PAVA Systems

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

Key facts

BS 5839-8 Compliant Design, Installation & Maintenance

Professional PAVA Systems in London and Kent

A PAVA (Public Address and Voice Alarm) system is an important safety and communication system used to provide clear announcements and emergency instructions within buildings and other public spaces. It combines a public address system with a voice alarm function, allowing staff to make routine announcements while also providing automatic or manual emergency messages during incidents such as fires or evacuations. PAVA systems are commonly installed in places such as shopping centres, airports, hospitals, schools, offices and transport stations. They are designed to ensure that important information can be communicated quickly, clearly and reliably to occupants, helping people understand what action they need to take in an emergency.

At a glance

What is a PAVA system?

A PAVA system combines public address and voice alarm functions, allowing pre-recorded or live spoken messages to direct building occupants during an emergency. Rather than relying on a sounder alone, it gives clear, specific instructions, which reduces panic and enables a phased evacuation in larger or more complex buildings.

Is it a legal requirement?

Where a PAVA system forms part of a building’s fire strategy, typically specified for larger, high-occupancy or complex premises, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires it to be kept in efficient working order by the Responsible Person. BS 5839-8 is the standard your system’s design, installation and maintenance are judged against.

How Smartec does this

Our engineers design, install, commission and maintain PAVA systems to BS 5839-8, integrating with your existing fire detection system so voice messages trigger automatically when needed. Systems are serviced every 6 months, in line with BS 5839-8 and manufacturer guidance, with every visit logged in your Digital Logbook on the Smartec Client Portal.

What does installation involve?

Site survey and acoustic design, assessing speech intelligibility across the building

System design, integrating with the existing fire detection and alarm system

Installation of speakers, amplifiers and the voice alarm control panel

Commissioning and full functional testing

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

Who needs this?

✓

Shopping centres & retail

High footfall, phased evacuation reduces bottlenecks

✓

Hotels & hospitality

Guest safety across multiple floors, integrated with fire detection

✓

Hospitals & healthcare

Staged evacuation appropriate to patient mobility

✓

High-rise & multi-occupancy

Floor-by-floor instructions reduce stairwell congestion

Every test and visit is recorded in tamper-proof Digital Logbooks on the Smartec Client Portal — live asset tracking, photo-verified defects, instant certificate downloads.

PROJECT

The Londoner, Leicester Square

Smartec designed and installed the PAVA system at The Londoner, Leicester Square, integrating voice alarm messaging with fire detection across the hotel to support a clear, directed evacuation strategy in a landmark central London building.

FAQs

What does PAVA stand for?: Public Address Voice Alarm â€” a system combining general announcements with emergency voice alarm messaging.
How is PAVA different from a standard fire alarm sounder?: A sounder alerts occupants that something is wrong. PAVA gives specific spoken instructions, allowing a controlled, phased evacuation rather than everyone leaving at once.
Is a PAVA system a legal requirement?: Where specified as part of your fire strategy, yes, it must be maintained under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and BS 5839-8.
How often is a PAVA system tested?: Every 6 months, in line with BS 5839-8 and manufacturer guidance.
Does a PAVA system integrate with our existing fire alarm?: Yes. Voice messages are typically triggered automatically by the fire detection system, so the two work together.
What buildings typically need PAVA?: Shopping centres, hotels, hospitals and high-rise buildings, where a phased or directed evacuation is part of the fire strategy.