Guides
Practical guides on fire alarms, extinguishers, emergency lighting and UK fire safety rules, written for installers, contractors and building managers.
Emergency Lighting
Maintained vs Non-Maintained Emergency Lighting: What's the Difference?
Maintained emergency lights stay lit all the time and keep working on battery when the mains fails. Non-maintained lights only switch on when the normal lighting supply fails. Here's how each mode works, where it's typically used, and how selectable...
Emergency Lighting
Emergency Lighting Testing: Monthly & Annual Test Guide
How often should emergency lighting be tested? Our guide covers the monthly functional flick test, the annual full rated duration test, using a test key, automatic testing and what to record in your emergency lighting log book under BS 5266-1...
Emergency Lighting
Emergency Lighting Regulations UK (BS 5266): What You Need to Know
What do the UK emergency lighting regulations require? A plain-English guide to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, BS 5266-1:2025, BS EN 1838 and BS EN 50172: escape route and open area lighting, maintained and non-maintained luminaires, and minimum...
BS 5839-6
BS 5839-6 Explained: Domestic Fire Alarm Grades & Categories
BS 5839-6 is the code of practice for fire alarms in homes. We explain the fire alarm grades (A, C, D1, D2, F1, F2), what changed in 2019, the LD1, LD2 and LD3 categories, and the minimum grade and category...
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