Safeguarding St Mary’s Catholic Schools with Advanced Fire Alarm Systems

Project Overview

St Mary’s Catholic Infant and Junior Schools required a complete upgrade of their fire alarm systems to meet modern safety standards. On behalf of PCI, we delivered fully compliant BS5839 L2 Addressable Fire Alarm Systems, ensuring both schools are protected by reliable, future-ready fire safety infrastructure.

St Mary’s Catholic Infant School

The Infant School project began with the installation of a new fire alarm panel in the reception area.

Key deliverables included:

• Supply and installation of a BS5839 L2 Addressable Fire Alarm System

• Cable containment, installation, and commissioning

• Removal of the old system and safe blanking-off

• 12 months of free servicing included

• Planned installation of a monitoring unit for continuous system oversight

  
  

This upgrade provided the Infant School with a modern, dependable fire safety solution designed to protect every corridor, classroom, and escape route.

St Mary’s Catholic Junior School

The Junior School required a more complex installation due to its larger site and specialist facilities.

In addition to the same system upgrades as the Infant School, we installed extra fire alarm panels in:

• The Swimming Pool

• The Music Block

• The Independent Learning Block

  
  

These panels were networked back to the main building, ensuring seamless communication across the entire campus.

Designed to BS5839 L2 Standards

Both systems were designed to meet BS5839 L2 classification, which requires:

• Automatic fire detection on all escape routes and adjoining rooms

• Coverage in high-risk areas and voids over 800mm in height

• Sounders positioned to achieve 65dB(A) throughout the building and 75dB(A) at bedheads where sleeping risks exist

• In noisy environments, alarms calibrated to be 5dB(A) above ambient noise, without exceeding 120dB(A)

  
  

This ensures that every occupant, regardless of location or circumstance, can be alerted quickly and effectively in the event of a fire.

Challenges and Solutions

Delivering these projects required careful planning and coordination:

• Tight Timeframes: Both schools needed completion during the summer holidays, allowing the main contractor time to finish decorating before pupils returned.

• Asbestos Removal: Certain areas were inaccessible until the principal contractor completed asbestos removal, requiring flexible scheduling and close collaboration.

  
  

Despite these challenges, our team worked efficiently to ensure deadlines were met and safety standards upheld.

Outcome

By the end of the summer, both schools were equipped with state-of-the-art fire alarm systems, fully commissioned and ready for the new academic year. The result: peace of mind for staff, parents, and pupils, knowing that their learning environments are protected by reliable, compliant fire safety systems.

Want to ensure your organisation is properly prepared for all emergencies? We would be happy to help!