Fire alarm servicing is sold as a visit and bought as reassurance, and the gap between those two is where most disputes start. A proper service proves every device, the standby supply, the cause and effect programming and anything the system is connected to. A cheap visit proves the panel is on. Both produce a certificate, which is why the certificate is the worst thing to compare on.
What a service visit should cover
Over a full maintenance cycle an engineer should function test every detector and call point, check the sounders are still audible where the design says they must be, test the standby batteries under load, verify the cause and effect so that the right things happen in the right zones, and confirm any link to an alarm receiving centre still works. A visit that only exercises a sample should say which sample and when the rest are due.
How many visits a year
BS 5839-1 recommends the periodic inspection and servicing work be spread across the year rather than done in one sitting, which is why most non-domestic contracts are written as more than one visit. The number that suits your building comes out of the risk assessment and the category the system was designed to. A single annual visit is not automatically wrong, but it should be an argued position rather than the cheapest line on a quote.
Comparing fire alarm maintenance companies honestly
Put the quotes side by side and compare four things: the number of visits, whether every device is proved over the cycle or only a sample, what happens to faults found on the day, and the response time for a call out with the rate that applies out of hours. Third party certification for the maintenance scheme is checkable at source and is the fastest way to filter a list before you read any of it.
What the contract should say about faults
The service visit finding a fault is the system working. What matters is what happens next. A good contract distinguishes between faults fixed on the day, faults quoted separately, and faults that leave the system unfit for purpose, and it says who tells the responsible person which of the three you have. A certificate issued with outstanding defects and no note of them is the document that causes trouble later.
Questions people ask about fire alarm servicing near me
How often should a fire alarm be serviced?
There is no statutory interval. BS 5839-1 recommends periodic inspection and servicing spread through the year for non-domestic systems, and the number of visits that suits your building is decided by the fire risk assessment.
Can any electrician service a fire alarm?
Competence for fire detection and alarm work is a specific thing and third party certification schemes exist to evidence it. An electrician without that background can hold a valid electrical qualification and still not be competent to sign off this system.
Is the weekly test part of the service contract?
Usually not. The weekly user test is a duty holder task and the contract covers the periodic engineer visits. Check, because assuming the contractor does it is a common way for a building to go months untested.