BS 5839-1 / BS 8591
Dual path, EN 54-21
NSI Gold, 24/7
Defined by you
Mon–Fri 8am–5pm. 24/7 emergency line out of hours.
Most commercial fire alarms are heard by whoever is in the building. Outside working hours, on an empty industrial unit or a closed school, an activation sounds to nobody — and by the time anyone knows, the outcome is already decided.
Monitoring connects the panel to an alarm receiving centre staffed 24 hours a day. Fire signals are escalated immediately, and fault signals are reported so a system in fault does not sit unnoticed for weeks.
Signalling is dual-path — typically a network connection with a radio or mobile backup — so cutting one route does not silence the system. That redundancy is what distinguishes monitored fire signalling from a simple auto-dialler, and it is what insurers and enforcing authorities expect.
You define the escalation. Most sites use a keyholder list first for verification, with the fire service called on confirmed fire signals; sleeping-risk premises usually escalate to the fire service immediately. Either way it is written down and tested, not improvised on the night.
Fault reporting is the underrated part. Panel faults, detector faults, mains failure and low battery all signal through, which means problems get fixed while they are still minor rather than being found at the next service visit.
Dual-path unit installed and connected to the panel, tested end to end.
Connection to a 24/7 NSI Gold alarm receiving centre with your account configured.
Keyholder order, verification steps and fire service escalation, agreed in writing.
Panel faults, mains failure and low battery reported, not just fire activations.
Every signal recorded, so recurring nuisance activations can be traced and designed out.
Signalling path tested as part of your fire alarm service visits.
The panel activates and the signalling device transmits over both paths simultaneously.
Operators see the site, the zone in alarm and your agreed procedure.
Keyholders called in order, or the fire service called directly for sleeping risk.
Where a fault or reset is needed, an engineer is dispatched under your service agreement.
The signal, response and outcome recorded against your compliance file.
Repeated unwanted fire signals should trigger a review of detector siting or type — we will raise it rather than let it become normal.
Only if that is your procedure. Many sites verify with a keyholder first to avoid unnecessary attendance; sleeping-risk premises normally escalate immediately.
That is the point of dual-path. The backup path — radio or mobile — carries the signal, and the ARC is alerted that the primary path has failed.
Usually yes. We survey the panel, confirm it can be interfaced, and take over monitoring with a fresh escalation plan.
An annual monitoring charge plus the signalling connection. It is one of the cheapest lines on a fire safety budget relative to what it covers.
If the answer is nobody, monitoring is the cheapest fix on the list.
