IS3218:2009 has now been issued by NSAI and supersedes IS3218:1989. As in the case of Emergency Lighting, it is clear that an existing premises with a fire detection system which complies with IS3218:1989 cannot be expected to immediately conform to the additional requirements of IS3218:2009.
Likewise contractors certifying such installations should not certify them as being in compliance with the 2009 Standard when in fact they may not be so, but should certify these installations as being compliant with the 1989 Standard.
All new installations must of course be designed, constructed and tested for full compliance with the most recent Standard.
A member has recently reported to us that on checking the fire detection installation in a pub, he found that all the detector heads fitted were in fact heat detectors. These would probably have been the only practical units to use when smoking in pubs was common place, but now that the practice is no longer permitted in pubs, clubs or restaurants, it would provide far better detection to replace heat detectors with smoke detectors, and where possible, the owners or occupiers of the premises should be encouraged to do so.