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Get a first look at the proposed BS 9994: Fire strategies in buildings. This free course provides a concise and practical overview of the Draft for Public Comment, exploring the proposed scope of the standard, its approach to fire strategies throughout the building lifecycle and some of the key themes that could shape the final standard.
What you will learn:
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The proposed purpose and scope of BS 9994
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How a Draft for Public Comment progresses towards becoming a British Standard
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The proposed lifecycle approach to fire strategies
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The broad framework proposed for developing a fire strategy
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Key themes and principles emerging from the draft
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How the proposed approach could apply to existing buildings
This course is for fire safety and health and safety professionals who need to understand the changes to key documents in the sector.
This may include:
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Fire risk assessors
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Fire safety consultants and advisors
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Fire safety inspectors
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Members of the fire and rescue service
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Health and safety professionals
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Anyone needing to understand changes in fire detection and alarm systems
National Safety Academy qualifications are designed to take you on a learning journey. This course is fully online and self-directed, with instant access to the learning materials.
You can navigate through the course content in your learning portal online.
To support your learning, you'll also have access to:
When the need arises to extend a fire alarm system, several key principles must be followed. Firstly,
all new work must comply with the requirements of BS 5839-1:2025, regardless of whether the existing parts of the system were installed to an older standard. Secondly, a
competent person with a thorough understanding of fire alarm system design must assume responsibility for the entire extension project.
It's also important to consider the scale of the extension. If the planned addition is substantial, perhaps similar in size to the original system, it might be more practical and economical to consider installing a
completely new fire alarm system. This is particularly relevant if the existing system is aging or utilises outdated technology.
For addressable or networked systems, careful attention must be paid to cable compatibility. Using incompatible or older cable types to extend circuits can lead to disruptions in communication or even system failures. If the original cable type is no longer available, it might be necessary to undertake the more significant task of rewiring the entire circuit.
Following any extension, recommissioning of the entire system is essential. This process ensures that the new additions haven't negatively impacted the functionality of the existing system. Key aspects of recommissioning include checking the battery capacity to ensure it can still adequately support the expanded system, verifying signal strength in radio-based systems to guarantee reliable communication, and confirming the cause-and-effect programming to ensure the extended system integrates seamlessly with the existing operational logic.
Finally, a formal "Extensions or Modifications" Certificate must be issued and meticulously kept as part of the system's permanent records.
