Fire Alarm Installation in Medway

What a fire alarm system is

Smoke detectors respond to smoke particles, while heat detectors respond to a rise in temperature. Their suitability depends on the room: cooking fumes, for example, matter when deciding how a kitchen should be covered. Sounders provide the audible warning. Commercial installations may also include manual call points, allowing someone who discovers a fire to raise the alarm, and a control panel that shows the system's condition.

A burglar alarm looks for intrusion; a fire alarm looks for signs of fire. Neither replaces the other. Their detection and warning arrangements serve different purposes.

When you need one installed

Renovating a home or converting a loft can change the layout and the route people use to get out. A rental property or HMO may have smoke and heat alarm requirements that differ from an owner-occupied home. Check what applies to your property with the relevant guidance and any building or licensing requirements before deciding on a system.

For business premises, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 provides the framework for fire safety duties, including a fire risk assessment where applicable. A new tenancy, altered use or an assessment identifying inadequate detection can prompt installation work. An obsolete or faulty system also needs proper consideration, not simply a like-for-like purchase without checking whether the building's needs have changed.

How Wisetech installs it

The free survey begins with a walk through the building and a conversation about its use. Sleeping accommodation, workspaces, shared entrances and alterations all help establish what needs discussing. Bring any fire risk assessment or relevant property requirements so the recommendation is considered alongside them. You can ask questions directly of the engineer who will carry out the installation.

After agreeing the recommendation, we fit the devices and arrange tidy cabling or wireless equipment to suit the building. The installation includes testing each device and explaining the controls, including how to silence and test the system appropriately. Silencing a warning is not a substitute for following your fire procedure or investigating its cause. Written handover records what was installed, and your engineer remains the contact afterwards.

Options to discuss at the survey

Mains-wired interlinked alarms can provide linked warnings in a home, so activation at one alarm is communicated to the others. Wireless interlinking is another option where running connecting cables would be difficult. The choice should account for the layout, suitable power arrangements and the requirements that apply, rather than assuming that wireless equipment is right for every property.

Larger commercial buildings may call for a panel system. Conventional systems indicate an affected zone; addressable systems can identify an individual device. These are options to discuss, not a recommendation based solely on building size. BS 5839 is the British Standard series for fire detection and alarm systems. Check which part of the standard and which other guidance apply to your property.

Working alongside your security systems

Intruder alarms, CCTV and access control can be planned alongside fire detection, but security must not obstruct escape. We make sure the security devices and cabling we fit do not compromise fire alarm equipment or escape routes. Discuss shared cable routes and door arrangements before work begins, especially if several systems are being installed together.

An electronically locked door does not necessarily release just because a fire alarm sounds. Its behaviour depends on the locking arrangement, interface and fire safety design. Any required release must be considered and checked against the property's fire risk assessment. Do not disconnect a lock, bypass an interface or alter fire equipment yourself to test a theory.

Access control and fire door guidanceAccess and fire interface faults

Areas covered

Based on Walsham Road in Chatham, ME5 9HX, we cover Medway, Kent and South East London, typically within around an hour's journey. Give us the address and property use when arranging your survey.

• Chatham
• Rochester
• Gillingham
• Strood
• Rainham
• Maidstone
• Sittingbourne
• Gravesend
• Snodland
• West Malling

Why choose Wisetech

You do not have to explain the job again to a call centre or work through a scripted sales conversation. The engineer you speak to stays with the work from the first call through installation and afterwards. Our advice is about what your property actually needs, with a free, no-obligation survey and quote and no hard sell. Homeowners, landlords and small businesses can discuss fire detection alongside their wider security requirements.

Discuss your installation

Tell us whether the property is a home, rental or business premises and what has prompted the work. Call 01634 944161, send a WhatsApp message or use the quote form below.

• Burglar alarms
• Access control
• All services
• Commercial security
• Landlord security
• Contact Wisetech