Working alarms are the single most important warning system in any let. For Kent owners, getting smoke and heat alarms right means knowing which type goes where, and the official guidance is specific about it.
Where smoke and heat alarms go
The Home Office guidance says that where no fire alarm system is fitted, which is normal for small lets, you should provide interlinked domestic smoke alarms and heat alarms in all areas where a fire might start. Smoke alarms belong in hallways, corridors, staircases, lounges, dining rooms and bedrooms.
Heat alarms, not smoke alarms, go in every kitchen, and in any other room such as a laundry or utility where cooking fumes, steam or dust would cause a smoke alarm to false-alarm. If your roof void contains combustible materials or ignition sources, detection should be there too. You do not normally need alarms in bathrooms or toilets, because steam sets them off.
Why heat alarms in the kitchen
Kitchens are where most domestic fires start, so it seems odd not to fit a smoke alarm there. The reason is false alarms: cooking smoke and steam would trigger a smoke detector constantly, and guests would soon disable it. A heat alarm responds to a rapid rise in temperature instead, giving reliable warning of a real fire without the nuisance.
They must be interlinked
This is the part owners often miss. All your alarms must be interlinked, so that when one detects a fire, every alarm in the property sounds at once. A guest asleep upstairs needs to hear a fire that starts in the kitchen below. Interlinking can be done by wiring or by radio signal, and radio-linked alarms are easy to retrofit.
What grade of alarm
The guidance prefers mains-powered alarms with a tamper-proof battery backup, known as Grade D1. Long-life sealed battery alarms, Grade F1, may be acceptable as a short-term measure for around two to three years until a D1 system is fitted. Whatever you fit must be tested regularly and be loud enough to wake a sleeping guest, and positioned according to the manufacturer’s siting guidance.
Consider every guest
The guidance notes that additional equipment, such as vibrating pads for under a pillow and flashing beacons, is available to alert Deaf or hard of hearing guests. If you market to a wide range of visitors, factor this into your fire risk assessment.
Test and maintain
Alarms are only useful if they work. Test them at each changeover and replace them at the end of their life, typically around ten years. Kent Fire and Rescue Service offers business safety advice, and the detailed standard is set out in BS 5839-6. Where coverage is complex, a competent assessor will confirm the right layout.
Where heat alarms fit in
Smoke alarms and heat alarms do different jobs. Smoke alarms go in circulation spaces and rooms where people sleep or relax, while a heat alarm suits a kitchen, where cooking fumes and steam would set off a smoke sensor constantly. The aim, set out in fire detection guidance, is early warning everywhere a fire could start or spread, linked so that one trigger sounds them all. That linking is covered in more detail in our piece on interlinked alarms, and siting is covered under alarm placement. Kent Fire and Rescue Service can advise on cover for an unusual layout. Test every unit on changeover and log the date.
Get the right advice for your property
Not sure your alarm coverage is right? For advice tailored to your property from a competent professional, speak to Jamie at ESI: Fire Safety on 01276 300 351.
