If you're the "responsible person" for a non-domestic building, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires you to keep fire safety equipment in efficient working order. For fire alarms, BS 5839-1 sets out what that means in practice.
The short answer
- Weekly: test one manual call point (a different one each week) and check the sounders work. You can do this yourself and record it in the logbook.
- Monthly: if you have a standby generator, check it starts. Many sites also do a monthly visual check of the panel.
- Every six months (maximum): a service by a competent engineer, including panel checks, battery tests and a sample of detectors.
- Every 12 months: by the end of each year, every detector, call point and sounder should have been tested.
What happens at a service?
We check the logbook, inspect the panel and its power supplies, test the standby batteries, function-test a selection of devices, check the system still matches the building and record everything with a certificate. Any faults or changes to the building are reported in writing.
What about emergency lighting and extinguishers?
Emergency lighting needs a monthly function test and an annual full-duration test under BS 5266-1. Fire extinguishers need an annual service under BS 5306-3. We can do all three on the same visit, so you deal with one company and one set of paperwork.
Ask us about a maintenance contract.
Published 24 October 2026 by FITZ FIRE & SECURITY. This guide is general information, not a substitute for a site-specific assessment.