All products and services provided by Deaf Alerter plc fully meet all the relevant European and British Standards as well as enabling the customer to meet their obligations under British Law.
British Standards are not laws and carry no legislative status. Building Regulations - Approved Document B suggests that electrically operated fire alarms should work to the British Standard BS5839-1.
However many building insurance policies are only issued when compliance to standards has been achieved.
Adherence to British Standards can be seen as best practice. The British Standards that mainly apply to this issue are BS5839-1, BS8300 and BS5588-8.
Furthermore, under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), British Standards should apply equally to Deaf people and therefore fire alarms installed for Deaf people should meet this same standard.
It is the interlocking of the DDA and BS5839-1 that provides us with the guidance on how to address the issue of fire alarm warning for Deaf people.
BS5839-1:2002 (amendment 2004) Fire detection and alarm systems for buildings. Code of practice for system design, installation, commissioning and maintenance
The British Standard for design, installation commissioning and maintenance for fire detection and alarm systems now includes recommendations that should be followed when installing a fire alarm system for Deaf people.
It is important to recognise to fully comply with BS5839-1 the system must meet the relevant parts of EN54.This includes the technical design and testing of the equipment.
This critically important compliance is often overlooked by other suppliers that are really only installing radio paging systems with an EN54 compliant power supply.
All Deaf Alerter systems fully comply with all the relevant parts of BS5839 and EN54 that relate to fire alarms for Deaf and hard of hearing people.
BS8300: 2001 Disability Access
BS8300 states that consideration should be given to the installation of alarm/alerting systems for Deaf and hard of hearing people in conjunction with audible alarm systems. BS8300 suggests “flashing beacons or vibrating devices” but then goes on to say “certain frequencies in flashing/stroboscopic light systems can cause confusion, disorientation, and in some people, epileptic fits”.
BS5588-8:1999 Fire precautions in the design, construction and use of buildings. Code of practice for means of escape for disabled people
BS5588 is the British Standard for fire precautions in the design and construction of buildings. Part 8 of the BS5588 is the code of practice for means of escape for disabled people. The document advises designers of buildings on elements that can be incorporated into the building, either from the start or during alterations and those measures which will enable disabled people to be assisted to safety in the event of a fire. Bearing in mind the DDA, it is discriminatory not to include Deaf or hard of hearing people into a fire evacuation plan.
