BS 8629:2019 Code of practice for the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of evacuation alert systems for use by fire and rescue services in buildings containing flats
This British Standard gives recommendations for the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of evacuation alert systems for use by the fire and rescue service in buildings containing flats. Within this British Standard, both single-storey flats and maisonettes are described by the generic term ‘flats’, other than when, for the purpose of a specific recommendation, the term maisonette is used. This British Standard does not recommend whether or not an evacuation alert system is to be installed in any given building. Typically, the application for these systems are high-rise blocks of flats, but the scope of this British Standard includes systems installed in any building containing flats, regardless of height.
The evacuation alert systems covered by this British Standard comprise evacuation alert control and indicating equipment (EACIE), which incorporates manual controls by which evacuation alert sounders within each flat can be operated by the fire and rescue service. These systems are not to be regarded as fire detection and fire alarm systems, and the systems do not incorporate automatic.
Who is this standard for?
- Fire and rescue services
- Manufacturers of evacuation alert systems
- Building managers
Why should you use this standard?
This standard makes recommendations on the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of evacuation alert systems for use by the fire and rescue service in buildings containing flats.
The objective is to provide a reliable and effective tool to assist in the evacuation of a building containing flats in whatever manner is considered appropriate by fire and rescue service operational commanders.
Typically these systems are for high-rise blocks of flats, but the scope of this British Standard includes systems installed in any building containing flats, regardless of height. Both single-storey flats and maisonettes are described by the generic term “flats”, other than when, for the purpose of a specific recommendation, the term maisonette is used.
The evacuation alert systems covered comprise evacuation alert control and indicating equipment (EACIE), incorporating manual controls by which evacuation alert sounders within each flat can be operated by the fire and rescue service.
- The standard does not recommend whether or not an evacuation alert system is to be installed in any given building.
- These systems are not to be regarded as fire detection and fire alarm systems, and the systems do not incorporate automatic fire detectors or manual call points.
- This British Standard only covers systems that are intended for use by the fire and rescue service and not by any other party.
- It does not cover portable, manually operated devices, such as air horns, hand bells or similar devices.
- It does not cover systems in which warning of occupants is given by a speech message (whether pre-recorded or live) or systems in which there is a facility for two-way speech communication.
Recommendations for voice alarm systems are given in BS 5839-8. Recommendations for emergency voice communication systems, which incorporate a facility for two-way speech communication, are given in BS 5839-9.
This British Standard does not address operational fire-fighting or, therefore, the use of evacuation alert systems by the fire and rescue service.
NOTE: It is not implied that there is a requirement in law for these systems to be installed in all blocks of flats. However, as of November 2019, Scottish Government guidance [1] on the Building (Scotland) Regulations 2004 [2] recommends that these systems are installed in all new blocks of flats with a storey more than 18 m above ground level. As a result of that guidance, the publication of this British Standard was appropriate.
BSi BS 8629:2019
Standard Number BS 8629:2019 Title Code of practice for the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of evacuation alert systems for use by fire and rescue services in buildings containing flats Status Current Publication Date 11 November 2019 Normative References(Required to achieve compliance to this standard) BS EN 50200:2015, BS 5446-3:2015, BS 7629-1, BS EN 54-2, LPS 1175: Issue 8.0:2018, BS EN 61386 (all parts), BS 4678-4, BS EN ISO 13943, BS 7671, BS 8434-2, BS EN 54-17, BS EN 60702-2, BS 7846, BS EN 1303, BS EN 54-25, BS 5499-10, BS EN 54-3, STS 205: Issue 4:2019, BS EN 60702-1, BS EN 54-4 Informative References(Provided for Information) Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, Construction Products Regulations 2013, BS 5839-9, BS EN ISO 9001, Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, BS EN 62305 (all parts), BS 476 (all parts), Scottish Building Standards Technical Handbook 2019, Fire (Scotland) Act 2005, Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006, BS 5839-8, Building (Scotland) Regulations 2004, BS 7273-6, BS 5839-6, BS 7984 (all parts), BS EN 54-23, BS 5839-1:2017 Draft Superseded By 19/30395290 DC Descriptors Installation, Rescue, Buildings, Maintenance, Maisonettes, Flats, Commissioning, Fire, Design ICS 13.220.01
91.040.01Committee FSH/17 ISBN 978 0 539 04766 0 Publisher BSI Format A4 Delivery Yes Pages 70