News & INSIGHTS

The fire alarm zone plan should be a diagrammatic representation of the building, showing at least the building entrances, main circulation areas and the division into zones. So, we’re not talking complex building plans here, a representation of the building can be a simple plan that shows how the building is laid out in a clear, understandable way.  This means that it’s not acceptable to have a zone list or a block diagram that doesn’t show any entrances or circulation areas.

Remember, a fire alarm zone plan needs to be fitted next to any control & indicating equipment. So that includes repeater panels too!

The plan also needs to be correctly orientated. This means, that as you look at the plan fitted adjacent to the CIE, the building is shown the same way round and includes a ‘You Are Here’ marker. For example, if there’s a door to your right as you stand and look at the fire alarm zone plan, then that door will be shown on the plan to the right of the You Are Here marker.

On larger sites, particularly where zones cover more than one building and the fire alarm zone plan shows a full site plan with access roads, it may be appropriate to show the site in a familiar orientation to both staff and the fire and rescue service. You should check with all interested parties in these situations involving larger and more complex fire alarm systems.

But what about very small systems where only one fire zone is used? The recommendations of BS 5839-1:2017 do not preclude systems of just one zone. Remember, the zone plan shows the extent of the building covered by the system and the main circulation areas to conduct an efficient search in the event of an alarm.

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It can also be useful to add other relevant information such as callpoint locations for weekly testing. To avoid confusion, keep additional information to a minimum so that the main purpose of displaying the fire alarm zones isn’t lost. Fire alarm ‘As Fitted’ information should be kept separate and provided to the premises manager on drawings to keep in a document box or electronically. Full system wiring layouts combined onto a zone plan often create a rather confusing drawing, exactly the opposite of what a fire alarm zone plan is there to achieve in the event of an alarm.

We hear of challenges faced by fire alarm installers and maintenance providers, where premises managers don’t want any additional notices on their wall or feel that a fire alarm zone plan would spoil the aesthetics of their building. At QDOS, we’ve become the benchmark for clear, compliant and professional-looking zone plans. Your customers can be assured that the fire alarm zone plan will comfortably integrate with all other fire safety signage, with suitable finishes available for any location from industrial to offices to high-end venues.

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