs from the directly employed engineers who look after fire alarms across thousands of homes, with every visit certified electronically.
A fire alarm that is not maintained will fail eventually. Batteries lose capacity, detectors get dirty or are covered up, devices are damaged or removed, and changes to the building leave rooms without detection. Faults that go unreported can leave a building unprotected for months.
Fire Systems Ltd services fire alarms in thousands of homes for housing associations and local authorities, as well as hotels, offices, heritage buildings and mixed-use blocks across London and the South East. Our engineers are directly employed, carry contract-specific van stock and know the buildings they look after.
If your system needs replacing rather than repairing, see fire alarm design and installation.
BAFE SP203-1 Certified Maintenance
Fire Systems Ltd holds BAFE SP203-1 third-party certification for fire alarm maintenance, audited by SSAIB, a UKAS-accredited body. Our engineers hold FIA fire alarm maintenance qualifications, complete refresher training on BS 5839 every six months and an annual FIA refresher.
Qualifications are held in our Mango QMS, which stops anyone being allocated to work they are not certified for, and every visit is recorded in our Infor ERP system. Every engineer is DBS checked, and engineers attending sheltered and supported schemes complete safeguarding training.
The Rules on Fire Alarm Maintenance
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Article 17 requires fire alarms to be maintained in efficient working order and good repair. The duty sits with the responsible person: the landlord, freeholder, managing agent or employer.
BS 5839-1:2025. Recommends inspection and servicing by a competent person at intervals of no more than six months, a weekly test of a manual call point, and a logbook recording every test, fault and false alarm.
Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022. Social landlords must repair or replace faulty smoke and CO alarms in their homes as soon as reasonably practicable after a report.
Building Safety Act 2022. In higher-risk buildings, fire alarm maintenance records form part of the golden thread of building information.
What we check at every service
Logbook reviewed, and false alarms in the last 12 months investigated
Batteries and chargers load tested
Detectors and call points tested, with every device covered over the year
Sounders, beacons and fault indicators checked
Links to monitoring centres, door holders, smoke vents and other systems tested against the cause and effect
Radio signal strengths and device batteries recorded on wireless systems
Changes to the building that affect the system noted and reported
Why Some Buildings Need More Than Six-Monthly Visits
BS 5839-1 sets the minimum. Many buildings need more.
Housing portfolios: Most of our housing clients specify quarterly visits, testing a quarter of the devices each time so every device is covered over the year, with a full annual inspection.
Sheltered and supported housing: Systems are often linked to warden call or monitoring centres, and residents may rely on staff to help them leave. Faults need to be found and fixed quickly.
Higher-risk buildings: Records must be accurate and complete for the golden thread, and the alarm has to work with evacuation alert systems and smoke control.
Buildings with frequent false alarms: Repeated false alarms lead people to ignore the alarm. We investigate the cause and recommend changes to detector type or position.
Taking over a building with poor records? On the first visit we test the whole system, check the logbook and give you a clear, costed list of what needs doing.
Fire Alarm Servicing to BS 5839-1
Planned maintenance
Visits scheduled by building and by postcode, and combined with emergency lighting and AOV visits where we maintain those too
Residents told about upcoming visits a week in advance, by letter, email or text, including the engineer's name
Appointments from 7am to 8pm, including weekends, which has kept no-access below 2% on our largest portfolios
Assets tagged with QR codes, so there is a record that every device was serviced
Reactive repairs
24/7/365 emergency call-out, with two-hour emergency attendance on our main housing contracts
Contract-specific van stock, so most faults are fixed on the first visit
Defects reported with photos and a quotation, or priced from your schedule of rates
Records
Our compliance team reviews every engineer's service sheet before the certificate is issued electronically, usually within 24 to 48 hours. Clients can see live programmes, completed visits and outstanding defects through our Infor ERP system.
When things go wrong
When the main control panel failed in a 120-flat residential block, our emergency team installed temporary interlinked alarms and arranged a fire watch, limiting the time the building was without an alarm to six hours. Within 48 hours we had sourced and fitted a new panel, tested the system and restored full protection.
When a panel in a residential building with sleeping accommodation was found deliberately disabled, our engineer attended the same day and fitted interlinked wireless smoke alarms as temporary cover, so residents stayed protected until a new panel was installed.
Remote monitoring
On a quarterly service contract, a fault that nobody reports could go unnoticed until the next visit. Linking the panel to an alarm receiving centre means we are told about faults within minutes, and every activation and reset is logged. Where access to flats is difficult, we have used wireless remote monitoring to watch critical alarm points around the clock.
“Around 17,600 planned maintenance calls a year on a single housing contract, with 100% of response times met.”
Fire Systems Ltd has maintained fire safety systems across around 2,200 residential blocks for a London and South East housing association since September 2019.
In Practice: Maintaining Fire Alarms Across Large Housing Portfolios
Since September 2019 we have maintained fire alarms and other fire safety systems for one of the country's largest housing associations, across around 2,200 residential blocks in London and the South East, including high-rise and sheltered schemes. The contract is delivered by our own directly employed engineers and supervising engineers.
Planned maintenance. Quarterly fire alarm inspections, testing 25% of devices each visit so every device is covered over the year: around 17,600 planned maintenance calls a year.
Emergencies. Two-hour emergency attendance, with engineers carrying spare panels, detectors, call points, sounders and batteries.
Results. 100% of response times met and over 95% compliance across all assets, alongside a major fire alarm upgrade programme on the same portfolio.
For another housing provider we maintain fire alarms across around 3,500 homes, including higher-risk buildings, handling around 3,550 emergency call-outs a year with more than 95% attended within the agreed response times.
Fire Alarm Servicing Questions We Are Often Asked
How often should a fire alarm be serviced?
BS 5839-1 recommends inspection and servicing by a competent person at intervals of no more than six months. Many housing providers specify quarterly visits, testing a quarter of the devices each time so every detector is covered over the year. Between visits, one manual call point should be tested every week and the result recorded in the logbook.
What is the weekly fire alarm test?
Each week a different manual call point is operated to check that the panel receives the signal and the sounders work. It can be carried out by a trained member of staff or scheme manager, and we show them how to do it and record it.
What happens if our fire alarm panel fails?
Call our 24/7 line. On our main housing contracts we attend emergencies within two hours, put temporary protection such as interlinked wireless smoke alarms in place if needed, and replace the panel as quickly as possible. In one 120-flat block we had a new panel installed and commissioned within 48 hours.
Can you take over maintenance of a system another company installed?
Yes. Most of the systems we maintain were installed by others. On the first visit we test the system, check the logbook and records, and report anything that needs putting right.
How do you reduce false alarms?
We review the logbook at every visit and investigate any false alarms. Common causes are detectors in kitchens or bathrooms, dust, steam and damaged devices. We recommend the right detector type or position, or a change to the system's settings, to stop them recurring.
