The British Standard on emergency voice communication (EVC) systems has now been revised to reflect industry and legislative changes. Let's considers what the standard covers and the role of EVC systems. 

According to British Standard BS 5839-9, an EVC system is one that allows voice communication in either direction between a central control point and a number of other points throughout a building or building complex, particularly in a fire emergency situation. Specifically, it’s a means of communicating during an emergency with people in refuges; with fire wardens, fire marshals, and firefighters in firefighting lobbies; and with stewards at sporting events. It is not - other than in exceptional circumstances - a means of raising a fire alarm.

The standard has now been updated to reflect industry changes and the latest regulatory and legislative requirements for building evacuation. The revised version is BS 5839-9:2021 Fire detection and fire alarm systems for buildings Part 9: Code of practice for the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of emergency voice communication systems.

What’s in the standard?

BS 5839-9:2021 exists to give guidance to those who specify, design, manufacture, install, commission, maintain and use emergency voice communication systems. The standard covers systems with components linked by wires, wirelessly, or a combination of both. It’s not intended to cover general purpose intercom systems, lift intercom systems, local (internal) telephone systems for general use, or any external communication systems, such as the public switched telephone network and cellular telephone networks. Nor does it cover voice alarm systems that are primarily intended for the automatic broadcasting of evacuation messages; these are covered by BS 5839-8. Nor does it recommend whether or not an emergency voice communication system should be installed or not on a given premises.

What it does do, however, is give recommendations for the planning, design, installation, commissioning, and maintenance of EVC systems in and around buildings and at sports, entertainment, and similar venues as part of a fire safety strategy. It supplies comprehensive guidance on how to install an EVC from planning to training, monitoring, inspection, and certification.

Life safety

The standard is broken down into six main sections, with the first providing general information. It looks at terms and definitions; at the need for an EVC system; at the exchange of information and definition of responsibilities; and at variations from the recommendations given in the standard.

Section 2 focuses on design considerations including purpose; system circuitry and software; audio and data signal paths; fault monitoring and indication; outstations; master stations; power supplies; cables, wiring, and other interconnections; wireless linked EVC systems; environmental conditions; electromagnetic compatibility; and electrical safety.

Section 3 covers installation, including the responsibilities of the installer; installation practices and workmanship; and testing of wiring. Section 4 deals with commissioning and handover including documentation, certification, acceptance, verification, and training. Section 5 gives maintenance recommendations including routine testing, inspection and servicing, and non-routine attention.

The sixth and final section concentrates on user responsibilities and includes guidance on how to keep a logbook. Annexes A, B, C, and D give informative and normative information that includes access levels; how to calculate standby battery capacity; and model certificates.

Emergency voice communication systems are used in connection with life safety and must, therefore, be subject to high standards of design, manufacture, installation, commissioning, and maintenance. This code of practice is important because its use can help ensure that high standards of reliability, safety, and security are achieved, together with acceptably high standards of performance.

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