Every month from the panel, and a full test once a year. AS 1851-2012 has the emergency warning and intercom system activated from the panel monthly, with two-way communication proved on the warden handsets and the evacuation tone sounded to every zone. The annual routine tests the speaker circuits, strobes, handsets, panel controls, remote power supplies and battery capacity, checks amplifier outputs, measures sound levels for intelligibility and proves the integration with the fire indicator panel. Many contractors run a fuller six-monthly test as recommended practice; the standard's routines are monthly and yearly.
The intervals
| Interval | What happens | Who |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly | Activation from the panel; two-way communication on the warden handsets; evacuation tone sounded to every zone and heard. | Fire services contractor |
| Six-monthly (recommended practice) | Many contractors run a fuller test of speaker circuits, strobes, handsets, panel controls and remote power supplies at this interval; the standard's routines are monthly and yearly. | Fire services contractor |
| Annual | Full system test: speaker circuits, strobes, handsets, panel controls, remote power supplies, battery capacity, amplifier outputs, sound level measurements for intelligibility, integration with the fire indicator panel, logbook completed. | Fire services contractor |
| At any change to the layout or use | Sound levels re-measured where partitions, ceilings or the noise level of a space have changed; zones re-checked against the evacuation plan. | Fire services contractor |
Who does it and what to keep
A fire services contractor, coordinated with the venue so the monthly tone does not empty a function room: most buildings run it before opening or announce it. The record is the system logbook: each monthly activation with the zones proved, the annual sound level readings by zone against the required level, the battery capacity result, defects and repairs. The evacuation plan and the warden list are kept with it, because the handset test only means something if the wardens know how to use them. In New South Wales the system is an essential fire safety measure on the annual fire safety statement.
The rule behind the interval
AS 1851-2012 Routine service of fire protection systems and equipment, Section 8, sets the intervals for emergency warning and intercom systems. AS 1670.4 is the design and installation standard the sound levels and zones were commissioned to. The building regulation of each state requires the system to be maintained to the standard it was approved with, and the evacuation procedures it supports are set by AS 3745.
Common questions
Does the monthly test have to sound the tone through the whole building?
The standard's monthly routine sounds the evacuation tone to every zone. Buildings that trade through the day run the test before opening or during a quiet period with an announcement first; it is not optional because a zone that has gone quiet is exactly what the test exists to find.
What are the sound level measurements for?
The alert and evacuation tones have to be heard and understood above the background noise of each space. The annual measurement checks each zone against the level the system was designed to, and a bar that has added a sound system or a gym that has moved is where it fails.
Put it in the register
An interval only holds when the asset is listed with its tasks, its contractor and where the record lives. Standara's library carries this asset with the tasks above attached, so adding it to a site's register produces the year's schedule, the monthly to-do list and the completion record the auditor or insurer asks for. The fuller picture, with the neighbouring assets and the rule behind each interval, is in the AS 1851 maintenance schedule.
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- A worked example: one club's register, planner and records for a year
- All guides and answers