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The Spacing and Siting of Fire Detection Devices

Smoke and heat detectors do not provide the same level of coverage, with smoke detectors having a radius of 7.5m and heat detectors 5.3m. Detectors should be spaced to ensure overlapping coverage and no blind spots. Detectors must be sited at least 0.5m from walls and obstructions within 300mm of the ceiling. In voids over 800mm deep, detectors should be installed; if under 1500mm they must be in the top 10% or 125mm. Fire alarm signals should achieve minimum sound levels of 65dB and 75dB in sleeping areas, requiring detectors with integrated sounders in hotel rooms. Cable protection is required below 2m unless using certain fire-rated cables.

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107 views

The Spacing and Siting of Fire Detection Devices

Smoke and heat detectors do not provide the same level of coverage, with smoke detectors having a radius of 7.5m and heat detectors 5.3m. Detectors should be spaced to ensure overlapping coverage and no blind spots. Detectors must be sited at least 0.5m from walls and obstructions within 300mm of the ceiling. In voids over 800mm deep, detectors should be installed; if under 1500mm they must be in the top 10% or 125mm. Fire alarm signals should achieve minimum sound levels of 65dB and 75dB in sleeping areas, requiring detectors with integrated sounders in hotel rooms. Cable protection is required below 2m unless using certain fire-rated cables.

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Lauren Olivos
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The spacing and siting of fire detection devices

12 April 2012

In the fifth of our Fire Doctor series, David Brown answers some frequently asked questions on
the spacing and positioning of detectors.

Do smoke and heat detectors provide the same level of coverage?


No they don’t. Smoke detection devices have an individual coverage of a 7.5m radius, while the
figure is 5.3m for heat detection devices. Where there is a requirement for more than one device
in an area, these radii must overlap to ensure that there are no blind spots. In a corridor less than
2m wide, the radii do not need to overlap, so smoke detectors, for example, can be spaced 15m
apart. Where the corridor is more than 2m wide, it is considered to be a room and overlapping
radii are necessary.

For smoke detectors, the individual coverage can be represented by a square measuring 10.6m x
10.6m giving a coverage of 112m² per device, which is usually approximated to 100m². With
heat detectors this figure is 7.5m x 7.5m, giving an area of coverage of 56m² per device which is
rounded down to 50m².

BS 5839 states that detectors should be sited no less than 0.5m from a wall. Any obstruction
which is less than 300mm from the ceiling should be treated as a wall, thus requiring a detector
either side of the obstruction. In buildings such as warehouses, measures must be in place to
ensure that stacking items too close to the ceiling does not affect the performance of the
detectors.

Do I need to site detectors in voids?


In voids of more than 800mm in depth, detection should be provided in the void. If the void is
less than 1500mm in depth, all such detection should be sited in the top 10 per cent or 125mm of
void depth, whichever is the greater.

If a detector is concealed in a relatively inaccessible area such as a ceiling or floor void, it is


normally a requirement to provide a remote indication of its operation. In an addressable system
the provision of an individual remote indicator might not be necessary, provided that the location
of each fire detector is clearly indicated at the control panel and is addressed so that you can tell
where it is located.

What is the minimum acceptable sound pressure level for fire alarm signals?
A system design should incorporate sounders that will achieve 65dB (or 5dB above any ambient
noise lasting more than 30s) in all areas of the building with all doors shut (a difference of 2-3dB
is only just perceptible to the human ear).

It is considered unnecessary to install additional fire alarm sounders in open areas if 65dB is
achieved, and the sound pressure level can be reduced to 60dB in enclosed spaces such as small
cellular offices and in stairways.
I’m about to install a fire detection system in a hotel – is there anything in particular I need
to consider?
In areas where people are sleeping the sound level needs to be 75dB at the bed-head. As this has
to be achieved with doors shut, most hotel bedrooms have a combined detector with a base
sounder or a base sounder beacon.

As with any design, you will need to take into account the reduction of sound through a door.
Sound is reduced by at least 20dB through a standard door and at least 30dB through a fire door.
To achieve 75dB at the bed-head with only sounders in a hotel corridor, the sounder would need
a minimum output of 105dB to achieve the required sound level in the bedroom. A word of
advice – this method results in considerable current consumption and installing the sounder in
the bedroom set at a lower sound pressure is a more efficient design.

Is it better to use a greater number of quieter sounders rather than a few very loud
sounders?
In order to prevent excessive sound pressure levels that can cause disorientation or even damage
to hearing, the use of a greater number of quieter sounders is always preferable to using fewer
very loud sounders.

By designing a system with more sounders at reduced volume, your design may result in longer
loops, and smaller batteries in the panel. In larger systems it can result in fewer loops, and it can
also make a difference to the size of cable required.

How far should someone have to travel to activate a manual call point?
Manual call points need to be prominently positioned, readily distinguishable from non-fire
alarm call points, and sited in a way so that it is impossible to leave a storey or a building
without passing one.

No one should have to travel more than 45m to operate a manual call point and this distance is
reduced to 25m in areas where there is a high level of fire hazard. This also applies where there
may be a high number of occupants who have limited mobility and it can reasonably be
anticipated that one of these people will be the first to operate the fire alarm system.

I’m concerned that the cables I am using for a fire detection installation in a school will get
damaged. What can I do to protect them?
Standard fire rated cables have little mechanical protection so need to be safeguarded against
physical damage or even rodent attack. However, when using mineral insulated copper sheathed
(MICC) cables conforming to BS EN 60702 and steel wire armoured (SWA) cables conforming
to BS 7846, there is no requirement for additional mechanical protection.

If you are installing “standard” fire alarm cables or “enhanced” cables other than MICC or SWA,
and they are exposed below the height of 2m from the floor, you will need to make sure they are
protected by the use of trunking or conduit.

Are there any applications that use standards besides BS 5839?


BS 6266 gives recommendations for the protection against fire of areas containing electronic
equipment, including computers, servers, internet hosting centres, switching centres, data centres
and systems for communications, design, manufacturing and distribution.

This British Standard covers medium, high and critical risk environments, also giving
recommendations for the protection against fire in adjacent areas. It specifies that the effective
area of a detector is 25m² or less due to the use of air handling units that change airflow and
affect the ability of the detectors to perform their function.

Aspirating smoke detectors are particularly suitable for use in electronic equipment areas, as they
can be programmed to be around 100 times more sensitive than point detectors.

Hochiki Europe has produced a guide to BS 5839, and a CPD presentation Understanding the
Selection, Spacing and Siting of Fire Detection Devices. For more information email Lindsay
Edmeades ledmeades@hochikieurope.com or call +44 (0)1634 266566.

Info4fire editorial clarification in response to readers' comments below:

Thanks for your comments Mike and Geoff. I believe the author’s reference to “Any
obstruction which is less than 300mm from the ceiling should be treated as a wall...” refers
to the situation when the obstruction is rising from the floor, such as a storage rack or a
partition that does not extend all the way to the ceiling. If such partitions or storage racks
reach within 300mm of the ceiling (i.e. the gap between the top of them and the ceiling is
less than 300mm), they need to be treated as walls. Obstructions dropping down from the
ceiling need to be treated differently. According to BS-5839-1, ceiling obstructions such as
beams which are deeper than 10% of the overall ceiling height should also be treated as
walls.

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