10 Note: This document is based on the recommendatio ns of BS5839 Part 1: 2002. I t is intended only as a guide to the ap plication of fire detection systems.
Reference must be made to relevant national and local stan dards.
Application Guide
2.2. MANUAL CALL POINT S
People can often still detect a fire lon g before automatic
fire detectors; hence manual call p oints are important
components of fire detection syste ms in occupied buildings
to ensure timely evacuation in the case of fire. A ll call points
should be approved to EN54-11, and should be of type A, tha t
is once the frangible element is broken or displ aced the alarm
condition is automatic.
Manual call points should be mounted on all es cape routes,
and at all exit points from the floors of a buil ding and to
clear air. It should not be possible to leave the floor of a
building without passing a manual call point , nor should it
be necessary to deviate from any esca pe route in order to
operate a manual call point. Call point s mounted at the exits
from a floor may be mounted within the accommod ation or
on the stairwell. In multiple storey buil dings where phased
evacuation is to be used call points should be mo unted within
the accommodation to avoid activation of ca ll points on lower
levels by people leaving the building.
In order to provide easy access, call poin ts should be mounted
between 1.2 and 1.6m from the floor, and should be clearly
visible and identifiable. The maximum dis tance anyone
should have to travel in order to activate a manual c all point
is 45m, unless the building is occupied by people hav ing
limited mobility, or a rapid fire development is likely, in which
case the maximum travel distance shoul d be reduced to 20m.
Call points should also be sited in close pr oximity to specific
hazards, for example kitchens or pain t spray booths.
Figure 2.2.1. Manual Call Point Positioning
Canteen Kitchen Pantry
Office Office
MAX DISTANCE 45M
1.2 to 1.6m