ESP has expanded its Espire domestic fire detection range with the launch of the new Espire Fire Alarm Input Module, delivering a practical and reliable solution for seamless third-party system integration across a wide range of applications including HMOs and social housing.

Designed to operate as part of the Espire alarm system using ESP’s RF-Link wire-free technology, the new input module is powered by a sealed, non-replaceable 10-year lithium battery, providing long-term reliability while significantly simplifying installation.

The wire-free design removes the need for mains wiring to the device, making it suitable for projects where cable installation is difficult, disruptive or cost prohibitive. This allows contractors and installers to complete installations quickly and efficiently, particularly in retrofit environments.

The Espire Fire Alarm Input Module enables compatible third-party devices, including fire suppression systems such as sprinklers, to trigger connected Espire alarm sounders and deliver a clear audible warning throughout the property. This enhanced level of integration provides greater flexibility for specifiers and installers working across a wide range of domestic settings.

Ideally suited for HMOs, social housing schemes and standard residential properties, the module offers a compact footprint that fits within a standard 1-gang back box, supplied as standard, enabling discreet installation.

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Nick Atkinson, National Account Manager for Trade at FireAngel, explores how wholesalers can help contractors and housing providers meet their responsibilities by offering more than just products on shelves.

In the domestic fire detection market, compliance is often viewed as something achieved once devices are installed. But in reality, genuine compliance goes far beyond simply fitting alarms to walls or ceilings. It is a process that continues through testing, commissioning, handover, and ongoing maintenance, and getting each stage right is essential to ensuring life-saving protection and avoiding serious liability.

Compliance journey

For electrical wholesalers, understanding the full compliance journey isn’t just useful, it’s vital to providing the right solutions, advice, and products to customers. In the UK, BS 5839-6:2019+A1:2020 sets out the recognised standard for domestic fire detection and alarm systems. The guidance applies across social housing, private rental properties, houses in multiple occupation (HMOs), and new-build developments, providing clear recommendations for system design, installation, commissioning, and maintenance.

Ultimately, the aim is to ensure systems are reliable, properly installed, and capable of providing critical protection when needed most.

While product selection and system design form the foundations of compliance, there remains a misconception that simply supplying certified devices is enough to guarantee a compliant system. But as wholesalers will appreciate, the products themselves are only part of the picture. The final stages of testing, commissioning, and routine checks are equally important, and they are often where compliance gaps emerge if standards and best practices are not followed.

Even the most advanced detection system depends entirely on correct installation, testing, and consideration of real-world factors. BS 5839-6 highlights the importance of testing and commissioning of detectors using test apparatus as a vital safety requirement, not an optional extra. For wholesalers, that means understanding the wider process and being equipped to support customers with product advice that reflects the realities of working on site.

Testing verifies that detectors respond as intended, that interconnected devices communicate effectively, and that both primary and backup power supplies meet performance standards. However, real-world factors like detector placement in consideration of numerous factors such as proximity to, heating, ventilation, light fittings, walls, beams and the highest point within the protected space can all affect system reliability. If these aren’t addressed during installation and commissioning, even the best products can fall short, leaving housing providers, landlords, and contractors exposed to compliance failures and increased safety risks.

That’s why achieving compliance is a shared responsibility across the supply chain. Manufacturers, wholesalers, contractors, and housing providers all play a part. Wholesalers are often the first port of call for product advice, making it essential to have a solid understanding of standards like BS 5839-6 and the role that proper system design, installation, and maintenance play in long-term compliance.

Consistency is key

From a wholesaler perspective, this shared responsibility also extends to what is stocked, specified, and supplied. In a sector where product availability can vary between branches and regions, consistency is critical. Supplying the right products at the right time, and ensuring they meet current standards, helps installers avoid last-minute substitutions that can undermine system design or lead to non-compliant installations.

This is particularly relevant in social housing, local authority and large-scale residential projects, where compliance obligations are closely scrutinised and documentation trails are increasingly important. In these environments, wholesalers are not simply fulfilling orders, but acting as a key link between specification, installation, and long-term system performance.

Compliance doesn’t stop at installation. Over time, environmental factors, alarm tampering, battery degradation, or system interference can all compromise performance. That makes routine testing and maintenance essential, something wholesalers can help reinforce through customer conversations and product recommendations.

For housing providers and landlords, maintaining compliance requires robust processes for ongoing checks, reporting faults, and carrying out repairs. The latest connected technologies, such as those developed by FireAngel, can assist by providing real-time alerts of faults, tampering, or system issues, offering extra peace of mind for residents and property owners. But these tools complement, rather than replace, professional inspections and good practice.

To help strengthen this link between compliant specification and compliant supply, FireAngel has developed its Approved Stockist Scheme, working with selected wholesalers to support best practice across the distribution stage. The initiative is designed to give installers and housing providers greater confidence that the products they are sourcing are appropriate for regulated domestic applications and aligned with current standards.

By working more closely with approved supply partners, manufacturers can help reduce the lack of clarity at the point of purchase and reinforce the importance of correct system design, particularly on more complex projects. This approach also supports wholesalers by positioning them as informed, trusted suppliers within an increasingly regulated fire safety landscape.

High standards

With fire detection and carbon monoxide alarm requirements becoming more stringent across the UK housing sector, wholesalers have an increasingly important role to play. By stocking reliable, compliant solutions, providing technical insight, and promoting best practice, wholesalers can help installers, contractors, and landlords ensure systems meet the required standards from day one and continue to protect throughout their lifetime.

At FireAngel, we understand that compliance is about more than supplying certified products. Our connected technologies and advanced detection solutions are designed to support wholesalers, installers, and housing providers with system monitoring, real-time alerts, and enhanced fault detection, ensuring protection continues long after installation.

Domestic fire safety compliance is not a one-off task. It’s an ongoing process, built on collaboration across the supply chain, rigorous testing, careful commissioning, and long-term system monitoring. Wholesalers are a crucial part of that chain, providing not just products, but the knowledge and support that help contractors and housing providers get it right at every stage.

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BS 5839-6 is the code of practice for the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of fire detection and fire alarm systems in domestic premises. Andy Speake, National Technical Manager, Aico, explains the importance of these standards.

A new version of BS 5839-6 was released on the 30^th April which has some major changes that will impact both you and your customers. These changes relate to the Grades of alarms, which determine the type of alarm to be used, and the Category which identifies the type/level of protection for each identified dwelling.

Grade changes

Under BS 5839-6, Fire Alarms are classified into Grades, from A to F. Grades B and E have been removed in 2019, but with Grade D being the current most common for domestic properties, I will focus on this.

Under the previous standard, Grade D required one or more interlinked mains powered Smoke Alarms (and Heat Alarms if required), each with an integral back-up supply. Under the revised BS 5839-6, Grade D has been replaced with Grades D1 and D2 which differ in terms of the back-up power supply:

D1 calls for a tamper-proof, standby supply consisting of a battery or batteries, with lithium being the standard battery type. These are long-life battery cells lasting the recommended lifespan of the alarm and are designed so they cannot easily be removed by the user. Grade D1 alarms are the preferred option for social housing as they remove the risk factor.

D2, on the other hand, requires an integral standby supply consisting of a battery or batteries (usually 9 volt PP3) which need to be replaced at regular intervals throughout the life of the alarm by the user.

Be sure to ask customers if it’s Grade D1 or D2 alarms they require. If uncertain, D1 is the safest option.

Whilst Grade D alarms feature most heavily in BS 5839-6:2019, Grade F systems also warrant mention here due to changes in Scottish legislation earlier this year which permits their use. Grade F systems use battery-only powered alarms. As with Grade D, Grade F has now been divided into F1 and F2 in the same fashion as that noted above.

New protection levels

Under BS 5839-6, different class of premises are identified and the minimum Grade of Fire Alarm system and Category of fire protection provided for that specific type of property are listed. It is here, in the 2019 revisions, that we have seen the biggest changes that will have a major impact on what type of Fire Alarms are fitted and where. In the main this is due to an increase in the Category of fire protection from LD3 where previously listed, which requires one mains powered Optical Alarm in the hallway and another upstairs on the landing, interconnected together, to Category LD2.

LD2 

LD2 involves additional alarm coverage, with a Heat Alarm in the kitchen and a further Smoke Alarm in the main living area, once again all interconnected.

This upgrade in fire protection is most notable in existing rental properties and Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs):

Existing two to three storey maisonettes and houses in the rental sector have now been upgraded from the low Category of fire protection (LD3) to the medium Category LD2 and graded D1, i.e. mains powered alarm with tamper-proof battery back-up power.

Existing Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) have been set as Category LD2, whereas before it was a mixture of LD2 and LD3 depending on the nature of the property and inhabitants. Grade D1 is now the requirement.

Other property types that have made an appearance in the BS 5839-6 property classification are supported housing and short-term holiday lets. Both are allocated the highest category of protection, Grade D1, LD1.

Future implications

BS 5839-6:2019 is a standard for fire detection and Fire Alarm systems in domestic premises, not a set of legal requirements; there is no penalty if an organisation or individual chooses to ignore the standard and no date for ‘compliance’. However, the standard is considered best practice and those who choose to ignore it do so at their own risk. Certainly, social housing organisations place great emphasis on it and complying with it is regarded as essential.

Many have been moving towards LD2 systems over the past year in the anticipation of the revisions and we are now witnessing a large number rewriting their alarm specifications accordingly and planning upgrade programmes.

With the 2019 revisions we have benefitted from greater clarity and, in a number of cases, an increase in the level of fire protection. Of course, with this comes a need for additional alarms per property which represents an increase in unit sales for the wholesaler, but also a chance to upsell to higher value alarms with greater features and functions. For example, Fire Alarms that come with wireless alarm interconnection technology, such as Aico’s RadioLINK+ and SmartLINK, will make for faster installation, which is sure to be welcome by your customers.

With larger Fire Alarm systems comes issues over control and maintenance as more alarms will need to be tested, plus it’s important to be able to locate the precise alarm which originally triggered. Here you have the opportunity to advise customers of useful system accessories, such as an Alarm Controller which comes with test, silence and locate features for all alarms on the system. It adds valuable control to an LD2 system and represents further sales opportunities.

BS 5839-6:2019 builds on the success of the original standard which all installers will be familiar with. Pointing out the key changes and advising your customers of how they can meet the revised standard is a valuable service, whilst also providing additional sales opportunities for yourself.

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