Kidde Firexmakes the Grade

A new edition of the Code of Practice for fire alarms in housing – BS 5839-6:2019 – has just been published.

Here, important new changes to ‘Grades’ (the reliability of a system in terms of its power sources) include sub-division of Grade D mains smoke and heat alarms into: Grade D1 with a tamper proof standby battery; and Grade D2 with a “loose” user replaceable standby battery.

Minimum recommended Grades and Categories (in which areas smoke/heat alarms are required for detection) for various types of housing are set out in Table 1 of the Code. This table has been simplified in the 2019 edition with just two columns: existing and new or materially altered properties – as Kidde proposed some time ago. Grade D1 mains alarms are now recommended as the minimum for all rented properties (but not battery-only), with Grade D2 applicable to some owner-occupied homes only.

As a straightforward, low-cost early warning, installation of interconnected mains smoke and heat alarms is an essential first step in making all housing safer. And the impact of a few additional smoke and heat alarms in homes is negligible – Kidde Firex smoke and heat alarms cost less than £1 per year to operate, a major benefit for tenants. The Firex range includes product options to meet either Grade D1 or D2 requirements of the new Code.

Up to 23 Firex alarms can be interlinked to create a straightforward, low-energy, lowcost network for protection throughout the home. But they can also interconnect with Kidde’s 4MCO and 4MDCO mains-powered carbon monoxide alarms, using the unique ‘Smart Interconnect’ feature. Here, all the alarms sound when one is triggered with different, distinct alarm sounder patterns for carbon monoxide or fire – an essential facility required by the Code.

So, without the need for any further hardware or operation of the system, Smart Interconnect automatically alerts occupants to the specific hazard that confronts them. The 2019 edition of the Code now recognizes facilities such as this, stating that: “Mains powered CO alarms conforming to BS EN 50291 and installed in accordance with BS EN 50292 may also be interlinked with the fire detection and alarm system if the manufacturer of all the components makes such a recommendation”.

kiddesafetyeurope.co.uk