Fire Alarms

Which Type of System Do I Need?

A fire alarm system is one of the most fundamental safety features of any business premises. Ensuring that your system falls into the correct category and provides a broad enough level of protection is also a legal requirement, so it certainly pays to get properly acquainted with the various types of fire alarm systems.

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Types

Fire Alarm Types

Each of the eight categories of a fire alarm system can be brought under three core types: manual, life protection and property protection. Ultimately, the type and category of alarm system that your premises requires will depend on the following factors:

The type of premises you have

What can be found within your premises

The type of business you run

The risks within it

In order to properly ascertain which category your premises belongs in, you will need a fire risk assessment to be carried out.

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Manual fire alarm systems (M)

Manual fire alarm system are the most basic of all, and rely on the occupants of the building to help detect a fire and spread the message to other occupants. That is, someone will need to press a button or pull a level in order to set the alarm off. Typically, these buttons will be placed around a building in the form of a break glass unit.

Life protection fire alarm systems (L)

Category L fire protection systems have been labelled as such for their ability to protect life within a building. They are split into the following five sub-categories

Maximum life protection

This is the most comprehensive form of protection, and will feature a smoke detector in every single room in a building where a fire could feasibly start. Such systems are usually found in places such as care homes and large hotels.

Additional life protection

L2 systems will feature a smoke detector in all rooms that form part of an escape route out of the building, including corridors. They will also need to be installed in high-risk areas, such as kitchen and boiler rooms. Such systems are found in factories and regular sized residential premises.

Standard life protection

These systems will feature detectors in all parts of an escae route and rooms that open onto an escape route, providing occupants with enough warning to escape before their route is blocked. These systems are usually found in office blocks and other commercial buildings.

Modest life protection

L4 systems features detectors in escape route areas only, such s corridors and stairwells. They can normally be found in smaller, low-risk commercial buildings

Localised life protection

These systems are installed to tackle a fire in a specific high-risk area of a building, for example, a kitchen. Such a system might be used in conjunction with an L4 system in order to properly protect a building

Property protection fire alarm systems (P)

Category P fire alarm systems are designed with the protection of the building itself in mind, and fall under the following two categories:

Like L1, this system requires that a detector is installed in all areas of the building and offers the most comprehensive protection. Ultimately, this means that a fire can be detected and neutralised as quickly as possible, ensuring that minimal damage to the property occurs which, in turn, minimises the financial impact on the business.

In a P2 system, smoke detectors will only be installed in high-risk areas of a building. While the protection isn’t quite as comprehensive as a P1 systems, it should be sufficient to provide early detection for most fires.