Welcome. New extra-care and residential care developments are changing how older people live across North Wales. Fire safety must develop with them.
A fire alarm system should not be treated as an item to add near project completion. It should form part of the building’s fire strategy from the first design discussions.
This is particularly important where residents may have limited mobility, dementia, sensory impairments or require staff assistance during an evacuation.
North Wales care developments highlight the need for early planning
The Aethwy Extra Care project at Tyddyn Mostyn, Menai Bridge, is a significant current development in Anglesey. Public information describes a scheme of approximately 45 extra-care apartments, a residential care home and community facilities. Construction formally started in June 2026, with completion currently expected around late 2028.
You can read more about the project through Anglesey Council’s extra-care information.
A separate approved development at the former Plas Ifan Hotel in Northop Hall is planned as an 80-bed residential care facility. The planning reference is FUL/000554/25. Planning conditions are being progressed, although public planning information does not confirm that construction has started.
These examples show the scale and complexity of modern care provision. Dragon Security & Electrical Ltd is not involved in either project. They provide useful local context for developers, operators and facilities teams reviewing fire safety requirements for new or refurbished care premises.
Start with the fire strategy
A fire alarm system must support the building’s wider fire strategy. It must not be designed in isolation.
Begin by reviewing:
- The building layout.
- The number and type of residents.
- Sleeping accommodation.
- Staff levels and shift patterns.
- Evacuation procedures.
- Compartmentation.
- Fire doors.
- Sprinklers or other suppression systems.
- Refuge areas.
- Kitchen, laundry and plant-room risks.
- The expected response of staff and emergency services.
The responsible person, design team, fire engineer and fire alarm specialist should agree the required level of protection before equipment is selected.
A care home and an extra-care apartment scheme may have different evacuation arrangements. Some residents may remain in their apartments during a phased evacuation. Others may require immediate assistance. The alarm design, zoning, sounders, visual indicators and staff procedures must reflect those arrangements.
Select suitable care home fire alarm systems
Care premises commonly require automatic detection throughout areas where a fire could develop and threaten residents or escape routes.
The exact category and coverage must follow the fire risk assessment and system design. Do not select a category simply because it was used on another project.
Consider the following areas:
- Resident bedrooms and apartments.
- Corridors and protected escape routes.
- Stairways and lobbies.
- Communal lounges and dining areas.
- Kitchens and catering facilities.
- Laundry rooms.
- Plant rooms.
- Electrical intake and distribution areas.
- Storage rooms.
- Roof spaces and service voids.
- Lift lobbies and lift shafts where required by the design.
BS 5839-1:2025 is the current edition of the British Standard code of practice for fire detection and fire alarm systems in non-domestic premises. It replaced BS 5839-1:2017 in April 2025.
The 2025 edition includes updated guidance on sleeping risks, escape routes, system modifications, remote monitoring, documentation, false-alarm reduction and cybersecurity. It should be considered during new designs, extensions and alterations.
The standard is a code of practice, not a substitute for a project-specific fire risk assessment or fire engineering design. Confirm the applicable requirements with the competent design team and relevant approving parties.
Divide the building into useful alarm zones
Alarm zoning supports evacuation, incident management and fault finding.
Zones should help staff identify the affected area quickly. A large building should not rely on one vague zone covering several floors or accommodation wings.
Review the proposed zoning against:
- Floors.
- Wings.
- Fire compartments.
- Separate accommodation blocks.
- Communal areas.
- Plant and service areas.
- Phased evacuation arrangements.
- Fire and rescue service access.
Provide accurate zone plans at the control and indicating equipment. Update them when the building layout changes.
The cause-and-effect information should also be documented. It should show how the fire alarm interacts with systems such as:
- Door holders.
- Access-controlled doors.
- Automatic doors.
- Smoke control systems.
- Lifts.
- Ventilation.
- Building management systems.
- Nurse call or staff alert systems where interfaces are specified.
Test every interface during commissioning. Record the result. Do not assume that a connected system will operate correctly because it was wired correctly.
Include emergency lighting and electrical testing
Alarm detection is only one part of life safety.
Emergency lighting must support residents, staff and visitors when normal power fails or smoke affects visibility. Review corridors, stairs, exits, changes of level, communal areas, plant rooms and external escape routes.
Dragon provides emergency lighting installation, testing and maintenance for commercial, healthcare and residential premises. Testing should form part of the building’s ongoing compliance programme.
Electrical installations also require inspection and testing. Faults, overheating, damaged equipment and poor connections can create fire risks or disrupt life-safety systems.
Include suitable electrical testing services within the project and planned preventative maintenance programme. Coordinate electrical inspection with fire alarm, emergency lighting and generator or backup-power testing.
Design fire alarm monitoring from day one
Local alarm sounders are essential. They may not be enough when a building is unoccupied, when staff are dealing with another emergency or when a fault prevents a signal from reaching the intended recipient.
Fire alarm monitoring transmits alarm and fault signals to an Alarm Receiving Centre, commonly known as an ARC. The ARC can then follow the agreed response procedure.
The monitoring arrangement must be designed with the system. Confirm:
- Which signals will be transmitted.
- Which fire alarm panel outputs are required.
- How faults will be identified.
- Who receives the signals.
- What out-of-hours procedure applies.
- How keyholder details are maintained.
- How test signals are scheduled.
- How loss of communication is reported.
- What the insurer requires.
- What the monitoring provider can support.
BS 5839-1:2025 contains specific provisions relating to remote monitoring for residential care homes. The project team should review the relevant requirements rather than relying on an existing communicator or telephone connection.
Monitoring does not guarantee automatic fire service attendance. The ARC response, verification arrangements, emergency contact process and any connection to public emergency services depend on the agreed system, provider procedures, site arrangements and applicable requirements.
Consider dual-path signalling
A care facility may need resilient signalling with more than one communication path.
A dual-path device can use combinations such as:
- Wired IP and mobile network.
- Two independent mobile paths.
- Other arrangements approved for the required risk and performance level.
The appropriate solution depends on the fire risk assessment, fire alarm design, monitoring provider, insurer and applicable standards.
CSL provides fire alarm signalling solutions for connection to ARCs. Its published information includes dual-path products and describes monitored connectivity for fire alarm systems. CSL equipment may include devices such as the GradeShift Pro 2 Fire or other products selected by the monitoring provider and system designer.
Review the CSL alarm signalling information before specifying equipment. Confirm the current product certification, configuration and installation requirements.
EN 54-21 is the European product standard for alarm transmission and fault warning routing equipment. Reference to EN 54-21 must relate to the actual device, installation configuration and service arrangement. Do not describe a system as compliant solely because it uses an IP or mobile communicator.
Build staff procedures into commissioning
A good system can fail if staff do not know what to do when it operates.
Before handover, provide training covering:
- Alarm indications.
- Zone identification.
- Evacuation procedures.
- Phased evacuation.
- Resident assistance.
- False-alarm management.
- Fire panel silencing and resetting.
- Fault reporting.
- ARC test procedures.
- Out-of-hours contacts.
- Isolation controls.
- Contractor access.
- Record keeping.
Care homes should also review procedures when residents’ needs, staffing levels or room layouts change.
Keep the fire alarm control panel accessible to authorised staff. Protect it from unauthorised changes. Maintain clear records of tests, faults, isolations, repairs and modifications.
Plan maintenance before opening
Commissioning is the start of the maintenance programme, not the end of it.
Agree a planned preventative maintenance schedule covering:
- Fire alarm control equipment.
- Detectors.
- Manual call points.
- Sounders and visual indicators.
- Power supplies and batteries.
- Interfaces.
- Zone plans.
- Cause-and-effect documentation.
- Signalling equipment.
- ARC communications.
- Emergency lighting.
- Related electrical supplies.
BS 5839-1:2025 includes updated guidance on maintenance, system modifications and documentation. Confirm the inspection intervals and testing requirements for the installed system with the responsible person, maintenance provider and relevant design documentation.
Do not make informal changes. Adding partitions, converting rooms, changing doors or altering ventilation can affect detector coverage and system performance. Review the design before work begins.
Use one coordinated compliance plan
For care-home developers and operators, the practical approach is simple:
- Start the fire risk assessment early.
- Define the evacuation strategy.
- Select the fire alarm category and coverage.
- Coordinate zoning with compartmentation.
- Specify emergency lighting.
- Design ARC signalling and fault reporting.
- Confirm insurer and monitoring-provider requirements.
- Document cause and effect.
- Test every interface.
- Train staff before occupation.
- Maintain the system through a planned programme.
- Review the design after every building alteration.
Dragon Security & Electrical Ltd supports commercial, healthcare, public-sector and residential clients with fire alarm installation, commissioning, monitoring, maintenance and electrical services across North Wales and beyond.
Our fire services team can help review your requirements and coordinate a suitable approach with your project team. Contact Dragon on 01492 330330 or use the contact page.
Dragon Security & Electrical Ltd is a North Wales fire alarm and electrical contractor. We provide practical advice based on the building, its occupants and the required level of protection.