Fire alarm service
A competent fire alarm engineer inspects the panel, tests a sample of detectors, call points and sounders, checks the standby battery, and signs the system log book.
A competent fire alarm engineer inspects the panel, tests a sample of detectors, call points and sounders, checks the standby battery, and signs the system log book. This is separate from your own weekly call-point test — it is the professional check underneath it.
A fire alarm that has not been serviced is one of the first things a fire officer checks, and most insurance policies make a current service certificate a condition of cover. If the alarm fails during a real fire and the log shows a missed service, that is a hard thing to defend.
Ask if they, or their servicing company, hold BAFE SP203-1 third-party certification.
Who this is for
Every venue with an electrical fire alarm system — effectively all commercial premises.
What you’ll hold
- Fire alarm service certificate
- System log book, signed and dated at each visit
Watch out for
- Booking one annual visit instead of two — BS 5839-1 sets a twice-yearly minimum, not once.
- Letting the paper log book go missing between visits. Auditors and insurers ask for it as often as the certificate.
- Assuming a routine service covers a fault that has been flagging on the panel. Faults need reporting and fixing separately, not waiting for the next visit.
Sources
- FIA — BS 5839 series checked 2026-09-02
- FIA — Maintaining your fire alarm system checked 2026-09-02
See also
- Fire alarm and detection to the FRA's category— this becomes part of getting open →
- Fire alarm call-point test
- Fire risk assessment review
This is item 16 of 60 in the free UK Compliance Calendar. See the whole list →