Emergency Lighting Testing & Maintenance

BAFE-certified engineers with over three decades of combined experience. London and Kent. Updated September 2026

Key facts

BS 5266-1 Compliant Testing Across the UK

Professional Emergency Lighting in London and Kent

At a glance

Two systems, two purposes

Fire and intruder alarm monitoring both route a signal to an Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC), but they exist for different reasons and answer to different standards.

Is it a legal requirement?

Yes, for residential buildings above 18 metres. The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 require evacuation alert systems in higher-risk residential buildings, following a direct recommendation from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. The requirement sits within the Building Safety Act 2022, and the system must be designed, installed and maintained to BS 8629.

How does it differ from a fire alarm?

A fire alarm warns everyone to evacuate. An evacuation alert system gives the fire and rescue service a tool to manage evacuation deliberately, alerting specific floors as the incident develops. The two systems are independent, and a building cannot meet its evacuation alert duty with a fire alarm alone.

How Smartec delivers this

Smartec Integrated Systems is BAFE SP207 registered, covering the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of evacuation alert systems to BS 8629. Every test and visit is recorded in tamper-proof Digital Logbooks on the Smartec Client Portal, alongside any fire alarm or emergency lighting system we maintain in the same building.

What does installation involve?

Site survey to assess the building layout, escape routes and refuge point locations

System design, setting the number and position of outstations and the EACIE panel location

Installation of the panel, outstations and fire-resistant cabling

Commissioning, with a full system test and sign-off documentation

Handover, with certification and the system added to the Smartec Client Portal

Who needs this?

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Mandatory under the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022

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Housing associations & councils

Managing high-rise residential stock across multiple sites

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Developers

New-build high-rise residential schemes, designed in from the outset

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Accountable Persons

Under the Building Safety Act 2022 higher-risk building regime

PROJECT

Wembley NE03

Smartec delivered the evacuation alert system as part of the wider life safety installation at Wembley NE03, working alongside the Honeywell Gent fire detection system already in place at the development.

FAQs

How often must emergency lighting be tested?: A monthly function test, and a full 3-hour discharge test once a year, both recorded.
Can our own staff carry out the monthly test?: Yes, provided every result is properly recorded. The annual full-duration test needs a competent contractor.
What will an inspector ask to see?: A complete test log for every luminaire, with dates, results and evidence that any defects were fixed promptly.
Do you cover central battery systems?: Yes. We test and maintain both self-contained battery fittings and central battery systems for larger sites.
How quickly can you respond to a fault?: Contract clients receive guaranteed under-4-hour emergency dispatch, 24/7/365.
What happens if a light fails the annual test?: It must be repaired or replaced, and a follow-up test carried out within 28 days under BS 5266-1.