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On 30 April 2025, BS 5839-1:2017 was officially withdrawn. The 2025 edition is in force now — and it's more than a clause renumber.
Is your team fully qualified to sign off on fire alarm certifications? Avoid the stress of your next audit by ensuring every engineer has the proven competency they need. Book now to bridge the gap.
If you're still designing, certifying, or maintaining fire alarm systems to the 2017 standard, you're already out of date. The updated BS 5839-1:2025 brings real, meaningful changes that every installer, designer, and responsible person needs to know.
Here's what changed and why it matters:
Sleeping areas now demand smoke detectors. Heat detectors in bedrooms, care homes, hotels, and student accommodation? No longer the preferred option. The 2025 standard is explicit: smoke detectors give faster warning where lives are most at risk.
Red cables. No more grey areas. Fire alarm mains cables must now be red. Not "preferred" — required. This sounds simple, but on a live project it affects procurement, certification, and handover documentation.
New L-category monitoring timings. Activation signals must be monitored within 90 seconds. Fault detection within 3 minutes. If your ARC contracts or system specs don't reflect this yet, they need updating.
CPD is now mandatory for engineers. Competence isn't just assumed — it must be demonstrated and ongoing. This has direct implications for who can sign off work and how firms demonstrate compliance.
Battery backup calculations have changed. Don't assume your existing panels comply. Run the new formula — particularly for older or large systems.
The new standard also adds a dedicated section for extensions and modifications, tightens logbook requirements for any deviation from the standard, and updates all certificate templates. If your paperwork still references 2017 clause numbers, your certificates are already non-compliant.
At Cube Group T/A LFS London Fire and Security Training, our EAL Level 3 Fire Alarm course has been updated to reflect BS 5839-1:2025 throughout. Engineers who train with us leave knowing exactly what the current standard requires — not what it required five years ago.
Compliance doesn't have to be a headache. If you have questions about how these changes affect your current projects or want to view our latest EAL Level 3 BS 5839-1:2025 course timetable, we’d love to hear from you. Contact us today to discuss your training needs and reserve your spot in our upcoming intake.
Phone: 03330064005
Address: Dickens Road, Gravesend, Kent, DA12 2JY, United Kingdom