Plan compliant fire cover
Drop detectors, call points and sounders onto a building plan (upload your own, or use our sample) to see BS 5839 coverage and live compliance hints — or switch to List mode to type out each room and its devices. We size the panel and installation for you.
Pick a device, then tap the building to place it
How fire detection works with the rest of your system
Your fire detection isn't a standalone box on the wall. It shares the same Ajax app, the same 24/7 monitoring and the same automation as your cameras, alarm and access control, so a single event can trigger the right response everywhere.
Fire alerts in one app
Smoke, heat, multi-sensor and CO fire detectors report into the same Ajax app as your cameras and intruder alarm. You get an instant push notification telling you exactly which device and zone has activated, wherever you are.
Monitored to the ARC
Fire signals are sent over dual-path broadband and 4G to our 24/7 alarm receiving centre, so an activation is acted on day or night even if you can't reach your phone.
Release doors on alarm
Link fire detection to your access control and maglocks drop on activation, so secured doors fail safe and everyone can leave by the nearest exit during an evacuation.
Cross-device scenarios
A fire event can run an automation across the system: turn on lights to aid escape, unlock the route out and flag the camera covering that zone so responders see what's happening.
What good BS 5839 coverage looks like
A fire system only protects you if the right detector is in the right place and people can hear or see the warning in time. These are the principles our BAFE-approved designers follow when planning your coverage.
Right detector for each area
Optical smoke detectors suit escape routes and living areas, while heat detectors belong in kitchens, garages and dusty spaces where smoke types would cause false alarms. Matching the device to the room is the single biggest factor in reliable detection.
Multi-sensors cut false alarms
In rooms where cooking steam, dust or fumes can fool a single sensor, multi-sensor detectors combine smoke and heat readings to confirm a real fire. Fewer false activations means people keep trusting the alarm.
Protect every escape route
Cover halls, landings and corridors so the way out is detected first and people are warned before a route fills with smoke. Under BS 5839 this is the backbone of a life-safety design.
Call points at every exit
Fit manual call points at each final exit and on escape routes so no one is ever more than about 45 m from one. This lets anyone raise the alarm the moment they spot a fire.
Make the warning unmissable
Sounders should reach at least 65 dB(A) where the alarm needs to be heard, and louder still over background noise. Get the audibility right and everyone responds without delay.
Beacons for noisy or quiet needs
Add sounder/beacons in plant rooms, workshops and anywhere ear defenders or loud equipment mask sound, and to support people who are deaf or hard of hearing. A visual flash gives equal access to the warning.
Zone for fast location
Splitting the building across a 2–16 zone panel shows exactly where an alarm started, so you and the fire service reach the source quickly. Clear zoning turns a general alert into a precise location.
Get a BS 5839 fire plan for your property
Book a free survey and our BAFE-approved designers will plan the right detectors, call points and sounders for your building, all monitored in one app.
The system whose only job is the worst day you'll never have
The planner above shows coverage and compliance hints — but fire detection is a regulated life-safety discipline with a British Standard behind every decision. Here's how a compliant system comes together, what the responsibilities are, and the questions building owners ask us most.
BS 5839 isn't red tape — it's the design
The standard exists because detection only saves lives when it's in the right places: escape routes covered so the way out is warned first, the right detector for each room, call points where people flee, sounders loud enough to wake and warn everyone. Categories from M to L1 and P set how much of the building is protected — matching the category to the building and its risk assessment is the designer's real job, and it's the first thing we establish.
The right detector stops false alarms
False alarms are how fire systems lose a building's trust — and most are caused by the wrong detector in the wrong room. Optical smoke on escape routes, heat in kitchens and dusty workshops, multi-sensor where steam or fumes would fool a single technology: get that right and the panel goes quiet until it matters. It's also half the battle for premises that answer to a landlord, insurer or fire officer about unwanted alarms.
Responsibility comes with the building
If you're the responsible person for a workplace, HMO or shared premises, fire safety law puts detection, testing and records on your desk. A professionally designed system with certificates, a zone chart at the panel, a log book kept up to date and servicing on schedule is what discharges that duty — and precisely the paper trail a fire officer or insurer will ask to see. We provide all of it as standard.
Detection that talks to everything else
Fire shouldn't be a silo. We interface detection with the rest of the building: access-controlled doors release on alarm, plant shuts down, monitored systems signal our 24/7 centre so an activation in an empty building still gets a response. As a BAFE-approved company we design, install and maintain to the standard the badge demands — the same connected thinking we bring to security.
From first call to a certificated system
Survey & category
We assess the building and its fire risk assessment, and agree the BS 5839 category the design must meet — the decision everything else hangs on.
Design & quote
A written quotation with device schedule and zone plan, sized for audibility and coverage — and, where you have one, aligned with your fire strategy.
Installation
Panels, detection, call points and sounders installed with the building's routine respected — occupied premises are the norm in this trade, not the exception.
Commissioning & certificates
Every device tested, cause-and-effect proven (doors, shutdowns, signalling), certificates issued, zone chart mounted and the log book started.
Servicing
Planned maintenance visits keep the system compliant and the paperwork current — with our engineers testing in rotation so every device is proven over time.
The things building owners ask about fire
Which category does my building need?
It flows from the building's use and its fire risk assessment: L categories protect life with escape-route-first coverage, P categories protect property, M is manual only. We advise the category honestly at survey — under-specifying is a liability and over-specifying wastes your money.
How often must the system be serviced?
BS 5839 recommends planned servicing at least every six months for most premises, alongside your own weekly call-point test. Our service plans schedule it, rotate the devices tested, and keep certificates and the log book fire-officer ready.
Who is the 'responsible person'?
In workplaces and shared premises the law names whoever controls the premises — typically the employer, owner or landlord. The duties are real, but a properly maintained system with records is exactly how they're met; we keep clients on the right side of that line every day.
Can you take over our existing system?
Yes — we take over servicing of existing panels and detection regardless of installer, starting with a condition survey so you know exactly where the system stands. Orphaned fire systems are common and rarely as bad as feared.
We keep getting false alarms — fixable?
Almost always. The culprits are usually wrong detector types, dust, steam paths or decorating damage. A survey identifies the causes and a modest programme of detector swaps and repositioning typically transforms the panel's behaviour.
Does the alarm work in a power cut?
Yes — fire panels carry standby batteries sized by the standard to keep detection running through an outage, and battery condition is checked at every service. Mains failure shows on the panel and, on monitored systems, signals through to us.
Can it alert someone when the building's empty?
Monitored fire signalling sends activations to our 24/7 Alarm Receiving Centre, so an alarm at 3am in an empty unit gets keyholders informed and a response moving — rather than sounding to an empty car park.
Smoke, heat or multi-sensor — where?
Optical smoke on escape routes and general areas; heat where kitchens, dust or fumes would fool smoke sensing; multi-sensor where conditions vary or false alarms have history. Room-by-room selection is the survey's bread and butter.
What paperwork should I hold?
Design, installation and commissioning certificates, a zone chart at the panel, a log book recording tests, events and visits, and service records on schedule. That file is what fire officers and insurers ask for — our clients simply hand it over.
Unsure where your building stands?
Book a free survey — we'll assess the system you have against the category you need and give you a straight answer in writing.
Frequently asked questions
A compliant installation starts with a survey to design the system to the BS 5839 standard for your premises, covering detector siting, sounder coverage and the correct category for the building. The package typically includes smoke, heat and multi-sensor detectors, manual call points, sounders and a control panel, along with commissioning and certification once it is up and running. Homeview Surveillance handles the full design, installation and ongoing maintenance, and offers a free, no-obligation site survey for domestic enquiries across Essex and Suffolk.
BS 5839 is the British Standard governing the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of fire detection and alarm systems in buildings. Domestic and commercial premises fall under different parts of the standard, and the required system category depends on the building, its use and your fire risk assessment. As a BAFE and SSAIB approved installer established in 1997, Homeview Surveillance designs systems to the correct category so your alarm meets both the standard and your insurer's or regulator's expectations.
Yes. Fire detection is designed to suit the premises, whether that is a family home, a shop, an office or a larger commercial site. The category and coverage are matched to the building and how it is used, so a small business gets a system that satisfies its fire risk assessment while a homeowner gets appropriate life-safety protection. Homeview Surveillance covers Essex and Suffolk, including Clacton-on-Sea and Colchester, and works nationwide on commercial contracts.
Fire alarm systems can be connected to the 24/7 Alarm Receiving Centre for monitoring, so an alert is acted on day or night rather than relying on someone being on site. BS 5839 also calls for regular servicing, generally on a periodic schedule across the year, to keep the system reliable and compliant. Homeview Surveillance provides maintenance contracts to cover these inspections and keep your certification current.
The first step is a site survey to assess the building, agree the right BS 5839 category and design a system around your needs. Domestic enquiries in Essex and Suffolk get a free, no-obligation survey, and finance is available to help spread the cost. Call Homeview Surveillance on 01255 436150 from the Clacton-on-Sea head office to book a visit or discuss upgrading an existing system.