Fire Protection

Fire Alarm Installation

Guardian Edge designs, installs and commissions fire detection and alarm systems to BS 5839 across the UK, from single-panel conventional systems in small premises to addressable and networked systems across multi-building sites — including takeovers of existing systems and replacement of obsolete panels.

Designed to the right category for the building — not the cheapest one.

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Who this is for

Businesses fitting out or refurbishing premises
Landlords and managing agents of residential blocks and HMOs
Property managers replacing an obsolete or unsupported panel
Facilities teams extending detection into a new area
Anyone whose fire risk assessment has identified inadequate detection

Problems it solves

The existing panel is obsolete and parts are no longer available
Detection does not cover the whole escape route
The system was designed to a lower category than the current use warrants
Repeated false alarms are eroding confidence in the system
A change of use or layout has left the design no longer valid
Building control or an insurer has asked for a system that does not exist yet

What Guardian Edge provides

Our fire alarm installations scope

What we provide

System category assessment — establishing whether L1, L2, L3, L4, L5, P1 or P2 is appropriate
Full design to BS 5839-1 (non-domestic) or BS 5839-6 (domestic premises)
Conventional, addressable, networked and wireless systems
Panel replacement and takeover of existing field devices where they remain suitable
Cause-and-effect programming, interfaces to plant, door holders, lifts and AOVs
Commissioning, certification, logbook and demonstration to your team

Typical scope

Offices, retail, industrial units, warehouses and logistics sites
Residential blocks, HMOs, student accommodation and supported housing
Schools, healthcare premises and public buildings
Multi-building estates requiring networked panels and a head-end
Phased installation in occupied buildings, out of hours where required

Before we price anything

Inspection & survey process

01
Establish the fire strategy
Occupancy, sleeping risk, escape routes, phased or simultaneous evacuation, and any existing fire risk assessment.
02
Agree the category
L-categories protect life, P-categories protect property. We explain what each level actually covers before you commit to a spend.
03
Design the system
Device selection, zoning, sounder coverage, cable routes and interfaces — issued as a drawing and a specification.
04
Price it properly
Itemised, including commissioning and certification. No provisional sums that inflate later.

On site

How the work is delivered

01
Programme and access
Agreed dates, isolation arrangements and any out-of-hours working.
02
First fix
Containment and cabling installed to the design, with routes kept clear of hazards.
03
Second fix and programming
Devices, panel, interfaces and cause-and-effect configured to the agreed strategy.
04
Commissioning
Every device tested, sound pressure levels verified, interfaces proven, and the system demonstrated to your staff.
05
Certification and handover
Design, installation and commissioning certificates, as-fitted drawings, zone plan and logbook.

Compliance

What the rules actually require

BS 5839-1 categories are not interchangeable. An L3 system protects escape routes and rooms opening onto them; an L1 system covers all areas. Choosing a lower category to save cost has to be a deliberate, recorded decision — not an accident.
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires the premises to be equipped with appropriate fire detection and alarm arrangements. It does not name a category — that comes from the fire risk assessment.
A system is only compliant once it has been commissioned and certificated. An installed but uncommissioned system is not evidence of anything.
Where an existing system is taken over, we record its condition honestly at the point of takeover rather than inheriting someone else's paperwork.

Standards & legislation

These are not all the same kind of obligation, and we do not present them as if they were. A statutory duty is law. A British Standard is the recognised way of demonstrating you have met one. Guidance and our own recommendations are neither.

British StandardBS 5839-1
Fire detection and fire alarm systems for buildings — non-domestic premises
Code of practice for system design, installation, commissioning and maintenance. Defines the L and P categories.
British StandardBS 5839-6
Fire detection and fire alarm systems in domestic premises
Applies to dwellings, including HMOs and individual flats. Defines LD and grade classifications.
Legal requirementRRO 2005
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
Requires appropriate fire detection and warning arrangements determined by the fire risk assessment.
Read the primary source →

Ongoing support

Planned, reactive and multi-site.

Most providers do one of these well. The value of a single provider is that the schedule, the emergency and the portfolio all sit in the same place.

Planned maintenance

The new system enters a servicing calendar at handover
Servicing to BS 5839-1 intervals from the commissioning date
Battery and device lifecycle tracked against the asset register

Reactive support

Fault attendance under the same contract as the installation
False alarm investigation and cause analysis rather than repeated resets

Multi-site & national portfolios

Consistent panel platform across a portfolio so your team learns one interface
Networked head-end where sites share a campus
One design standard applied estate-wide

Procurement, simplified

What happens next?

01
Tell us what you need
One form, one call or one email. A photograph or an existing report is enough to start.
02
We assess the requirement
We confirm scope, access, and whether a site survey is needed before anything is priced.
03
You receive a clear quotation
Itemised, with what is included and what is not. No provisional sums that move later.
04
We arrange attendance
A confirmed date and window, with the engineer or trade named in advance.
05
Works are completed
Carried out by directly managed engineers or vetted specialist subcontractors.
06
Evidence is supplied
Certification, test records and photographic evidence where the work calls for it.

Answers

Fire Alarm Installationsquestions.

What is the difference between L1, L2, L3 and L4 fire alarm systems?

They are BS 5839-1 categories describing how much of a building is covered by automatic detection. L1 covers all areas of the building. L2 covers escape routes, rooms opening onto them, and specified high-risk rooms. L3 covers escape routes and rooms opening onto them, giving warning before escape routes become impassable. L4 covers escape routes only. L5 is a custom category designed around a specific risk. P1 and P2 are property protection categories, driven by insurance rather than life safety. The correct category comes from the fire risk assessment, not from a price list.

Can you replace the panel and keep the existing detectors?

Sometimes. It depends on the age, type and condition of the field devices and whether they are compatible with a current panel. We survey before we commit to it, and we will tell you if a partial replacement would leave you with a system that is harder to maintain than a full one.

How long does a fire alarm installation take?

A small conventional system in a single unit is usually a day or two. An addressable system across a multi-storey occupied building is typically phased over several weeks so that detection is never wholly absent. We give a programme with the quotation rather than an estimate on the day.

Get a quotation for fire alarm installations.

One form, one call or one email. A photograph or an existing report is enough for us to start — and we will tell you plainly whether a site survey is needed before anything is priced.

Request a Quote Arrange an Inspection Or call 0800 634 3475