A new edition of BS 5839-1 is now out as a draft for public comment by the end of November. it is not intended to be a revision of the standard but just a new edition, which basically just contains a number of amendments, will be published as BS 5839-1: 2013. The reason for the amendments is to reflect the findings of the Rosepark Inquiry, so the draft calls for addressable systems in all except the smallest care homes, provides much greater emphasis on the existing need for a zone plan, calls for an ARC connection for care homes, and advises against use of a staff alarm (as far as summoning the FRS is concerned), so that when a fire alarm operates in a care home, the FRS should be summoned immediately.
Notwithstanding the above, the opportunity has been taken to make various other changes that were in the wings. These include deletion of Table 4 regarding extended ceiling heights for CAT P when there is rapid FRS attendance (given that in England it is now often a case of what attendance?
). There is also a great extension to the heights at which aspirating systems can be provided. There is also clarification that the service technician is not responsible for identifying design defects or variations (after a poor old fire alarm fcompany faced a prosecution, (which was actually dropped in the end) because the FRS thought that, by telling the RP about some defects, it was incumbent on the service technician to carry out a design review).
