Fire Alarm Systems for Commercial Businesses

The biggest health and safety threat to any business is the risk of fire. A hazard that can cause irreparable damage to property and puts human life in jeopardy, 50% of business never returns to the marketplace following a major disaster. In the case of fire 44% of businesses fail to reopen. Companies that fail to reopen within 10 days of a disaster hit are not likely to survive. The survival rate of companies without a disaster recovery plan is less than 10%, it’s important that your organisation has appropriate fire safety procedures in place.

As a business owner, property manager or person in charge of the premises, you’ll ultimately be responsible for the safety of everyone who is inside your property. This means that if a fire does occur and people are injured or worse, you’ll be liable if you do not have appropriate safety fire measures in place.

Commercial fire alarm systems are one of the most fundamental elements of fire safety. In the unfortunate event that a fire does occur on your premises, the alarm will be triggered alerting people to its presence. This will then facilitate a swift evacuation, and allow the fire brigade to be called as quickly as possible.

In this article, we’ll take a look at just how important fire alarm systems are for commercial businesses.      

Is it a legal requirement to have a fire alarm in your business?

One of the first things business owners or managers need to prioritise is their legal responsibilities.

According to The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, all property owners are required by law to ensure their premises meet required fire safety standards. This includes ensuring that all businesses have an ‘appropriate fire detection system’ in place.

While the law does not explicitly state that this detection system has to take the form of a fire alarm, in almost every business a fire alarm system will be needed to comply with this stipulation. 

There are only a few occasions when a fire alarm wouldn’t be needed. This includes:

• If your premises are a small, single-story space
• Shouting ‘fire!’ would be enough for all occupants to hear
• There are no vulnerable occupants on site, such as disabled individuals 
• No high-risk activities (such as cooking) take place or high-risk substances (such as chemicals) are kept on the property 
• A fire would be immediately obvious and spotted by anyone on the premises   

The different types of fire alarm systems

Now that we’ve discussed your legal obligations, let’s take a closer look at the different types of commercial fire alarm systems you can install.

At AT Alarms, we provide our commercial and domestic customers with a range of different alarm system choices and will tailor our service specifically to the needs of our clients.

These include:

Conventional fire alarm systems
The most common type of alarm system in the industry. Conventional fire alarms typically divide properties into different zones and each zone is wired to the control panel. This means that when a fire does occur, people will be able to quickly and easily see in which part of the building the blaze has happened.

Wireless fire alarm systems for domestic premises
A modern solution, wireless fire alarms come with, as you’d expect, no wires and are usually battery operated. The lack of lengthy wires means that these options are usually easier to install, and if a fire does break out radio signals will be wirelessly sent to the system’s control panel.

Addressable fire alarm systems
Addressable fire alarms are able to assess the condition of all the systems in your building. Each and every alarm comes with a unique ‘address’ that informs users of the condition of individual systems and the exact location of an activation. Addressable alarms can be monitored remotely, 24 hours a day, and are most suitable for larger premises or ones at a higher risk of fire.

If you’re unsure about what commercial alarm systems are suitable for your organisation, the team at AT Alarms is here to help. Based in Nottingham and serving customers across the UK, get in touch with our team of expert technicians today.