Bs 5839 Part 1 2002 Pdf Creator

BS 5839-1:2013 Fire detection and fire alarm systems for buildings. Code of practice for design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of systems in non-domestic premises BS 5839-1:2013 provides recommendations for the planning, design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of fire detection and fire alarm systems in and around non-domestic buildings. It does not recommend whether or not a fire detection and fire alarm system should be installed in any given premises. The term fire detection and fire alarm systems, in the context of BS 5839-1:2013, includes systems that range from those comprising only one or two manual call points and sounders to complex networked systems that incorporate a large number of automatic fire detectors, manual call points and sounders, connected to numerous inter-communicating control and indicating panels. The term also includes systems that are capable of providing signals to initiate the operation of other fire protection systems and equipment (such as fire extinguishing systems, smoke control systems or automatic door release equipment) or safety measures (such as shutdown of air handling systems, closing of oil or gas valves or grounding of lifts). Standard Number BS 5839-1:2013 Title Fire detection and fire alarm systems for buildings. Customers who bought this product also bought • Fire detection and fire alarm systems for buildings Code of practice for the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of fire detection and fire alarm systems in domestic premises • Fire detection and fire alarm systems for buildings Code of practice for the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of voice alarm systems • Emergency lighting Code of practice for the emergency lighting of premises • Lighting applications.

Emergency lighting.

Fire Detection and Alarm systems – BS 5839-1 a trusty companion [ BS 5839-1 has been pivotal in the application of fire detection and alarm technology for almost 30 years. Here Colin Todd outlines its most recent provisions in the context of holistic fire safety design. For many years, BS 5839-1 has been one of the best selling of the many thousands of British Standards published by the British Standards Institution (BSI). Perhaps it is not surprising that this should be so. The legal requirement for an electrical fire alarm system in the vast majority of non-domestic premises has been well established for several decades. Codification of design and installation criteria go back to 1951, when a code of practice was produced by a committee within BSI that dealt with other matters, including time clocks. That code of practice lasted 21 years before it was replaced by CP 1019 in 1972.

Even then, fire alarm systems were regarded as a simple matter of electrical engineering, and the code of practice was produced by an electrical engineering committee in BSI. The first fire alarm code of practice produced by a specialist fire standards committee was BS 5839-1: 1980.

That code of practice was produced prior to the introduction of the modern addressable fire alarm system. By the 1980s, however, fire alarm technology was beginning to move at a fast pace, reflecting the speed at which electronics and micro-processor technology was developing.

By the time a completely revised version of BS 5839-1 was published in 1988, five amendments had already been made to the 1980 version of the code of practice. The 1988 Code of Practice was quite revolutionary and forward thinking in its recommendations, particularly those relating to the then new technology addressable systems, for which fundamental new design principles were established for the first time. By then, BS 5839 Part 1 had established itself as essential reading and reference for anyone involved in the design of fire alarm systems, the installation and commissioning of systems and the routine maintenance or repair of systems. Accordingly, the readership comprised a vast army of not only fire alarm specialists but also consulting engineers and electrical contractors. The 1988 version of BS 5839-1 was not without its problems.

Bs 5839 Part 1 2002 Pdf Printer. The State Department lays out all the qualifications in this PDF, which at a quick glance is quite in- depth.

It had become the ‘bible’, against which designers carried out their designs and enforcing authorities specified their requirements. However, as a code of practice, BS 5839-1 had never been intended to be prescriptive enough for the definitive compliance that this necessitated, particularly when installations were audited under third party certification schemes such as LPS 1014 and, later, BAFE SP 203. Much of BS 5839-1 had been written almost as a text book with useful information, but ambiguity in the implications of the information in terms of system design.

Moreover, the code was peppered with phrases such as “consideration should be given to. “, creating arguments as to whether or not a measure was necessary for compliance. The 2002 version of BS 5839-1 adopted a bold and fundamental change in format. The code of practice was written in “practice specification” format, in which explanatory text is totally separated from specific recommendations. This format is a very useful halfway house between a traditional code of practice, which is not intended to be interpreted as a specification, and a typical standard for a product, which would contain definitive requirements.

While BS 5839-1 does not actually make any ‘requirements’, as it remains simply a code of practice with recommendations for the guidance of the wise and blind obedience only of the foolish, the recommendations are ‘auditable’, since they are short, definitive and individually numbered. This has had many benefits, including the possibility of better compliance by designers and contractors, more meaningful certification of systems, fewer disputes regarding interpretation and better recognition that ‘variations’ from the recommendations are perfectly acceptable – provided they are based on sound engineering judgment and are agreed by all interested parties. New technology Many technical changes were also incorporated to take account of new technology (e.g. Carbon monoxide fire detectors), simplify design and relax recommendations that had been found to be unnecessarily onerous in practice. Overall, the code provides useful support in compliance with Article 13(1) of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (and equivalent requirements within fire safety legislation in Scotland and Northern Ireland), which requires that premises are, to the extent that is appropriate, equipped with fire detectors and alarms. Compliance with the recommendations of BS 5839-1, for the appropriate category of system, is likely to constitute evidence of compliance with this requirement. Moreover, the category L5 system, first introduced in 2002, provides for tailor-made fire detector coverage, specific to the circumstances at the premises in question, enabling, for example, a fire risk assessment to determine the areas in which fire detection needs to be provided, rather than setting rigid tramlines to be followed.

Such a major revision, however, was bound to introduce potential for new misinterpretation or misunderstanding. So in December 2004, the code of practice was amended for the first time since its publication, with a view to clarifying a number of points of ambiguity and incorporating of a number of editorial changes. In addition, some minor changes were made to recommendations on fire warning systems for deaf and hard of hearing people, the use of which has greatly expanded over the past few years, partly as a result of the Disability Discrimination Act, and partly from the fact that recommendations in respect of these systems were new in 2002.

Additional reference was also made to aspirating smoke detection systems, the scope of use of which has also expanded over the past few years. Recommendations for the fire resistance of cables were also simplified slightly by reliance on tests, now specified in the relevant European test standard for fire-resisting cables, in the case of standard fire-resisting cables (as defined in BS 5839-1). British Standards are subject to review every five years. Acronis Rescue Media 2010 Full Iso Downloads. Accordingly, it was necessary for a review of the code in 2007. At that time, it was considered that further technical changes would be inappropriate.

In effect, there was a need to allow the dust to settle somewhat after the major revision in 2002. Even by 2007, some users were only coming to terms with the format and recommendations of the revised code of practice. However, it was considered that the code should be subject to complete editorial review, with the intent of providing any further clarifications necessary. The result was a new edition of the 2002 code, incorporating a second amendment, published in March 2008. References to which the code of practice refers have been updated, particularly in respect of European standards.

An important area of clarification relates to the category L5 system, about which there had, apparently, been considerable confusion and misunderstanding. The 2002 edition made reference to the fact that a category L5 system might emanate from the findings of a fire risk assessment. This appeared to lead to the misconception that it would be possible for a specifier to require such a system without any further information, leaving it to the fire alarm contractor to carry out the fire risk assessment. This was never intended; the code of practice had, since 2002, made it clear that anyone specifying a category L5 system would need to specify the areas in which detectors should be installed. Accordingly, to avoid any misconception, the reference to risk assessment has been deleted from the relevant description.

Concern had also been expressed that BS 5839-1 did not make it sufficiently clear that, where, for example, standby batteries are housed in a separate enclosure from the control and indicating equipment, any cable between that enclosure and the control and indicating equipment should be suitably protected against overcurrent. This is a matter of basic electrical engineering, which was probably evident to any competent designer but, for avoidance of doubt, a specific recommendation to this effect has now been incorporated. Experience had also shown that a new dilemma had arisen in respect of the detection zone on which a manual call point, located within a stairwell at a final exit to open air, should be incorporated.

Prior to 2002, the code of practice recommended that manual call points within stairways should form part of the stairway zone. This was changed in 2002, when the revised BS 5839-1 recommended that the manual call point on each level within a stairway should be incorporated within the detection zone that serves the adjacent accommodation on that level. The purpose of the recommendation was to give a better indication as to the location of a fire, and the code of practice also permitted manual call points to be installed within the accommodation, rather than the stairway, in any case. A dilemma then existed for designers who adopted this approach, in that there might just be one manual call point within the stairway, namely that located at the final exit from the stairway to open air. Should this manual call point be connected on the ground floor zone, given that it could be operated by people escaping from an upper floor level, or should the manual call point be connected on a detection zone serving the stairway? The 2008 amendment permits either arrangement.

Sound and vision The past few years has seen an increase in the use of visual alarm devices. However, care is necessary to ensure that these devices do not cause epileptic seizures in people with photosensitive epilepsy. Accordingly, some guidance on this issue is now incorporated within BS 5839-1. Such is the significance of visual alarm devices that the Loss Prevention Certification Board is currently working on a new Loss Prevention Standard that will set out guidelines for the application of such devices. This will assist the fire safety community in compliance with recommendations within Approved Document M under the Building Regulations 2000 in England and Wales, which advocates the use of visual alarm devices within bedrooms in sleeping accommodation.

Again, this is a measure about which there has been much confusion, with a number of users believing that the purpose of the visual alarm devices is to wake deaf or hard of hearing people from sleep. In fact, the purpose of the visual alarms advocated by the Approved Document is simply to warn deaf or hard of hearing people who are awake and alone in the bedroom; other methods need to be adopted to rouse these occupants from sleep.

The 17th edition of the IEE Wiring Regulations (BS 7671) introduced a number of new requirements for the installation of residual current devices. These may be necessary where cables are concealed in walls or partitions, to provide protection against shock if the cables are penetrated by nails, screws, etc.

However, BS 5839-1 recommends that, wherever possible, a circuit supplying a fire alarm system with power should not be protected by a residual current device. Accordingly, the 2008 edition of BS 5839-1 provides appropriate comment on this potential conflict. Firefighter hazards In February 2005, a fire occurred in a flat within a block of flats in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. The fire resulted in the deaths of two firefighters and one member of the public. It is known that, during the incident, one of the two firefighters was entangled in fire alarm cables within the common parts of the block, support for which had failed as a result of fire damage to their supporting plastic trunking.

The use of plastic trunking as the sole means of support for fire alarm cables does not satisfy the recommendations of BS 5839-1 (and arguably never did do so), primarily to prevent loss of circuit integrity. However, the 2008 edition of BS 5839-1 now draws attention to the hazard to firefighters of falling cables, so further emphasising the need to avoid plastic components as the sole means of support. The new edition also cites inadequately supported cables as a significant departure from the recommendations of BS 5839-1, to which a newly appointed maintenance contractor should draw the attention of the user. Fire resistance of cable support is also a matter that the designer might now want to draw to the attention of an installer. It will be noted that, while the new amendments are, in theory, of an editorial nature, a number of them are quite significant. It is, therefore, important that users of BS 5839-1 ensure that they are referring to the latest, 2008 edition, which is annotated on the cover with the reference “+A2: 2008” after the reference BS 5839-1: 2002. Many readers will be aware that BS 5839-1:1988 was supported by a further BSI publication in the form of PD 6531, which set out various queries on the recommendations of the code of practice and the interpretation given by the technical committee responsible for it (what might now be described as FAQ).

While, certainly in 2002, there was a school of thought that there would be no need for a revision of PD 6531 to include queries and interpretations on the 2002 code, there have been sufficient queries put to the BSI technical committee to warrant the publication of a new PD 6531. Work on the new PD is currently in progress, and it is anticipated that it will be published in 2009.

This will be a very important publication for all those with a need to have a full understanding of BS 5839-1, including designers and those with responsibility for auditing installation compliance with the code of practice. Colin Todd is a specialist fire safety consultant and principal of CS Todd & Associates. He is a member of the BSI technical subcommittee FSH/12/1 and was responsible for drafting the 2002 version of BS-5839-1.