Kilkenny Fire Service have expressed their concerns to RECI regarding the low standard of knowledge in relation to IS:3218 and IS:3217 among some electrical contractors.
RECI have been requested to inform all registered contractors who are involved with the design, installation, commissioning, and testing and maintenance of fire detection and alarm systems, and emergency lighting systems of the concerns expressed by Kilkenny Fire and Rescue Service.
Kilkenny Fire Authority is of the view that members of the NSAI registration scheme would be preferable, and may be more suited to be the designers, commissioners and certifiers of fire detection and alarm systems in high-risk premises ie: Purpose Group 2a type premises, ie hospitals, nursing homes, boarding schools. If improvement is not observed by Kilkenny Fire Authority over the next months it will consider issuing a fire service order stating that it will only accept certificates of compliance from designers, commissioners and certifiers of fire detection and alarm systems in these high-risk premises who are accredited by this NSAI scheme.
Emergency Lighting Systems IS:3217
Some model forms as per IS:3217 submitted to Kilkenny Fire Authority state that the premises is compliant with IS:3217 and compliant with section 6.6 and 6.7. Inspecting Fire Officers found these premises not to be compliant on various counts. Kilkenny Fire Service Authority regard these active engineering systems as ‘Life Safety Systems’ and suggest that registered contractors give these critical ‘Life Safety Systems’ equal respect.
Section 18 (2) of the Fire Service Acts 1981 as amended, is quoted as follows:
It shall be the duty of every person having control over premises to which this section applies to:
(a) Take all reasonable measures to guard against the outbreak of fire on such premises;
(b) Provide reasonable fire safety measures for such premises and prepare and provide appropriate fire safety procedures for insuring the safety of persons on such premises;
(c) Ensure that the fire safety measures and procedures referred to in paragraph (b) are applied at all times;
(d) Ensure as far as is reasonably practical the safety of persons on the premises in the event of an outbreak of fire whether such outbreak has occurred or not.
A person convicted of an offence under the above may be liable to a maximum fine of €130,000 and/or imprisonment for a period not exceeding two years.