Fire Detection and Alarm Systems in the Republic of Ireland

I.S.3218:2009 (Fire Detection and Alarm Systems for Buildings – System Design, Installation, Servicing and Maintenance), has been re-written and produced and the existing 1988 standard has been revoked. The changes between the old and new standard are too numerous and should be approached as a completely new standard.

The aim of the standard is to provide an approach to the design, installation and maintenance of systems by encouraging a uniform application throughout the Republic of Ireland providing enhanced safety in the event of an outbreak of fire. The primary function of the systems is to give an early enough warning to enable the occupants to safely escape the building in the event of a fire by giving an early warning and initiating other emergency actions where required and limit the number of false or unwanted alarms. A secondary benefit of the fire alarm is the reduction of loss or damage to the building by early detection and extinction.

The standard sees the Fire Detection and Alarm system as an integral part of the overall building protection and although the standard does not recommend if a fire alarm should be fitted or not, the standard does refer to the recommendations of the Building Regulations (Technical Guidance Document B) and recommends a risk assessment is carried out.

The standard covers the whole range of fire alarm systems including Commercial buildings and dwellings but it does not cover Integrated Systems, Extinguishing Systems, Electronic Data Processing (EDP) areas or “Special Risks” and in many cases refers to the equivalent British Standard.

Consultation with all relevant parties such as insurance providers, users and the fire brigade is recommended before any system is designed or installed and advises users of the desirability of using third party certified providers who are continually assessed and can be measured against the supplier’s quality system in line with I.S. EN ISO 9000. Failure of a system to operate properly may action a prosecution under the Fire Services Act of 1981 (Section 18) with a possible fine or imprisonment.