How often should a fire alarm be serviced? BS 5839-1 explained
BS 5839-1 recommends a service at least every six months, every device tested within a year, and a weekly test by the building. Here is what each involves and how to plan a rolling device test.
BS 5839-1 is the code of practice for fire detection and alarm systems in non-domestic buildings. It is not law, but it is the standard fire risk assessors, fire officers and insurers measure a system against, so in practice a building that does not follow it has to explain why.
The short answer
| What | How often | Usually done by |
|---|---|---|
| Test of the system from a call point | Weekly, a different call point each week | The building's own staff |
| Inspection and service | At least every 6 months | A competent fire alarm contractor |
| Every call point, detector and sounder verified | At least every 12 months, spread across the service visits | The contractor |
What a service visit covers
A six-monthly service is more than pressing buttons. Typically it includes:
- Checking the log book for faults and false alarms since the last visit, and that they were dealt with
- Testing the control panel, its indicators and the power supplies
- Load-testing the standby batteries and checking their age and charge
- Testing a share of the call points, detectors and sounders (see rolling tests, below)
- Checking the cause-and-effect: that an alarm in each zone does what it should, such as releasing doors or signalling a monitoring centre
- Checking nothing has changed in the building that affects coverage, such as new partitions or a change of use
- Recording the visit and any defects in the log book, and issuing a servicing certificate
Rolling device tests
Every manual call point, detector and sounder needs testing at least once every twelve months, but not all at one visit. On a large system, most contractors split the devices so that half are tested at each six-monthly service. Two things make a rolling test work:
- A device list, by zone. Know which devices were tested at which visit, so none is missed across the year.
- A count on every visit's record. Note how many devices were tested, so the total over two visits can be checked against the number installed.
The weekly test
The building's own staff test the system every week by operating a call point, using a different one each week until all have been used, then starting again. It checks the panel and sounders work and gets occupants used to the sound. Each weekly test goes in the log book with the call point used. If the log book shows weeks missed, raise it at the next service; it is the client's duty, but it reflects on the system you maintain.
Defects are the remedial work
Most service visits find something: batteries past their life, a detector causing false alarms, a sounder that can't be heard in a new office layout. Record each defect with its location and a photo, and quote it with the service, by site. Clients who are told about a defect at the service, with a price, approve far more of them than clients who find it in a certificate weeks later.
How PPMdesk handles it
Each site's service is a plan at six-monthly intervals; each visit becomes a job 90 days before it is due, and visits overdue and not booked sit at the top of Today's list. The engineer fills in PPMdesk's BS 5839 job sheet on their phone: zones on the panel, devices tested this visit, panel and power supply, standby batteries, sounders and beacons, faults showing on arrival, log book updated, and a photo of the log book entry. Failed checks become faults to quote. PPMdesk records how many devices were tested each visit; it does not keep the device-by-device list, which stays in your log book or panel records. How PPMdesk works for fire and security contractors.
Frequently asked questions
How often should a fire alarm be serviced?
BS 5839-1 recommends that service visits are no more than six months apart, carried out by a competent person. Every call point, detector and sounder should be tested at least once every twelve months, which can be split across the visits.
Is an annual fire alarm service enough?
Not under BS 5839-1, which recommends service visits no more than six months apart. A fire risk assessment or insurer may also ask for six-monthly servicing.
Who does the weekly fire alarm test?
The building's own staff, using a different call point each week, recorded in the log book. It is the responsible person's duty, not the contractor's.
Do all detectors need testing at every service?
No. Every device needs testing at least once in twelve months, so on larger systems contractors usually test half at each six-monthly visit.
- Fire Industry Association: Mythbuster 22, servicing once a year
- Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue: routine maintenance
Checked on 5 November 2026. If anything here is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.
