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Fire Safety \u00b7 UK

Fire Safety Symbols — UK (BS 5839 / BS 5266)

These symbols are used on fire alarm system drawings, emergency lighting plans, and fire safety certificates in the UK. They follow BS 5839-1 for fire detection and alarm systems and BS 5266-1 for emergency lighting. Fire alarm engineers and fire risk assessors use these symbols to document installed systems.

BS 5839-1:2017 / BS 5266-1:2016 / BS ISO 701014 symbols

Detection & Alarm

Manual Call Point (MCP)

Break glass fire alarm call point

BS 5839-1

Optical Smoke Detector

Optical (photoelectric) smoke detector for fire alarm system

BS 5839-1

Ionisation Smoke Detector

Ionisation chamber smoke detector

BS 5839-1

Heat Detector

Fixed temperature or rate-of-rise heat detector

BS 5839-1

Multi-Sensor Detector

Combined optical smoke and heat detector

BS 5839-1

Fire Alarm Sounder

Audible alarm sounder / bell

BS 5839-1

Visual Alarm Device (VAD)

Fire alarm visual beacon / strobe

BS 5839-1

Fire Alarm Control Panel

Main fire alarm control and indicating equipment (CIE)

BS 5839-1

Emergency Lighting

Maintained Emergency Light

Emergency luminaire that operates at all times (maintained mode)

BS 5266-1

Non-Maintained Emergency Light

Emergency luminaire that only operates on mains failure

BS 5266-1

Illuminated Exit Sign

Emergency exit sign (maintained or non-maintained)

BS 5266-1 / BS ISO 7010

Suppression

Fire Extinguisher

Portable fire extinguisher location

BS 5306 / BS ISO 7010

Sprinkler Head

Automatic fire sprinkler head

BS EN 12845

Passive Fire Protection

Fire Door

Fire-rated door assembly (FD30 / FD60)

BS 476 / BS EN 1634

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Frequently asked questions about fire safety symbols

Are fire alarm symbols standardised in the UK?
Yes. BS 5839-1 Annex A provides recommended symbols for fire detection and alarm system drawings. These are widely used across the industry for design, installation, and as-fitted drawings.
What is the difference between maintained and non-maintained emergency lighting?
Maintained emergency lights operate continuously (both from mains and battery). Non-maintained lights only switch on when the mains supply fails. The choice depends on the building use and fire risk assessment.
What do the detector abbreviations mean?
OS = Optical Smoke, IS = Ionisation Smoke, HD = Heat Detector, MS = Multi-Sensor. Multi-sensor detectors combine optical smoke and heat sensing, reducing false alarms while maintaining detection coverage.

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