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What is BS 5839-1:2025 - Fire detection and fire alarm systems for buildings about?
BS 5839-1:2025 is a fire safety standard that provides recommendations for the design, installation, commissioning, and maintenance of fire detection and fire alarm systems in non-domestic premises. It serves as a code of practice rather than a requirement to install fire detection systems in any specific building.
Who is BS 5839-1:2025 - Fire detection and fire alarm systems for buildings for?
This standard is for professionals involved in the planning, design, installation, commissioning, and maintenance of fire detection and fire alarm systems in buildings. It is useful for:
- Head of Fire Engineering;
- Commercial Managers;
- Fire Consultants;
- Fire Officers;
- Fire & Safety Officers;
- Managing Consultants;
- Principal Fire Surveyors;
- Senior Health & Safety Managers; and
- Fire Safety Advisors.
It is also referenced in Approved Document B and is used by regulatory authorities, enforcing bodies, and insurers when assessing fire safety provisions.
What does BS 5839-1:2025 - Fire detection and fire alarm systems for buildings cover?
BS 5839-1:2025 provides best practices for fire alarm systems in non-domestic buildings, covering the design, installation, commissioning, and maintenance of fire detection and alarm systems.
It includes siting recommendations for manual call points, guidelines for extensions and modifications, and restrictions on unacceptable variations from standard recommendations. While it does not mandate the installation of fire alarm systems in specific buildings, it supports national building regulations that require such systems where necessary.
The standard ensures that fire detection and alarm systems are properly designed and maintained to enhance fire safety and protect occupants.
Why should you use BS 5839-1:2025 - Fire detection and fire alarm systems for buildings?
You should use BS 5839-1:2025 because it:
- Is an industry-recognized best practice for ensuring fire safety in buildings.
- It supports compliance with building regulations that require fire detection and alarm systems.
- It incorporates lessons learned from real-life fire incidents, including recommendations following a 2022 Prevention of Future Deaths letter issued after a fatal fire at a London care home.
- It helps professionals design and install systems that effectively protect life and property.
What’s changed?
The 2025 update, supersedes BS 5839-1:2017. It includes several important changes, including:
- Restructuring of clauses: Clause 4 is moved to the Introduction, and Clause 33 is merged with Clause 31.
- New Section 7 added to address extensions and modifications.
- Tighter control on variations: Certain deviations from recommendations are now explicitly prohibited in Clause 6 due to safety concerns following fatal fires.
- Simplified siting recommendations for manual call points.
- Improved guidance on fire detection in sleeping areas: Preferring automatic fire detection over heat detectors or sprinkler heads in rooms where people sleep.
This revision was conducted ahead of schedule by FSH/12/1 to improve safety measures.