Aico Ei128RBU, SAB300, Ei152, SABV4, MDH230 Product Manual

A Guide to
Residential Fire Detection

With Reference to BS 5839: Pt.6: 2004

Ahead on Quality
Ahead on Performance
Ahead on Features

(68.52)

X

2

Ei ELECTRONICS ­THE MANUFACTURER

Ei Electronics is Europe’s largest and most
experienced manufacturer of residential
smoke and heat alarms. The company
has built up a wealth of experience over
more than 30 years and is now by far the
UK’s leading supplier of smoke alarms for
residential use, as well as the first choice
supplier for local authorities and housing
associations throughout the UK.

Ongoing commitment to research and
development has enabled Ei Electronics to
achieve many significant industry firsts: it was
first to obtain the BSI Kitemark on the entire
range of harmonised 9 Volt and mains
powered smoke alarms; first to offer
rechargeable back-up power; and first to
develop a fully compatible mains powered
heat alarm, as well as a range of ancillary
products. The company also became the
first to offer ‘hush’ button technology - as
recommended by BS 5839: Pt.6 - across the
full spectrum of alarm types; the first to offer
uniquely simplified installation and
maintenance through its patented ‘Easi-fit’
designs; and the first to offer private
landlords and local authorities a low cost
alternative to panel systems in some HMO
applications through its innovative ‘Modifire’
modular system. Most recently, Ei has
become the first company to introduce
mains powered wireless interconnect bases
for smoke alarms through its innovative
RadioLINK range, offering major savings on
time and installation costs.

Furthermore, Ei Electronics is the only
manufacturer to have responded positively
to the need to protect more vulnerable
members of the community - again, as
raised in BS 5839: Pt.6 - by manufacturing a
range of harmonised products for the deaf
and hearing impaired.

Ei Electronics continues to launch new
products utilising the latest technology and
bringing other significant innovations into the
market place and currently offers the largest
range of residential mains powered fire
detection products in the UK.

AICO ­THE SPECIALIST SUPPLIER

Many years of experience in both its
professional management and technical
sales support teams, coupled with a high
standard of service and back-up, have
enabled Aico to firmly establish the Ei
Professional range of fire detection products
as the first choice for specifiers, installers,
housing associations, local authorities and
builders throughout the UK.

In-house technical support continues to play
a very vital role, together with a dedicated
ongoing education process for wholesalers,
specifiers and installers. Aico is also fully
committed to an ongoing programme of
total product awareness, demonstrating the
need for effective fire detection and
providing guidance on all aspects of system
design, installation and maintenance through
seminars, professional videos, CD-ROMs and
support literature.

High quality products demand a high
standard of service and support. Making it as
easy as possible for customers to buy “what
they want - when they want” is another
priority,and high levels of stock (plus a rapid
delivery service to wholesale distributors) is a
further demonstration of Aico’s total
commitment to the fire safety industry.

Aico Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ei
Electronics, Europe's leading manufacturer of
residential smoke alarms and accessories.

Contents

Company Profiles 2
Introduction 3
Fire Safety - Statistics 4
The Essential Changes to
BS 5839: Pt.6: 2004 5
BS 5839: Pt.6 - An Introduction 7
The Scope of BS 5839: Pt.6 7
System Design - Risk Analysis 8
Fire Risk - Where Do Fires Start? 9
Who is most at risk? 9
Property Protection 10
Types of Alarm Technology 10
System Planning 11
Silencing and Disablement 11
Quality and Compatibility 12
The Grade System 12
Levels of Protection 12
Selecting the Right System 13
Choosing Which Alarms To Use 14
Siting of Smoke Alarms 15
Audibility 16
Special Needs Provision 16
Installation of Grade D & E Systems 16
Power Source 16
Wiring Smoke Alarms 17
Certification 17
Testing and Maintenance 17
Negligence 17
Rapid Reference Guide 18
Disposal 21
RadioLINK RF Interconnection 22
Ancillary Fire Detection Products 23
Technical Support 27
Trouble Shooting 27

recommendations of BS 5839: Pt.6
more clearly understood, and to offer
advice on how to design, install and
maintain a system that meets the
requirements, with reference to the
2004 amendments.

At the same time, this guide is
designed to help answer the most
commonly asked questions about fire
detection; for example,‘which types
of detector to use and where not to
use them’, and to help dispel the myth
that alarms are all the same. They are
not, as the Code itself is all too anxious
to point out.

This latest edition of the Guide has
been produced to take on board
new developments since the
introduction of the Code, both in
terms of fire statistics and evolving
fire safety technology.

3

INTRODUCTION

When first introduced in 1995, the BS
5839: Pt.6 Code of Practice became the
most important set of recommendations
ever made on fire safety in the home.

It had an immediate impact on
architects, system designers, installers and
landlords in the private or public sector, all
of whom were required to familiarise
themselves with these important
recommendations. Landlords in particular
needed to abide by these
recommendations, as legal liability with
regard to ‘duty of care’ would
undoubtedly become a serious issue
should a fire occur in an inadequately
protected property.

In short, BS 5839: Pt.6 became the
essential guide to providing adequate
fire protection in all dwelling types.

In September 2004, the Code of
Practice was extensively revised and
updated by the publication of
BS 5839: Pt.6: 2004 and immediately
superseded BS 5839: Pt.6: 1995, which
is now withdrawn. The changes
therein are important and need to be
fully understood and appreciated by
all those with responsibility for fire
safety in domestic dwellings.

This document is intended as a guide
to BS 5839: Pt.6: 2004, highlighting the
changes that have come into effect
with the introduction of the 2004
edition while still remaining a
comprehensive guide to BS 5839 as
a whole.

This guide is not intended as a
substitute for reading the Code of
practice itself. Instead, it’s designed
to help make the implications and

4

Further evidence of the vital importance of
smoke alarms comes from American
studies. In American States where
residential fire protection is mandatory,
some 92% of homes have the required fire
alarm systems. 50% of ALL the fire deaths
which occur happen within the 8% where
no alarms are fitted.

BS 5839: Pt.6: 2004 itself says:
“It has been estimated that, in dwellings
without smoke detectors, a substantial
proportion of the fatalities from fire could be
avoided if smoke detectors were installed”

SMOKE ALARM
PERFORMANCE

In 34,450 fires in 2003, no smoke alarm
was present in the fire area. 261 people
died in these fires, and a further 6,100
were injured.

In the cases where an alarm was present,
the alarm operated correctly in 18,821
cases (29% of dwelling fires), operated but
failed to raise the alarm in 3,100 cases
(5%) and failed to operate altogether in
7,445 cases (12%).

SMOKE ALARM RELIABILITY

It is worth quoting the Fire Statistics in detail
here. The report notes that, in those
dwellings subject to a fire in 2003, alarms
failed to operate in 12% of cases:
“However, this overall figure masks a wide
difference in performance between battery
powered alarms and mains powered alarms
– 40% of all battery powered smoke alarms
failed in 2003 compared to just 13% of mains
powered alarms.”

The Report goes on to clarify:
“The main reason for smoke alarm failures
each year is missing or flat batteries. In 2003
they accounted for 63% of failures in battery
powered alarms. The main reason for failure
of mains powered alarms was that the fire
products did not reach the detectors (43% of
cases)”.

The message is still all too clear: it’s vital to
select, properly install and adequately
maintain the best, most reliable smoke
alarms possible - and to have both
adequate back-up and measures for
preventing tampering with alarms.

BATTERY POWERED ALARMS

The high failure rate of alarms with
replaceable batteries is truly frightening.
Landlords relying on battery powered alarms
to protect tenants cannot be there all the
time to check that batteries are present and
working – but responsibility still lies with them.

Essentially, the time when a smoke alarm
with a replaceable battery was considered
adequate has long passed. BS 5839: Pt.6
itself recognises that, while they save lives,
they are all too vulnerable to tampering to
offer landlords much of a defence under
‘duty of care’. It is no surprise to learn that,
when one Council made an inspection of its
properties fitted with battery units, it found
that in excess of 50% of them were
‘defective’ in some way,due mainly to
neglect or from removal of the batteries.

COVERAGE

Inadequately or improperly installed fire
alarms can have a significant bearing on
their performance, as borne out by the
Fire Statistics.

A badly installed alarm may have its
reaction time cut in half - offering
occupants as little as 90 seconds or two
minutes to get out. By this time, routes of
escape may have become impassable,
forcing people to jump from high windows.
Or flames may have reached them.

An incorrectly installed fire alarm may
again leave landlords in both the private
and public sector vulnerable to
compensation claims from injured
tenants or from families of victims.

After one such fire tragedy in which a
tenant died, one local authority found that
the compensation it had to pay out, plus
the cost of litigation, far exceeded the cost
of installing quality fire alarms in every
single council property in their area. To a
private landlord without the resources of a
local authority, such a compensation pay
out could have been completely ruinous.

The message of BS 5839: Pt.6 is therefore
to not only install an adequate number of
smoke alarms, but to ensure that they are
installed and maintained correctly in
every respect.

FIRE SAFETY - THE STATISTICS

According to the latest UK figures the
majority - over three quarters - of all fire
casualties occur in the home.

Until the introduction of BS 5839: Pt.6,
business and commercial premises were
the subject of far more stringent fire
safety regulations than residential
dwellings. BS 5839: Pt.6 was introduced
to start redressing the balance.

Every year around 450 people die in fires
in this country, and close to 13,000 are
injured. The death toll is reducing and
this is acknowledged to be directly
related to increasing and more
professional use of smoke alarms. At the
time of the introduction of BS 5839 in
1995, we were talking around 600 deaths
and 15,000 annual injuries.

A brief look at ‘Fire Statistics United
Kingdom, 2003’, published by the Office
of the Deputy Prime Minister in March
2005, provides an invaluable insight into
incidents of dwelling fires and the
effectiveness of smoke alarms.

• In 2003, dwelling fires fell to 63,800. The
number of accidental dwelling fires also
fell to 50,000 – the lowest figures for more
than a decade

• However, around 80% of all fire-related
casualties occur in dwellings

• In 2003, 447 people lost their lives in
fires in the home. (That compares with
430 in 2002 and 483 in 2001)

• 12,600 people were injured, a
reduction of 7% compared with 2002

MORTALITY STATISTICS

• In 2003, 68 people lost their lives in fires in
homes where an alarm was present,
operated and raised the alarm

• In comparison, in the same period, 379
people died in homes where either an
alarm was not installed or an alarm was
present but failed to raise the alarm

The report suggests that 76% of households
now have alarms, so the huge difference in
death rates is strongly indicative not only of
the need for smoke alarms, but also smoke
alarms which work when they are needed.

5

THE ESSENTIAL CHANGES TO
BS 5839: Pt.6: 2004 – AT A
GLANCE

THE DOCUMENT ITSELF

Each clause of the document is now split
into 2 parts. Firstly, there is the
commentary – in italics – this sets out the
reasoning behind what at first sight may
appear to be arbitrary recommendations.
The recommendations are in normal type,
so it is quite possible to simply refer to
these alone. The intention is to make the
document easier to use; whether it
succeeds in this aim is a matter of
personal perception.

NEW BUILD PROPERTIES

There are now extended
recommendations with regard to new
build properties. Essentially these are:

• All properties must have mains
powered alarms with a back-up
supply – Grade D system

• Smoke alarms should be positioned
in escape routes

• Heat alarms should be fitted in
the kitchen and possibly the
principal habitable room. The
definition of a principal habitable
room is ‘habitable room that is
normally the most frequently used
room for daytime living purposes’.
This would normally be the living
or dining room

CHANGES TO GRADES

There is essentially no change to
Grade F, although a five year
minimum battery life is
recommended in tenanted
properties, along with a
recommendation that the battery
can only be removable by the use
of a special tool. A slot headed
screwdriver is not considered as
meeting this requirement as many
articles can be used as an
alternative.

Grade C systems now require a central
control, rather than a level of control as
previously. This implies that some form of

panel is required and security systems are
put forward as a possible means of
meeting this requirement.

Grades D, E and F now include heat
alarms.

FIRE RISK ASSESSMENT

Fire Risk Assessment receives brief
coverage at the start, with much greater
emphasis given to the subject in Annex A
at the back of the document.

It is worth noting the Commentary of
Section 4.1: “It is considered that the level
of fire risk in dwellings covered by this part
of BS 5839 is unlikely ever to be sufficiently
low to obviate the need for some form of
fire detection and fire alarm system”.

LEVEL OF COVERAGE

LD1, LD2 and LD3 remain unchanged.

However, the terminology has changed.
The Code now refers to ‘Category’ of
system instead of ‘Type’ of system.

6

SYSTEM VARIATIONS

Where a modification to a system is
made, the standard now refers to it as a
‘Variation’ rather than a ‘Deviation’, as
the latter term implied that the system
was in some way inferior. Note that, in
cases where a variation from the
recommendations is proposed, the
system certificate has to be signed and
agreed by all parties.

RF INTERCONNECTION –
WIRELESS SYSTEMS

Although the previous version of the
document didn’t preclude the use of RF
as a form of interconnecting smoke

alarms, it called for a single final circuit.This
potential confusion has been resolved.

Now, because of the introduction of new
‘wireless’ or ‘radio’ interconnect systems,
Clause 15.5 paragraph b says: “If smoke
alarms and heat alarms are of a type
that can be interconnected by wiring, all
smoke and heat alarms should be
connected on a single final circuit”.This
is clearly intended for hard wired
systems, as a note added to this
recommendation states: ‘This
recommendation does not apply if the
form of interconnection is not capable
of conducting current, e.g. if the means
of interconnection comprises radio
communication rather than wiring.’

OTHER ALARM TYPES

For the first time, BS 5839: Pt.6 now covers
CO fire alarms and multi-sensor alarms.

Heat alarms are given far more
importance, as you will have noted
from the New Build changes above, for
example. Heat Alarms should always
comply with BS 5446: Pt.2.

FALSE ALARM CONTROL

A detailed commentary is given on false
alarm control, which should be studied
as this is probably the major reason that
smoke alarms are disabled

by the user.

Among its recommendations are:

• Not using ionisation type alarms in
escape routes

• The use of heat alarms where nuisance
alarms could be a problem – only in
areas other than escape routes

• A high level of maintenance to
reduce the incidence of false alarms

• No automatic connection to the Fire
Brigade, because of the high level of
false alarms generated in the home

ALARMS FOR THE DEAF
AND HARD OF HEARING

BS 5839: Pt.6 now has specific
recommendations to make on the use of
specialist alarms for the deaf or hearing
impaired. Strobes and vibrating pads are
discussed, as are signalling requirements
in daytime rooms. Specific reference is
made to the BS 5446: Pt.3 standard.

7

BS 5839: Pt.6 - AN
INTRODUCTION

BS 5839: Pt.6 is not intended for
householders themselves, but to
provide guidance and
recommendations for architects and
other building professionals, enforcing
authorities, contractors and others
responsible for implementing fire
precautions in buildings.

The Code of Practice should not be
quoted as if it was a specification and
the standard itself warns that
particular care should be taken to
ensure that claims of compliance are
not misleading.

It is also pointed out that compliance
with a British Standard cannot
automatically confer legal immunity.
However, for a landlord or installer,
compliance with the latest Code is
obviously the best line of defence in
any claim made against them.

THE SCOPE OF BS 5839:
Pt.6

This Code of practice covers every type
of fire detection ‘system’, from a simple
self-contained battery smoke alarm right
through to major hard wired 24V systems.

The new 2004 Code further takes into
consideration “changes in technology,
custom and practice, and changes in
guidance that supports national building
regulations” since 1995.

BS 5839: Pt.6 also covers almost every
conceivable type of premises,
including:

Bungalows
Multi-storey houses
Individual flats
Individual maisonettes
Mobile homes
Individual sheltered
accommodation
Houses in multiple occupation (HMOs)
NHS housing in the community

Both new and existing dwellings are
covered.

Communal parts of flats, maisonettes,
sheltered accommodation and
hostels are not included; neither are
caravans.

BS 5839: Pt.6 is primarily concerned with
saving lives and reducing injuries.
However, it does contain within it
recommendations for helping to reduce
property damage too. The 2002/3 British
Crime Survey, issued by the Office of the
Deputy Prime Minister, notes that the
mean cost of financial damage caused
by a domestic fire is now estimated to be
£980 – up a very significant £230 from the
£750 estimated in 2001/2. Gross losses to

domestic fires have increased by 24% in
just one year. This has clear financial
implications for the landlord. Good fire
safety practice and adherence to the
Code can give the best possible early
warning of fire and so reduce the financial
impact as well as human suffering.

SYSTEMS

BS 5839: Pt.6 defines a fire detection and
alarm system as "a system that
comprises a means for automatically
detecting one of the characteristic
phenomena of fire and a means for
providing a warning to occupants". This
means that it could simply comprise one
smoke alarm or, at the other extreme, a
full commercial panel system.

Firstly, it is worth quoting the
recommendations in Clause 4.2 of the
Code:
“A fire detection and fire alarm system
complying with this part of BS 5839, should
be installed in all dwellings.. whether new
or existing”.
“Final design.. should, where reasonably
practicable, be based on a form of fire
risk assessment..”

The effectiveness of a system is now
based upon the probability of system
operation (incorporating reliability,
monitoring and maintenance issues) and
the ‘success rate’ of the system (the
number of alarms, their location, audibility
issues and the lifestyle of occupants).

8

On the other hand, a low fire risk may
not justify the cost, complexity and
extent of such a system.

For example, the single occupant of a
small bungalow might be adequately
protected by the installation of one
mains powered smoke alarm, whereas
the risk to which families in a six storey
house in multiple occupation are
exposed would warrant much greater
expenditure on a more complex and
comprehensive system.

This sort of common sense approach
permeates the Code and this, coupled
with its acknowledgement of economic
constraints, makes the Code particularly
simple to adhere to.

The design of the system - which
includes considerations such as the
number of and siting of alarms, and the
form of power supply required should
take the following factors into account:

1. The probability of fire occurring

2. The probability of injury or death of
occupants if fire occurs

3. The probability of the system operating
correctly at the time of a fire

4. The probability of early detection
and warning to occupants in the
event of fire

Points one and two combined define
the ‘fire risk’, while point three relates to
system reliability. The fourth point is
defined by the standard as ‘a form of
success rate for the system’.

The Code recommends that fire risk be
assessed by taking into account a
number of different factors. These are
now to be found in Annex A of the
2004 Code.

Firstly, it recommends that each room in a
dwelling be assessed for its own particular
fire risk, taking into account current
statistical information. How likely is it that
a fire will start in a living room, for
example? Or a bedroom? What are the
possible sources of ignition in that room?
Statistically, what are the chances of
injury or death to an occupant if a fire
does break out in that type of room?

ASSESSING FIRE RISK

The Code discusses the generally
relevant factors in carrying out a fire risk
assessment to determine the most
appropriate design of fire detection and
fire alarm system. However, it also notes
that the lifestyle of the occupants may
require a change to the assessment.

The Code looks at where fatal fires
typically break out and where occupants
may be at the time.

First and foremost, it notes that the
greatest impediment to escape in the
event of a fire is smoke obscuring the
escape route. Any fire which starts in a
circulation area - or spreads to a
circulation area - needs to be detected
as soon as possible. The Code says that
“smoke detectors need to be installed in
the circulation areas of all dwellings”.

SYSTEM DESIGN - FIRE RISK
ASSESSMENT

How can a system be designed to
meet the latest standards?

The Code recommends that a system is
designed – where reasonably
practicable - based on a fire risk
assessment of the property.

This needs to take into account:

• The probability of fire

• Ignition sources

• Possible fire prevention methods

• The lifestyle of the occupants

• The probability and extent of harm

• Means of escape

• Number of storeys in the dwelling

• Flammable materials (e.g. smoking)

• The age, physical condition and socio­economic nature of the occupant

Fire risk then is essentially a combination
of the probability of fire occurring and the
magnitude of the consequences of fire.

In this way, the Code is recognising that
you don’t have to buy the most
expensive fire detection system available.
You must, however, ensure that the system
is adequate for the risks involved.

A high fire risk demands high reliability
to ensure early detection of fire and
warning to occupants, regardless of
where the fire starts, and high
reliability on the part of the system to
operate correctly when required.

BALANCE BETWEEN FIRE RISK & SYSTEM RELIABILITY & SUCCESS RATE

Fires caused by electrical appliances
account for some 10% of all household
fires, but result in only 6% of deaths. Electric

blankets and bed warmers cause 40% of
all the deaths in fires due to faulty electrical
appliances. The Code says that ‘use of
electric blankets, particularly by high risk
groups such as the elderly, increases the
justification for providing smoke alarms in
bedrooms’. As with smoking materials, by
the time an alarm in an adjacent area
detects smoke, it may be too late.

Finally, the new 2004 Code acknowledges
that there is a very worrying increase in the
incidence of arson, just as it did back in

1995. Malicious ignition is the second most
common source of ignition in all fires in
dwellings. Arson is particularly worrying in
multiple occupancy dwellings and the Code
stresses that the level of fire protection in
such places needs to be very high if there is
a significant risk of malicious fire-raising. It
even goes so far as to suggest installing
alarms near the door in case inflammable
materials are pushed through the letterbox.

WHO IS MOST AT RISK?

The occupants of a property are another
significant factor which needs to be
considered.

The Code acknowledges that elderly
people are at ‘significantly greater risk’
from fire than other age groups. For those
over 80, the probability of dying in a fire is
several times that for those aged from 30
to 59. Those aged between 60 and 80
are also at increased risk. Children under
five are at greater risk than adults.

For that reason, the Code recommends
greater levels of fire protection in
dwellings occupied by the elderly or
those with young children.

9

FIRE RISK ­WHERE DO FIRES START?

Just over half of all fatalities occur in the

room where the fire breaks out; in HMOs,
this rises to 60%. The Code notes that, in
the United Kingdom, some 40% of all
fatal fires start in living rooms or dining
rooms, whereas 30% of fatal fires start in
bedrooms. For this reason, the Code
recommends that if alarms are to be
installed within rooms, the living room
and the dining room should be the first
priority. However, this consideration
could be reversed if the bedroom
presents a particular fire risk, such as the
occupant smoking in bed or using an
electric blanket.

The Code also specifically warns that
occupants – especially those asleep
and/or with a closed door between
them and the alarm - may not hear the
alarm in time. It stresses that it is
‘therefore essential that fire detection
and fire alarm systems are capable of
operating correctly when occupants
are asleep and are capable of rousing
occupants from normal sleep.’ This is
another reason why - if there is a
significant fire risk in a particular room ­consideration should be given to
installing alarms in that room - and
interlinking the entire system.

After kitchen fires and electrical
appliances and wiring, smoking
continues to be the next most common
cause of accidental fires in the home.
However, it is the number one cause of
fire deaths. Around 40% of all fire
deaths are caused through matches or
a discarded cigarette (the figure was

33% in1995 when the Code was first
published). In most cases, the item
ignited is bedding or furniture. If
occupants are known to smoke, there is
a greater need to install smoke alarms in
the living room or dining room areas. If
the occupants smoke in bed, the Code
suggests considering installing smoke
alarms in the bedroom itself. Ominously,
statistics reveal that - if such a fire begins
in a room where an occupant is asleep ­their chances of survival are greatly
reduced. By the time an alarm sounds in
an adjacent area, it may very well
already be too late.

Fires caused by space heating
appliances are also particularly life
threatening. After fires caused by
smoking and cooking appliances, these
types of fires account for more deaths
than any other cause - around 12% of
accidental fire deaths. These fires often
occur when something inflammable is
placed too close to the heater. The
Code suggests that, if portable heaters
or solid fuel fires are used at night, there
may be good justification for installing
smoke alarms in the relevant rooms ­particularly bedrooms.

MOST COMMON CAUSES OF ACCIDENTAL FIRES