Fire & Safety
Fire alarm zone plans – an essential requirement
With ongoing updates to fi re safety standards, it’s vital to understand the role of fi re alarm zone plans.
U
nder BS 5839-1:2025, it is essential that all buildings with a fi re alarm system have an up-to-date, accurate zone plan. Here, ESP product manager Matt Parton explains what wholesalers and contractors need to know, and how, as a leading supplier of fi re protection solutions, ESP can help with practical products and support for electrical wholesalers and their customers.
Fire safety is a critical aspect of building management, yet it is often underestimated until an emergency arises. One of the most eff ective tools in ensuring rapid response during a fi re incident is a fi re alarm zone plan. These plans are more than just diagrams - they are strategic frameworks that guide occupants and emergency responders during critical situations.
What is a fi re alarm zone plan? A fi re alarm zone plan is a clear, visual diagram - usually displayed next to a fi re alarm control panel - that shows the layout of a building, highlighting the areas of fi re detection zones. The main purpose of a zone plan is to be able to immediately identify where any potential fi re may have occurred. This enables people responding to a fi re alarm signal (including staff on the premises and fi refi ghters) to be given unambiguous information as to the location of a fi re (clause 22 commentary). The zone plan should also include: • Building entrances • Escape routes and fi nal exits (exits that open out into a place of safety, such as a car park or concourse)
• Main circulation areas (corridors, stairs, lifts etc)
• The division into zones
Why are fi re alarm zone plans necessary?
Under BS5839-1:2025, it is essential that all buildings with a fi re alarm system have an up-to-date, accurate zone plan. The zone plan should be agreed prior to an order being placed for the system, and the person(s) responsible for it should be clearly defi ned, agreed and documented (clause 5.7).
A zone plan should be provided adjacent to 32 | electrical wholesalerFebruary 2026
“Under BS 5839-1:2025, it is essential that all buildings with a fi re alarm system have an up-to-date, accurate fi re alarm zone plan.”
each item of control and indicating equipment (CIE) (clause 22.2.5). An accurate, up-to-date plan, such as that provided by ESP, helps the fi re service by quickly directing them to the origin of the raised alarm. It saves valuable time in both genuine and false activations.
The standard states that zone plans are required on every system of any size and should also be noted as a major non-compliance during routine maintenance, when they are not displayed (clause 6.6).
What are the requirements of a fi re alarm zone plan?
Clause 22.2.5 recommends that the diagrammatic representation should comprise one of the following:
a) an illuminated mimic diagram b) a VDU with an appropriate back-up; or c) a printed, correctly orientated, zone plan
ewnews.co.uk
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