Fire Alarm Systems
From design and installation to servicing and fault repairs, we deliver fire detection and alarm systems to BS 5839 for commercial premises of every size. Every system is installed, commissioned and maintained by one dedicated team, with fully compliant certification.
Fire Alarm Systems in Glasgow & Scotland's Central Belt
A fire alarm has one job: to detect a fire early and warn everyone in the building in time for them to get out safely. When a system is badly designed, poorly installed or not maintained, it can fail at the moment it matters, or it can go off so often for no reason that people stop taking it seriously. Both are dangerous, and both are avoidable.
Strathclyde Electrical Service designs, installs, commissions and services fire detection and alarm systems for offices, schools, universities, pharmaceutical sites, pubs, restaurants, shops and industrial units across Glasgow, Renfrewshire, Lanarkshire, Edinburgh and the wider Central Belt.
We work on new buildings, refurbishments and existing systems, with one team responsible for every job from the first survey to final sign off.
Strathclyde Electrical Service designs, installs, commissions and services fire detection and alarm systems for offices, schools, universities, pharmaceutical sites, pubs, restaurants, shops and industrial units across Glasgow, Renfrewshire, Lanarkshire, Edinburgh and the wider Central Belt.
We work on new buildings, refurbishments and existing systems, with one team responsible for every job from the first survey to final sign off.
Choosing the Right Category of System
BS 5839 Part 1 sets out different categories of fire alarm system depending on what the system is there to protect. Life safety systems are graded from L1, which provides automatic detection throughout the entire building, down to L5, which is designed around a specific risk identified in the fire risk assessment.
Property protection systems, P1 and P2, focus on protecting the building and its contents, while an M category system relies on manual call points alone with no automatic detection.
The right category depends on how your building is used, who is in it and what your fire risk assessment says. A small single storey shop has very different needs to a university building, a pharmaceutical facility or a pub with living accommodation above.
We talk you through the options in plain terms and recommend a system that meets the standard properly, without adding detectors and costs you do not need.
Property protection systems, P1 and P2, focus on protecting the building and its contents, while an M category system relies on manual call points alone with no automatic detection.
The right category depends on how your building is used, who is in it and what your fire risk assessment says. A small single storey shop has very different needs to a university building, a pharmaceutical facility or a pub with living accommodation above.
We talk you through the options in plain terms and recommend a system that meets the standard properly, without adding detectors and costs you do not need.
Conventional, Addressable & Wireless Systems
Conventional fire alarms divide a building into zones, so when a detector activates, the panel tells you which zone the alarm has come from. They are cost effective and well suited to smaller premises. Addressable systems go further, identifying the exact detector or call point that has triggered, which helps staff and firefighters find the source quickly and makes fault finding far easier in larger or more complex buildings.
Wireless systems use radio communication between devices and the panel, which removes the need to run cables through every room. They are ideal for listed buildings, occupied premises and sites where disruption has to be kept to a minimum, such as schools during term time or hotels that cannot close.
We install all three types and will recommend the one that fits your building, budget and future plans.
Wireless systems use radio communication between devices and the panel, which removes the need to run cables through every room. They are ideal for listed buildings, occupied premises and sites where disruption has to be kept to a minimum, such as schools during term time or hotels that cannot close.
We install all three types and will recommend the one that fits your building, budget and future plans.
Reducing Unwanted Fire Alarm Activations
Unwanted fire alarm activations have a bigger impact in Scotland than many businesses realise. Since July 2023, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service no longer attends automatic fire alarm calls from most non domestic premises unless a fire has been confirmed, with exemptions for sleeping risk buildings such as hotels, care homes and hospitals.
That makes it more important than ever that your alarm is reliable, your staff know how to check an activation, and unwanted activations are kept to a minimum so people do not start ignoring the system.
Most unwanted activations come down to the wrong detector in the wrong place: a smoke detector near a kitchen, shower or dusty workshop, for example. During design and servicing, we look closely at detector types and positions, using heat or multisensor detectors where they make more sense.
If your current system keeps activating for no reason, we can investigate the causes and fix them properly rather than simply resetting the panel.
That makes it more important than ever that your alarm is reliable, your staff know how to check an activation, and unwanted activations are kept to a minimum so people do not start ignoring the system.
Most unwanted activations come down to the wrong detector in the wrong place: a smoke detector near a kitchen, shower or dusty workshop, for example. During design and servicing, we look closely at detector types and positions, using heat or multisensor detectors where they make more sense.
If your current system keeps activating for no reason, we can investigate the causes and fix them properly rather than simply resetting the panel.
Integration With Your Other Building Systems
A modern fire alarm does more than sound a bell. When it activates, it may need to release magnetic door holders, unlock doors controlled by access control, return lifts to the ground floor, shut down ventilation or signal to a monitoring centre. Getting this cause and effect right is critical, and it is where problems often appear when different contractors install different systems without talking to each other.
Because our engineers cover electrical, fire, emergency lighting and security work, we design and test these interfaces as one joined up system. The same applies when your building changes. New walls and rooms during an office refurbishment affect how smoke and heat travel, so we alter and extend detection to match the new layout and recommission the system before it is handed back.
Because our engineers cover electrical, fire, emergency lighting and security work, we design and test these interfaces as one joined up system. The same applies when your building changes. New walls and rooms during an office refurbishment affect how smoke and heat travel, so we alter and extend detection to match the new layout and recommission the system before it is handed back.
Servicing, Maintenance & Documentation
We build a servicing schedule around your system, your building and your insurer's requirements, in line with BS 5839. During each visit, we test detectors, call points, sounders, visual alarm devices, batteries and the control panel, check the system's interfaces and record everything.
Between services, routine user tests by the building's responsible person keep the system proven, and we show your staff exactly how to carry them out and record them.
When we install or alter a system, you receive the full set of design, installation and commissioning certificates, along with as fitted drawings showing where every device is located. This is the documentation your fire risk assessor, insurer and building control will expect to see. We can also take over the maintenance of existing systems installed by other companies, starting with a full inspection and a clear report on its condition. For rented homes and houses, we install interlinked smoke and heat alarms through our domestic installations service.
Between services, routine user tests by the building's responsible person keep the system proven, and we show your staff exactly how to carry them out and record them.
When we install or alter a system, you receive the full set of design, installation and commissioning certificates, along with as fitted drawings showing where every device is located. This is the documentation your fire risk assessor, insurer and building control will expect to see. We can also take over the maintenance of existing systems installed by other companies, starting with a full inspection and a clear report on its condition. For rented homes and houses, we install interlinked smoke and heat alarms through our domestic installations service.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How often does a fire alarm need servicing?
- Which category of fire alarm system do I need?
- Can you take over servicing of a system installed by another company?
- Why does our fire alarm keep going off for no reason?
- Do you install fire alarms in occupied buildings?
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