27/11/2025
Fire Alarm Installation: Why Waiting Even a Week Could Put Your Building at Risk
When it comes to protecting your building and the people inside it, delaying fire alarm installation can have serious and immediate consequences. Fires can start without warning, spread quickly and cause extensive damage long before emergency services arrive. Even postponing installation for a week leaves you exposed to avoidable risk, legally, financially, and operationally.
Fire risks don’t wait, and neither should you
A fire can ignite at any moment, often from everyday causes such as faulty wiring, damaged electrical appliances or simple human error. Without a compliant fire alarm system in place, a fire may go unnoticed until it’s already spreading, making evacuation slower and restricting the response time of emergency services.
Delaying installation, even briefly, increases the likelihood that a fire will escalate before anyone is aware of it. This leaves high-risk areas unprotected, heightens the chance of smoke inhalation, and can turn a small electrical fault into a major incident.
Talk to a member of our team to get your Fire Alarm Installation today.
Legal Responsibilities under the Fire Safety Order
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires all non-domestic buildings to have an appropriate fire detection and warning system. If your existing system is outdated, non-compliant or has been identified as insufficient during a fire risk assessment, any delay in installation can place your business in immediate breach of the law.
This is not just a paperwork issue; fire inspectors have the authority to issue enforcement notices, impose restrictions, or even shut down parts of your building until compliance is restored. A single week of delay can be enough to trigger enforcement if an assessment or incident occurs.
How a delay affects your Insurance Cover
Insurers expect businesses to maintain appropriate fire safety systems. Without a working or fully compliant fire alarm, your policy may be affected. In the event of a fire, insurers may reduce or reject your claim entirely if it is proven that required safety measures were knowingly postponed.
This creates significant financial exposure, particularly for businesses storing valuable equipment, stock or data. Waiting to install your alarm system can therefore be far more costly than completing the work.
Contact a member of our team today to discuss your Fire Alarm System.
How fast can a fire develop?
Modern materials and open-plan layouts mean fires spread faster than ever. The table below illustrates how quickly fire conditions can change in a typical commercial building:
| Time After Ignition | Typical Fire Development |
| 0–1 minutes | Ignition; smoke begins to build |
| 1–3 minutes | Fire spreads to nearby materials; visibility drops |
| 3–5 minutes | Flashover risk increases; temperatures rise rapidly |
| 5+ minutes | Room fully engulfed; structural damage likely |
Without early detection from a professionally installed fire alarm, occupants may only become aware once the fire is already dangerous, and a room is fully engulfed.
Delays impact your business
Even a small fire can lead to days or weeks of closures, lost revenue, and significant disruption. A larger fire can force long-term shutdowns, damage your reputation and reduce customer confidence.
By installing your fire alarm system without delay, you are actively safeguarding your ability to remain operational after an emergency. It’s a small step that protects your long-term resilience.
Ensure your Fire Alarm System is up-to-date today. Contact us now.
When you should treat Installation as urgent
If any of the following apply, installation should be considered a priority rather than something to schedule “later”:
- Your fire risk assessment recommends upgrades
- Your building layout has recently changed
- You have expanded your workforce or added new equipment
- Your alarm system is more than ten years old
- You are unsure whether the system meets BS 5839-1:2025
In these cases, delaying even a short time increases exposure and should be avoided.
Why choose Sygma for your Fire Alarm Installation?
Sygma provides professional design, installation and commissioning of fire alarm systems for businesses across the UK. Our engineers ensure full compliance with BS 5839-1:2025, and we deliver systems tailored to your building’s structure and risk profile.
With Sygma, you benefit from:
- Fast turnaround and responsive installation
- Experienced, accredited fire safety engineers
- Systems suited to your industry and regulatory requirements
- Full certification on completion
- Optional ongoing servicing and maintenance
We make compliance straightforward, and help protect lives, property and business operations.
Fire safety doesn’t wait. If your building needs a new fire alarm system or your current one is outdated, the safest time to act is immediately. Delaying installation, even for a week, increases the risk to people, property and your ability to operate. Contact us to get your Fire Alarm System installed.