If you own or manage a business in Glastonbury, your fire alarm system is almost certainly a legal requirement — and maintaining it is not optional. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 places a clear duty on the Responsible Person to ensure that fire detection and alarm systems are maintained in good working order. Yet across Glastonbury and Somerset, we regularly encounter businesses where maintenance has lapsed, log books are incomplete, and systems have not been professionally serviced for years.
Who Is the Responsible Person?
Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the Responsible Person is the individual with control over the premises. In most Glastonbury businesses, this is:
- The employer, if the premises are a workplace
- The person who has control of the premises in connection with their trade, business, or undertaking
- The owner, if no one else has control — for example, in vacant premises or common areas of multi-occupied buildings
The Responsible Person has a legal obligation to carry out a fire risk assessment, implement its recommendations, and ensure that fire safety systems — including fire alarms — are properly maintained. Failure to do so is a criminal offence.
What Does Fire Alarm Maintenance Actually Involve?
BS 5839-1 defines a structured maintenance regime for fire alarm systems. For Glastonbury businesses, this translates into three tiers of activity:
Weekly Testing
The Responsible Person or a nominated competent person should test the fire alarm system every week. This involves:
- Activating a different manual call point each week on a rotating basis so that every call point is tested over the course of a year
- Confirming that the panel receives the signal and activates the sounders
- Checking that the panel is showing a normal healthy condition with no outstanding faults
- Recording the test in the fire alarm log book, including the date, call point tested, and name of the person conducting the test
Quarterly Inspection
Every three months, a more detailed inspection should be carried out. This is typically performed by the in-house responsible person but may also be carried out by a competent fire alarm contractor. It includes:
- Visual inspection of all detectors, call points, and sounders for damage, contamination, or obstruction
- Checking that no building alterations have compromised detector coverage or cable routes
- Verifying that all fire alarm zones are correctly labelled and correspond to the zone chart
- Testing battery backup by simulating mains failure
- Reviewing the log book for consistency and completeness
Annual Servicing
At least once per year, the fire alarm system must be serviced by a competent fire alarm engineer. This is a comprehensive inspection that includes:
- Functional testing of every detector, call point, and sounder in the system
- Sensitivity testing of smoke detectors to confirm they are operating within the manufacturer's specified range
- Testing all cause-and-effect interfaces — door holders, HVAC shutdown, monitoring centre transmission, access control override
- Battery load testing and replacement if necessary
- Inspection of all cabling for damage, deterioration, or non-compliance
- Issuing a service report and updating the log book
The Log Book: Your Most Important Document
The fire alarm log book is the primary record of your compliance. It should contain:
- Records of all weekly tests, quarterly inspections, and annual servicing
- Details of any faults identified and the actions taken to resolve them
- Records of any false alarms, including the cause and any corrective measures
- Details of any modifications, additions, or alterations to the system
- The current fire risk assessment and any recommendations relating to the fire alarm
If a fire authority inspector visits your Glastonbury premises, the log book will be the first document they ask to see. Incomplete or missing log book records are one of the most common triggers for enforcement action.
Consequences of Missed Maintenance
The penalties for failing to maintain a fire alarm system are severe and can be imposed on the Responsible Person personally:
- Enforcement notices — Requiring specific improvements within a set timeframe
- Prohibition notices — Preventing use of all or part of the premises until the fire safety deficiency is rectified
- Criminal prosecution — Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order, fines are unlimited for serious breaches, and custodial sentences of up to two years are possible
- Insurance invalidation — Most commercial insurance policies require evidence of maintained fire detection. A lapsed maintenance programme can void fire-related claims
- Civil liability — If a fire causes injury or death and the alarm system was not maintained, the Responsible Person faces personal civil liability
How Affinity Fire & Security Supports Glastonbury Business Owners
We provide planned maintenance programmes for fire alarm systems across Glastonbury and Somerset. Our service includes:
- Scheduled quarterly and annual visits by qualified fire alarm engineers
- Full functional testing of every device in the system
- Detailed service reports and log book updates
- Priority response for faults and emergency call-outs
- Guidance on weekly testing procedures for your staff
- Compliance advice aligned with BS 5839-1:2025 and the Regulatory Reform Order
As a specialist fire and security contractor, our maintenance service meets the highest independent standards. Get in touch with our team to discuss a maintenance programme for your Glastonbury business.
Talk to a Local Engineer
If you would like honest advice, a clear written quote, or help with compliance paperwork,get in touch with our team. We are a small, experienced South West team, and we look after every customer properly — no pushy sales, no hidden extras, and documentation you can rely on.
