New Standard for Warning Beacons: Will You Be Affected?

Our guide to the standard for visual alarm devices, BS EN 54-23:2010.

The use of warning beacons as part of fire alarm systems has certainly increased in recent years. They’ve appeared in public buildings, shopping centres, and care facilities. This seems like a very sensible development. A visual warning is not only essential for those who have impaired hearing, they’re also necessary in industrial environments where there are high noise levels and/or ear defenders are worn.

But did you ever wonder how many you need, whether there was a common standard for beacons, where they should be mounted, etc.?

The “new” standard

There are British and European standards for a multitude of pieces of equipment on the market. Many of these standards ensure that there is fairness within the common market as well as consistency in product quality/safety. However, not all of them are mandatory.

One standard that has been non-compulsory up until now is BS EN 54-23:2010 — “Fire detection and fire alarm systems. Fire alarm devices. Visual alarm devices.” This European Standard sets out the requirements, test methods, and performance criteria for beacons, otherwise known as visual alarm devices (VADs).

The standard applies only where the purpose of the VAD is to give a visual warning of a fire to the occupants of a building. It doesn’t, for example, apply to a visual indicator on an alarm panel or detector.

The other restriction is that it applies “only to pulsing or flashing visual alarm devices, for example xenon beacons or rotating beacons. Devices giving continuous light output are excluded” (BSI).

Status change

From December 2013, all products of this type will need to be CE marked to show they meet BS EN 54-23 (an extension of the previous deadline, because of delays in manufacturers achieving the certified standard).

The manufacturer will need to ensure that any product which is CE marked meets with the conformity criteria described in the standard and has also been through the prescribed testing and evaluation process.

In theory, until December 2013, any beacon can be used as part of a European fire alarm system. However, for clients and others specifying systems, it would certainly make sense to ensure that beacons meeting BS EN 54-23 are used.

And as you’d find with the majority of British Standards, there’s no retrospective impact, i.e., no legal requirement to change existing equipment which has been installed. If you have VADs as part of your system, however, you ought to consider their effectiveness.

Classes

BS EN 54-23 VADs will need to deliver on light output, construction, and flammability. There are three categories:

• Wall mounted;
• Ceiling mounted;
• Open class.

Each category has specific targets for light distribution patterns, but a minimum luminance always applies, and the flash rate should be between 0.5Hz and 2Hz.

Wall mounted VADs will have a mounting height of at least 2.4m, higher if specified by the manufacturer. The manufacturer’s coding of the product will indicate the mounting height plus the width of a square room the VAD can cover.

Click here to view Figure 1.

Ceiling mounted VADs give broad coverage in regular shaped rooms. The coding of the product should tell the purchaser the height of the ceiling (3, 6, or 9m) it is designed for and the diameter of the cylinder of light it will produce.

The open class category is looser and allows for different light distribution patterns, but the coverage must still be clearly stated in the manufacturer’s information.

Click here to view Figure 2.

Implications

Unless you’re involved in the fire alarm business, the impact won’t be obvious, but there are fairly significant practical implications of implementing the new standard, especially around the specified light output criteria. The FIA has explained in a report on the subject: “To meet the requirements of BS EN 54-23 and cover a practical room size encountered in most situations, VADs will be required to have higher light output levels than those generally used in the market. Consequently, this means increased power will be required.”

BS EN54-23 requires a minimum luminance of 0.4 lux or 0.4lm/m2. The manufacturer can then indicate the distance over which this is achieved by their product. To achieve the required luminance levels, supplementary power supplies may be needed, although the emergence of LED devices should assist.

Another significant implication is the possibility of moving to white lights rather than red. It’s easier to achieve the luminance with white light — sticking with red light will require greater current to achieve the minimum luminance. But, inevitably, there will be resistance to a move away from red, which is strongly associated with fire, and which does not carry the same risk of confusion — and the requirement to have the same colour across a whole site is not one which should be ignored.

A potentially negative effect of the new beacons is that when placed in corridors and stairways, they could create a glare problem, reducing occupants vision at the critical moment.

Want to know more?

The FIA and LPCB have published “A Code of Practice for Visual Alarm Devices used for Fire Warning,” which gives further guidance and recommendations on the planning, design, installation, commissioning, and maintenance of VADs.