Compliance

Is your company legally compliant?

Safety Tech Fire can assist you to comply with IS 3218:2013 and advise you on the following:

In brief,

Procedures shall be laid down for dealing with alarms of fire, fault warnings or taking part or all of the system out of service.

Training The responsible person shall ensure that users of the system are instructed in it’s proper use, including the procedures described above. Any occupants or members of staff who will be concerned with first aid fire-fighting shall be instructed in the correct interpretation of the indications given, and their relationship with the building layout.

Liaison The responsible person shall establish a liaison with those responsible for changes in or maintenance of the building fabric.

Freedom from obstruction The responsible person shall ensure that a clear space is preserved in all directions below every detector and that all manual call points remain unobstructed and conspicuous.

Log Book The responsible person shall ensure that a Log Book of the system is kept on site. The Log Book shall be available for inspection by an authorised person.

A Certificate of Servicing/Testing shall be prominently displayed adjacent to the main Control Panel to indicate the service provider.

Daily attention by the user (Responsible Person)

Ensure only Green Light (Power / Healthy Status) is illuminated, ensure no fault light / warning (generally yellow) is indicating.

If faults are indicated they should be recorded in the Log Book and dealt with by the responsible person, who should inform the maintenance provider if necessary.

Weekly attention by the user (Responsible Person)

As per Daily Tests above and at least one detector or call point should be operated to test the ability of the control and indicating equipment to receive a signal and to sound the alarm. For systems having less than 13 zones, each zone shall be tested in turn. For systems of 13 zones or more, then one zone should be tested in any week so that the interval between tests on any zone is NOT greater than 13 weeks.

If faults are indicated they should be recorded in the Log Book and dealt with by the responsible person, who should inform the maintenance provider if necessary.

Quarterly Inspection and Test (Service Provider)
Entries in the log book shall be checked and any necessary action taken.

Batteries shall be tested and replaced as per manufacturers recommendations (Normally every 3 years)

A percentage of the detection devices are tested such that at the end of the annual period, 100% of devices have  been tested.

A visual inspection shall be made to check whether structural or occupancy changes have affected the requirements for the siting of manual call points, detectors or sounders.

Any defects should be recorded in the Log book, reported to the responsible person and rectified on the instructions of the responsible person.

Annual Inspection and Test (Service Provider)
As per Quarterly Inspection, ensuring that the required sound levels are achieved, it is strongly recommended that this be carried out in conjunction with the annual fire evacuation drill.

Compliance

Your company or organisation must legally comply with IS3218:2013

Here at Safety Tech Fire we can assist and advise you on the following

In short:

User responsibilities

Responsible person
The person having control over the premises shall ensure that work necessary to maintain the system is carried out and that records are maintained.

Procedures
Procedures shall be laid down for dealing with alarms of fire, fault warnings or taking part or all of the system out of service. Advice in relation to these procedures may be given by the Fire Authority to any person having control over the premises or to the owner or occupier.

Training
The responsible person shall ensure that users of the system are instructed in its proper use. Members of staff concerned with first aid/fire fighting shall be instructed in the correct interpretation of the indications given and their relationship with the building layout and shall be instructed and practiced in the proper actions to be taken in the event of fire.

Liason
The responsible person shall establish a liaison with those responsible for changes in or maintenance of the building fabric (including redecoration etc.) to ensure that their work does not cause faults on, or otherwise interfere with the operation of the fire alarm system. If structural or occupancy changes occur or are planned, then the responsible person shall ensure that any necessary changes to the fire alarm system are considered at an early stage.

Freedom from obstruction
The responsible person shall ensure that a clear space is preserved in all directions below every detector and that all manual call points remain unobstructed and conspicuous.

Records
Log book
The responsible person shall ensure that a logbook is kept onsite in which the following shall be recorded

A) the name of the responsible person

B) brief details of any servicing arrangements

C) dates and times of all alarms (genuine, practice, test or false) together with their causes where known. If alarms have been caused by the operation of a detector or manual call point, then the location of the device shall be recorded

D) dates times and types of all defects and faults

E) dates and types of all tests

F) dates and types of all servicing or maintenance

G) dates and times of all periods of disconnection or disablement

H) all alterations to the system

The logbook shall be available for inspection by an authorised person

Servicing and maintenance

An agreement should be made with a competent contractor for regular servicing. The name, and phone number of the service provider should be displayed at the equipment.

Daily attention by the user

A check shall be made by the user every day to ascertain the following:

A) that either the panel indicates normal operation, or if not, that any fault indicated is recorded in the logbook,

B) that any fault warning previously recorded has received attention.

Weekly attention by the user

The following tests shall be made by the user every week to ensure that the system is capable of operating under alarm conditions:
A) at least one detector, call point or end of line device on the Detection Zone shall be operated to test the ability of the CIE to receive a signal and to sound the alarm and operate any other warning devices. For systems having 13 Detection Zones or less, each Detection Zone shall be tested in turn. If there are more than 13 Detection Zones then more than one Detection Zone shall be tested in any week so that the interval between tests on any one Detection Zone does not exceed 13 weeks. It is preferable that each time a particular circuit is tested a different trigger device is used. An entry shall be made in the logbook quoting the particular trigger device that has been used to initiate the test.

B) If operation of the alarm devices has been prevented by disconnection or isolation then a further test shall be carried out to prove the final reinstatement of the alarm devices, and, if permissible, of the alarm transmission circuits.

Servicing /Testing
The responsible person shall ensure that the following check and test sequence is carried out every year by a competent person. The sequence shall be scheduled periodically to occur at least four times a year in intervals of no less than 2 months, or greater than 4 months and the following are complied with:

A) Each detector shall be checked for correct operation in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations.

B) Each manual call point shall be checked

C) A visual inspection as far as is reasonably practicable shall be made to confirm that all cable fittings and equipment are secure, undamaged and adequately protected.

D) The required sound levels are achieved. It is strongly recommended that this be carried out in conjunction with the annual fire evacuation drill.