Nova Security Systems
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Fire alarm installation and commissioning

We install, test and commission your fire alarm to BS 5839-1:2025, then hand it over with certificates, a logbook, a zone plan and training, so you can show compliance from the first day.

Book a free survey Call 01303 720282

Written by Ricky Shaw, Technical Director. Last reviewed 2 October 2026.

Illustration: a single-storey floor plan with a detector and a sounder in every room, a manual call point at each of the three final exits, the control panel by the main entrance, and the fire alarm operating: first the kitchen heat detector, then the corridor smoke detector EXITEXITEXIT OfficeOfficeKitchenStore ReceptionMeetingPlantCorridor CIE 1 2 1Fire: kitchen heat detector 2Spreading: corridor Smoke detector HHeat detector Call point Sounder EXITFinal exit CIE = control panel
BAFE SP203-1
Registered No. 303674
Modules held
All four: design to maintenance
Certification body
NSI (Fire Silver)
Designed to
BS 5839-1:2025
Google reviews
120+ five-star

How we install

Planned around your building

We agree a programme with you before we start, phase the work around your trading hours and keep occupied areas clean and safe. Schools can be done in the holidays; shops and offices often in stages.

Cabling done properly

Fire-resisting cable, fixed with fire-resistant supports so it stays in place during a fire, routed and labelled to match the drawing. Where cabling would be disruptive or isn’t allowed, a wireless Ajax EN54 system may suit better.

Working with other trades

On new builds and refurbishments we work with your main contractor, electrician and door hardware supplier, so interfaces such as door releases and plant shutdown are ready when we commission.

What commissioning covers

Commissioning proves the system does what the design says. We don’t hand over until it does.

  • Every detector and call point tested and shown to report to the right zone
  • Sounder levels measured and visual alarms checked
  • Cause and effect proved device by device: door releases, plant shutdown, signalling
  • Panel configuration, device labels and zone text checked against the drawing
  • Batteries and charger tested, and standby confirmed against the battery calculation (check one with our battery size calculator)
  • Signals to your alarm receiving centre tested end to end, where the system is monitored
  • False alarm label fitted at the panel, as the 2025 edition recommends
  • Any agreed variations recorded in the logbook

Handover

At handover you sign the acceptance certificate and we train the people who will look after the system: how to read the panel, silence and reset it, and carry out the weekly call point test. You receive the full documentation pack.

  • Certificates of design, installation and commissioning
  • An operation and maintenance manual and as-fitted drawings
  • A wireless signal report, for wireless systems
  • Our on-site Fire Safety Logbook
  • Acceptance and agreed variations certificates
  • A framed zone plan, mounted beside the control panel

See every document we hand over, and why it matters

Conventional fire alarm panel with a framed zone plan above it and a Nova service label
A framed zone plan above the panel, with our service label and a note of where the logbook is kept.

Then we look after it

We can maintain what we install, so one company is responsible for your system from installation onwards.

Servicing and maintenance

How a new installation works

  1. Free site survey

    We walk the building with you, look at your fire risk assessment and agree what the system needs to do.

  2. Design and fixed price

    A BS 5839-1:2025 design and a clear fixed price, normally within five working days.

  3. Installation

    We install the system, phased around your building.

  4. Commissioning

    Every device and function tested against the design.

  5. Handover and training

    Certificates, logbook, zone plan and training for your team.

Installation questions

How long does a fire alarm installation take?

Most commercial installations take between three and ten working days on site, depending on the size of the building. Wireless systems are usually quicker.

Can you work around our opening hours?

Yes. We phase the work around your trading hours and agree noisy or disruptive work in advance.

Can you install a system someone else designed?

Yes. We hold the BAFE Installation module in its own right. We check the design first and raise anything that doesn’t follow BS 5839-1:2025 before we start.

Do I need to be there for the handover?

Someone responsible for the building should be. They sign the acceptance certificate and we show them how to use the panel and carry out the weekly test.

What experience and site credentials does your team have?

Between us we have more than 50 years’ combined experience, and the team holds SSSTS, Enhanced DBS checks, MOD site passes, IPAF and PASMA.

Book a free fire alarm survey

Tell us a little about the building and we’ll call you back within one working day. Prefer to talk? Call 01303 720282.

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Or talk to us

Call the office and you’ll speak to someone who knows fire alarms. We’re at Shearway Business Park in Folkestone.