Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the 'responsible person' for a commercial building carries a legal duty to keep fire detection and alarm systems in good working order. In practice, that duty breaks down into a simple rhythm.
A weekly user test — usually a different call point each week — checks that the panel receives and displays a signal correctly. This can be done in-house and takes minutes.
A six-monthly professional inspection and service, carried out by a competent engineer to BS 5839-1, covers the parts a weekly test can't: battery condition, detector sensitivity, wiring integrity and full system functionality.
Skipping either half of that rhythm is one of the most common gaps we find during compliance reviews — and one of the easiest to close with a proper maintenance schedule.
