Hi, Would anyone know if access control is allowed on a route leading to an emergency staircase. if you go up the staircase each floor has a fire door which leads into a lobby with a lift. Then adjacent to the lift is a fire door leading to offices. This door has a card reader on entry & exit of this door. Is this  allowed? I was under the impression that it should be linked to the alarm system but if so how often should it get tested.

Assuming there is a fire alarm system in place, there should be an interface between the fire alarm system and the door entry system. When the panel goes into fire the door entry system should automatically 'drop' to allow all doors to open freely, therefore allowing free movement.

The fire alarm should be tested 6 monthly as a minimum, but you need to confirm with the fire alarm contractor if the interface is tested or even if it exists.

Often the same supplier is used for fire alarm and door entry, so if this is the case the confirmation should be easier.

When auditing I always look for the supplier to confirm in writing that the interface has been tested and the doors open when in fire, however this rarely evident on engineers paperwork.