Emergency lighting and fire alarm systems are legal requirements for virtually all commercial premises. Yet many businesses only think about them when something goes wrong. That's understandable, they're background systems that operate quietly, rarely demand attention, and don't obviously connect to the day-to-day running of a business. But when they're poorly maintained, incorrectly specified, or out of date, the consequences range from a failed compliance audit to, in the worst case, a system that doesn't do what it's there to do.
MeKo Electrical provides fire alarm and emergency lighting services for businesses across Gloucestershire and the wider South West. As NICEIC Approved Contractors, we design, install, commission, and service these systems to current standards. This article sets out what the law requires, what good practice looks like, and where modern technology can make compliance easier and more cost-effective.
The legal framework
Fire alarm requirements for commercial premises are set by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, which applies to all non-domestic premises in England and Wales. The Order designates a ‘responsible person’ (typically the employer, building owner, or whoever controls the premises) who carries the legal duty to ensure that fire detection systems are installed, suitable and adequate for the premises, and (most importantly) properly maintained. The liability is personal, and the consequences of failure are significant.
The Order doesn't specify precise technical standards directly; instead, it requires that systems are ‘adequately maintained’ and points to BS 5839-1 as the recognised code of practice for fire detection and alarm systems in non-domestic buildings. Following BS 5839-1 is not technically a legal requirement in itself, but fire and rescue authorities use it as their benchmark during inspections, insurers reference it when assessing claims, and courts treat it as the expected standard of care. In practice, departing from it without good reason creates exposure you don't want.
It's also worth noting that BS 5839-1 was updated in April 2025. The new version, BS 5839-1:2025, introduced changes including revised maintenance and monitoring requirements, updated battery backup calculations, clearer competency rules, and mandatory detection at the top of lift shafts. If your fire alarm was installed or last serviced under the 2017 version of the standard, a review is worthwhile.
Emergency lighting is governed by the same Order, which requires that:
‘emergency routes and exits requiring illumination must be provided with emergency lighting of adequate intensity in the case of failure of their normal lighting.’
The technical standard is BS 5266-1, which covers the design, installation, and maintenance of emergency escape lighting systems.
Testing and maintenance: what's actually required
Compliance with BS 5839-1:2025 involves a layered maintenance regime rather than a single annual visit. In practice, this means:
Weekly: the responsible person or a designated competent member of staff manually activates one call point to confirm that a signal reaches the panel and alarms operate. A different call point should be rotated each week, and results recorded in the logbook. This is a confidence check, not a service visit, and takes only a few minutes.
Periodically: a competent engineer carries out a full inspection and service visit. Under the 2025 update, these visits must occur at intervals of no more than five to seven months, replacing the fixed six-month interval specified in the previous version. Typically, this will mean a minimum of two service visits in a 12-14 month period, with all devices tested, faults logged, and remedial work either completed or formally recommended.
Annually: over the course of twelve months, all devices and system functions must have been tested. This is typically ticked off within the periodic visits rather than in a single annual event.
Emergency lighting under BS 5266-1 has its own testing schedule: monthly function tests to confirm luminaires activate on supply failure, and an annual full-duration discharge test to verify that fittings sustain their rated duration – typically three hours for most premises. All results must be recorded.
Self-testing emergency lighting systems can automate the function testing process and flag failures automatically, which simplifies the compliance burden considerably and is worth considering on any new installation or significant upgrade.
Modern fire alarm systems: why addressable matters
If your premises has a conventional fire alarm system, one that tells you which zone has activated, but not which specific device, an upgrade to an addressable system may be worth considering, particularly for larger or more complex buildings.
An addressable system assigns a unique identifier to every detector, call point, and sounder on the network. When a device activates or develops a fault, the panel displays exactly which device is involved and where it is. This has practical benefits in several directions.
For response: staff can move directly to the location of the activation to investigate, rather than checking an entire zone. This matters in false alarm scenarios, being able to confirm within seconds that a detector near a kitchen has activated, rather than one near an escape route, changes how you respond.
For false alarm reduction: addressable systems can be configured with coincidence detection, requiring two devices in the same area to activate before triggering a full alarm, and with investigation delays that allow a responsible person to assess the situation before evacuation is initiated. This significantly reduces the nuisance alarm rate without compromising safety.
For integration: modern addressable panels communicate directly with other building systems. During an alarm event, the system can automatically release magnetically held fire doors, shut down air handling units that could propagate smoke, send alerts to a remote monitoring station, and trigger lift recall. For larger commercial premises, these integrations aren't luxuries; they're part of what makes the system function as it should.
Reducing false alarms: a genuine business issue
False alarms carry real costs. An unnecessary evacuation disrupts operations, occupies staff time, and (if it results in attendance by the fire service) may count against you with your local fire and rescue service. Persistent false alarms can lead to attendance charges or, in extreme cases, attendance delays.
Beyond the technology solutions already mentioned, false alarm rates are often improved by reviewing detector placement and type. Optical smoke detectors placed near kitchens or areas with steam, dust, or fumes are a common source of nuisance alarms. Heat detectors or multi-sensor devices are more appropriate in those environments. A proper fire risk assessment, carried out alongside the alarm system design, should identify these risks at the outset, but many existing systems pre-date that level of scrutiny.
Emergency lighting technology
Emergency lighting has evolved considerably. Modern LED emergency luminaires offer significantly longer operational lifespans, lower energy consumption, and better light output than fluorescent predecessors. More relevantly for compliance, self-testing systems use built-in microprocessors to automatically conduct the function tests required under BS 5266-1, log results, and flag failures, which removes the need for manual monthly testing while maintaining a full audit trail.
For premises with complex layouts or multiple zones, central monitoring systems allow all emergency lighting across a site to be managed and reported from a single point, which is particularly useful for facilities managers responsible for large or multi-tenanted buildings.
Maintained versus non-maintained is a distinction worth understanding. Non-maintained emergency fittings are off during normal operation and activate only on supply failure. Maintained fittings are illuminated continuously and serve as both normal and emergency lighting. The choice depends on the premises type and the findings of the fire risk assessment. There's no universal right answer, and a system specified incorrectly creates compliance issues that a simple product substitution won't resolve.
That’s where we step in
We carry out full fire alarm and emergency lighting design, installation, commissioning, and ongoing maintenance for commercial clients across Gloucestershire and the South West. All work is certificated and documented to the relevant standards. For existing systems, we can assess current compliance, identify any gaps against BS 5839-1:2025 or BS 5266-1, and provide a clear remedial recommendation without pushing you towards unnecessary expenditure.
If you're unsure whether your current systems are compliant, or if it's been a while since they were properly serviced, it's worth getting that checked before it becomes a problem someone else identifies first.
Call us on 01453 764531 or get in touch through our contact page.
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