In England and Wales the new Fire Safety Order (FSO) and in Scotland the Fire (Scotland) Bill became live in October 2006. These documents pull together all existing regulations and ultimately move the responsibility for fire safety away from the local fire authorities and onto the building owner/occupier. All building owner/occupiers will need to carry out fire risk assessments of their premises and carry out any remedial actions which these highlight.
Furthermore, the Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA) has recommended to its members new guidelines from 1st September 2008 which urge them to require that all those involved in the design, installation, commissioning/handover and maintenance of Fire Detection and Alarm Systems are members of Thid Party Certification Bodies who are in turn UKAS Accredited for Fire Alarm Systems.
Download the new CFOA Guidelines in pdf format
BSI is accredited by UKAS for Fire Alarm Systems as shown below:
Correct at time of issue
In light of the changes to fire law introduced in October 2006, the British Standards Institution (BSI), working with leading representatives in the fire industry, has developed the Kitemark Scheme for Fire Alarm Installations. This new Kitemark Scheme provides third party accreditation to the BAFE modular standard SP203.
Achieving Kitemark Fire Alarm Installations certification will reassure your customers that the service you offer is of a consistent high standard. The Kitemark scheme is one of only three in the UK that has accreditation by UKAS (The United Kingdom Accreditation Service) to issue certification for the scope of work as defined by scheme document SP203.
For full details of the requirements of SP203 visit the BAFE website
or call BAFE on 0208 541 1950.
About the BAFE Modular Scheme
The BAFE Modular Scheme for Fire Alarm, Detection & Suppression Systems was written and developed by a board of stakeholders drawn from all quarters of the industry, chaired by the British Fire Protection Systems Association and took four years of development prior to its official launch in July of 2002.
Unlike comparable schemes which are only available to businesses that carry out all aspects of fire alarm installation (design, installation, commissioning and maintenance), SP203 recognises that many professional industry service providers specialise in a specific aspect of fire alarm services and this is reflected in the scheme approach.
SP203 has been split into four modules, the intention of this is to enable you to apply for and gain certification for the modules that you are competent to work within. Those companies applying for the scheme can apply for all modules or individual modules as appropriate. The four modules are:-
- System Design
- Installation
- Commissioning and handover
- Maintenance
Companies can also apply for:
- Voice Alarms
- HTM05-B and Gaseous Suppression Systems (BSI is one of only two companies who can offer this)
- BS 6266
- BS 7273 parts 1 & 2
- BS EN 14520 range of gases and CO2
- BS 7671
This modular approach gives companies full flexibility and means that all parties benefit. This type of scheme creates a short list of potential suppliers, reducing time in supplier selection, filtering out less professional businesses and increasing confidence in supplier performance.
It is easier to identify those potential suppliers that have a true commitment to quality service standards.
