Why is the Weekly Test so important?

• Legal Compliance: Regular, documented testing is your evidence of compliance with fire safety legislation. This isn't just about avoiding penalties; it's about demonstrating your commitment to safety.
• Operational Assurance: A functioning alarm ensures that in a real emergency, everyone receives a prompt warning, allowing for a swift and safe evacuation. This can prevent panic and potential injuries.
• Early Fault Detection: Small issues, if left unaddressed, can lead to significant system failures. Weekly tests help you catch these minor faults early, preventing costly emergency repairs and ensuring your system is always ready.
• Occupant Familiarity: Regular testing helps familiarise occupants with the sound of the alarm and reinforces your evacuation procedures. This makes real emergencies less chaotic and more efficient.
• Insurance Validation: Many insurance policies require proof of regular fire safety checks, including alarm testing. Inadequate records could potentially invalidate a claim.

Who's Responsible for the Weekly Test?

Simply put, the "responsible person" for the premises. This may be the business owner, facilities manager, the landlord, or a designated competent individual appointed by them to conduct this test.

Basic Step-by-Step Weekly Test process:

• Communicate Clearly: Before you begin, give notice and inform all building occupants that a test is about to take place. Ideally, the test should take place on the same day weekly and at the same time, e.g.,11am every Wednesday. If your fire alarm system is connected to an Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC), which typically alerts keyholders or the fire brigade, you must notify them before and after the test.
• Activate a Manual Call Point (Rotating Basis): Each week, you should activate a different manual call point (the red "break glass" units). Use the specific test key provided for this purpose. By rotating which call point you use, you ensure that every unit throughout your premises is tested over time.
• Listen and Observe: Confirm that all fire alarm sounders operate satisfactorily and can be heard clearly throughout the entire building. 
• Check Ancillary Devices (If Applicable): These are links to other fire safety equipment like: Automatic door releases, smoke ventilation systems, lift controls etc, verify that these devices also operate correctly when the alarm is triggered.
• Check your Fire Alarm Control Panel: If it's an addressable system, it should accurately display the location of the device you've activated along with its unique device number, and the zone it's in.  If your system is a conventional type, it will only show the zone in fire that the device is in.
• Silence and Reset: Once you're satisfied that everything has worked as expected, silence the alarm. Once the sounders have stopped, then reset the fire alarm control panel. It's crucial to ensure the system is fully returned to a normal, operational state. Note - if amber L.E.D's are lit after resetting, this could indicate either faults or disabled devices on the system. 
• Final Steps - Record the Test: This is a critical step for compliance and safety. All details of the weekly test must be formally recorded in a fire safety logbook. If you put your system on test with your Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) make sure they received the fire signal, then take the system off test.

Beyond the Weekly Test

While you can manage the weekly test in-house, remember that comprehensive fire alarm inspections and servicing is mandatory and should always be carried out by a competent professional at least every six months to ensure your system remains in optimal condition, protecting your people and your property effectively.

WR Fire Solutions offers a wide range of services including, Fire Alarm Weekly Testing, Fire Alarm Panel training to master your own systems, Fire Alarm Maintenance Contracts, and more.

If you have any enquiry, please don't hesitate to Get in touch

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