Fire safety · Greater Manchester
Fire alarm design and installation to BS 5839-1
Design, installation, commissioning and certification as one accountable package. The category comes from your fire risk assessment, not from a sales target.
The service
Designed from the risk assessment, wired like electricians, certificated properly
Every system starts with the category your building actually needs, from L1 full coverage in sleeping-risk premises down to L4 or L5 targeted protection, or P categories where property protection is the aim. We design to BS 5839-1, produce zone charts and cause-and-effect documents, and agree the design with you before a cable is run.
Installation is where our electrical heritage earns its keep. Fire-rated cable properly supported and segregated, interfaces to access control, shutters, gas valves and plant wired and tested, and containment that will pass inspection rather than hide above the ceiling tiles.
Commissioning is documented device by device, and you receive the full certificate set: design, installation and commissioning certificates plus as-fitted drawings and the operation and maintenance manual. Handover includes staff training on the panel, in plain English.
From enquiry to certificate
No sales visit and no three-week wait to find out what it costs. Tell us your deadline and the dates are planned back from it.
Form or phone. We ask for the postcode, the premises type and any deadline you are working to.
An engineer walks the building, counts the devices, checks the panel and the logbook, and notes what is missing.
A written figure for the contract, plus a separate price for anything that needs putting right first.
Certificate, logbook entries and priced defects, emailed to you within 48 hours.
Common questions
What does BS 5839 require for a new fire alarm system?
It requires the system category to be chosen from the fire risk assessment, then designed, installed and commissioned by competent persons, each stage certificated.
The standard also sets out cable types, sound levels, detector siting and zone requirements. If a quote does not name the category and reference the risk assessment, the design has not really been done.
Which fire alarm category does my building need?
Sleeping-risk premises typically need L1 or L2; most workplaces need L2 to L4; property protection adds P1 or P2 cover.
The honest answer comes from the fire risk assessment, which is why we often carry one out or review yours before designing. Over-specification wastes money; under-specification fails inspection.
Can you replace a system while the building stays open?
Yes. Most replacements are phased so detection stays live throughout, with temporary cover where a zone must come down.
We plan the phasing with your building manager, work out of hours where trading or care demands it, and keep the old system running until the new one is commissioned.
Insurer-mandated P1 upgrade for a Trafford Park warehouse
An 85,000 sq ft distribution warehouse in Trafford Park with 13-metre eaves, whose insurer made renewal conditional on a maintained P1 property protection system within 90 days.
Better bundled: this service costs less and works harder inside a planned maintenance contract covering alarm, lighting, extinguishers and risk assessment together.
Get a contract priceFire alarm installation questions
Still unsure? Call 07703 295654 and ask an engineer directly.
How is the right fire alarm category decided?
Your fire risk assessment determines it, not the installer. BS 5839-1 defines L1 to L5 for life protection and P1 and P2 for property protection. L1 is full coverage, L3 covers escape routes and adjoining rooms, L5 is engineered to a specific risk. We design to the category your assessment calls for and say so on the certificate.
What certificates should I get after an installation?
Design, installation, commissioning and acceptance certificates under BS 5839-1, plus an as-fitted zone chart at the panel and the operation and maintenance manual. If a contractor cannot produce all four stages, the system is not properly certificated however well it works.
How long does a fire alarm installation take?
It depends on the building and the category, not the panel. A small commercial unit is usually a day or two; a multi-storey block with a phased evacuation strategy is a programme. We give a fixed price and a date range after the survey, and we work around occupancy rather than closing you down.
Can a new system be installed while the building stays open?
Yes, and that is normally how we do it. The old system stays live and monitored until the new one is commissioned and accepted, so you are never without detection. Any period of reduced cover is planned, written down and agreed with you first.