Fire alarm systems in shared business buildings

[Guest GNT]

Hi

We have just purchased a large commercial site with one fire alarm system covering the entire site. We are planning to have tenants in some of the buildings. Should we still cover the entire site with one large fire alarm system or should this be broken up into separate alarm systems, basically one per tenant?

Thanks

Garry

[Safelincs]

Hi Garry

This depends from whether you have 1 hr fire separation between the different tenants/owners. If not, I would keep the building-wide system in the short term, however, as the building starts to evolve & 1 hour fire separation is established between occupants, there would be a benefit to each unit having their own stand alone system.

The result of this would be clear ownership and responsibility between the occupants in relation to fire arrangements & less headaches for you as the landlord due to false activations.

Harry

[AnthonyB]

If, as it sounds, the site is an old single company site with multiple separated buildings then there is usually not an automatic requirement to retain the central system, especially as these systems are often either completely obsolete or at least using legacy products and subject to faults or the need for expensive  upgrades/replacements.

Individual buildings, unless very small would still need their own electrical fire alarm systems - although the cost of installing these will add up a lot up front you can then leave responsibility for weekly testing, 6 monthly servicing and evacuation drills up to your tenants, instead of having to arrange it yourself and recover through the service charge.

Where a larger building on site is split up it will require a single common system unless split into distinct units with 60 minute fire walls - easy with a warehouse being split, but an office block cannot be suitably broken up this way so would need a common system covering the common parts and office suits.

You could do with a decent FRA and fire alarm spec to help you with this, it's something I've done many times as your scenario is quite common in the property sector which I work in.