Evacuation Alert Systems for High-Rise Blocks of Flats

In the winter edition of ARMA’s AQD Magazine, NSI Chief Executive Richard Jenkins discusses the significance of BAFE’s new SP207 Evacuation Alert Systems Scheme for Residential Management Agents of high rise buildings. Calling up BS 8629, the ‘Code of Practice for the Design, Installation, Commissioning and Maintenance of Evacuation Alert Systems, these enable Fire & Rescue Services to prioritise evacuation from residential high rise buildings so people at risk in endangered areas e.g. particular floors, or parts of a floor in a building, can be safely evacuated. They provide an extra degree of assurance that should evacuation be necessary, the signal to leave can be effectively communicated to all within the building.

Developed in response to the revision of the Technical Domestic Handbook in Scotland and a recommendation from the Grenfell Tower Phase 1 inquiry report,  SP207 responds to the need for blocks of flats over 18m in height and where a “stay put” policy is in place, to be provided with the means for Fire & Rescue Services to initiate an evacuation alert signal within flats in a controlled and managed way.

As one of the industry bodies involved since the inception of this scheme and the first Certification Body to be awarded accreditation by UKAS in October 2020, Richard explains what the scheme means for ‘Responsible Persons’ or ‘Duty Holders’ of high-rise flats, including the assurance of the ‘MOT’ maintenance principle, in the form of an NSI/BAFE ‘Certificate of Compliance’ issued by the approved fire safety provider at each scheduled maintenance visit.

Read the full article here.