In compliance with the current legislation, every property in the UK needs to be equipped with a fire alarm system. This goes for all commercial, residential, and industrial buildings, where each of those properties needs to have a system to detect fire and carry out necessary actions to slow down or stop its spread.
That said, what happens if your commercial building‘s fire alarm system has become outdated? Should you replace the system or run a few upgrades? Can you get away with using old fire alarm systems? This depends.
Outdated fire alarm systems
Are obsolete fire alarm systems completely useless? Not necessarily so. However, this does not mean you should keep using one. That is because running regular maintenance to keep old technology up and running can become extremely costly, which is something businesses do not want to deal with.
For this reason, replacing old components with new ones or applying upgrades is a good idea. While the changes might call for more substantial investments, this is much cheaper than having to run frequent maintenance on older devices.
To add to this, with so many technological advances in the fire detection and prevention world, not only are the systems becoming cheaper, but they are making working environments even safer as well.
Replacing your fire alarm system
Once again, should you replace the system or perform upgrades? You would opt for replacing based on certain conditions. For instance, if your fire alarm system is less than a decade old, newer components should still be widely available for your specific system, meaning that you can easily find replacements.
Also, if your current fire alarm system is still under warranty, using replacements can help you save a lot of money compared to upgrading the entire system. Finally, if there has been no redesign over your building and the fire alarm system is still reliable (eg. no false alarms), replacing only the faulty components is a lot cheaper. Plus, if the manufacturer still supports your existing system, you will not have a reason to upgrade.
With professionals to carry out the job, repair and replacements can be completed efficiently. They will also conduct an analysis of your current system and suggest repairs or upgrades when necessary.
If your system is over ten years old and is becoming too expensive to maintain, an upgrade is possibly the best route. That said, having annual repairs and the like will ensure that your current system will still be up and running, ensuring that every employee in the building is safe in the case of a fire.
So, while you should still definitely repair the fire alarm system you have, do consider upgrading it in the future. After all, with newer and newer tech, using the latest fire detection and prevention technology will make your workplace safer. Not only does this mean that you can continue with business as usual without fear, but when the time does come and a fire erupts, the system will be there to protect your company.
Looking for fire protection services to help design, install, and maintain your fire alarm system in the UK? Reach out to us at Amthal; Our solutions are built to prevent, detect, and contain fires to ensure that when the worse comes to worst, your people can escape safe and sound. Contact us for a review or to discuss your requirements.