Extinguisher servicing cadence — still annual?

A few insurers pushing back on 6-monthly. Clients asking why. What's your standard recommendation now, and how do you answer the "why annual" question?

Cat L3 retrofit handover with nuisance alarms in week one

Retrofit on an occupied residential block. Commissioning looked clean, then a run of false alarms in the first 10 days. How do you hand over cleanly when the building is already lo…

Emergency lighting: 3-hour test — monthly or annually?

BS 5266 reads one way, occupier facilities teams read it another. What cadence are you actually specifying, and how do you phrase it in the FRA recommendation?

Watermist vs sprinklers in residential — genuinely cheaper over life?

Capex often favours watermist. Over 15 years, including servicing, does it still? Interested in honest long-term cost data.

Addressable vs conventional on <500 sqm fit-outs

Smaller retail fit-outs: conventional still has a price advantage, but is anyone actually specifying it on new work in 2026?

Smoke detection in high-dust or high-humidity environments

Every so often a client asks for reliable detection in an environment that kills standard optical detectors within weeks. Warehouses with dust, commercial kitchens, swimming pool p…

Inspection test kit — what is in your bag?

Curious what everyone carries day-to-day. My current kit: digital gap gauge, smoke pen, door gap feeler, head torch, phone camera, tape measure, laser distance meter, small mirror,…

Intumescent paint — which brands are performing on your sites?

The market is full of brands with similar-looking technical data sheets. Real-world performance is the only thing that matters. Which brands have you specified lately, and how did…

BS 5839-1 vs BS 5839-6 — who uses what, and when?

Seeing this one come up repeatedly. The short version: -1 for commercial and non-domestic premises, -6 for dwellings (domestic). But there are grey areas: HMOs at different scales…

Extinguisher servicing contracts — what to look for?

For firms that outsource extinguisher servicing: what has made the difference between a good contract and a painful one? BAFE SP101 accreditation is the baseline, but beyond that:…

Reducing false alarms — what strategies actually work?

Unwanted fire signals are still the single biggest frustration for end users and the fire service. BS 5839-1 Clause 35 gives the framework, but every building is different. I would…