BS 5839-1:2025 System Design - Online Fire Alarm Course

The BS 5839-1 Module 2 - System Design is a focused online video course covering the fire alarm system design requirements of BS 5839-1:2025, the UK code of practice for fire detection and fire alarm systems. It contains 42 narrated lessons and approximately 11.5 hours of training, with 30 days of access for £99. It can be taken on its own or as part of the complete BS 5839-1 course covering all five modules.

What is BS 5839-1:2025 and why it matters

BS 5839-1:2025 is the UK code of practice for the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of fire detection and fire alarm systems in non-domestic premises. It is the standard that fire risk assessors, building control, insurers and enforcing authorities expect competent work to be measured against. Whether you design, install, commission or maintain systems, working to BS 5839-1:2025 is what separates a defensible, certifiable installation from one that creates liability. This course teaches the standard the way it is actually used on real projects, with worked examples rather than abstract clause-reading.

What this system design course covers

Module 2 is the largest part of the course and covers the full discipline of fire alarm system design to BS 5839-1:2025. You learn how a system category translates into protected areas, how a system actuates other fire protection measures such as door holders, smoke control and lift recall, and how to design for special atmospheres and choose the right system components. The module covers fault monitoring and system integrity, including radial versus ring sounder circuits, and the principles of fire detection zones, alarm zones and remote indication so that a responding firefighter can locate a fire quickly. A major section is devoted to warning the occupants: audible alarm sound pressure levels for Category M and L systems with full worked calculations, audible alarms in Category P premises, hospitals and care homes, visual alarm devices and EN 54-23 VAD coverage volumes, provision for deaf and hearing-impaired occupants, staged alarms and phased evacuation, and staff alarm and alert and evacuate strategies. You then study detector technology in depth - heat, smoke, multi-sensor, carbon monoxide, optical beam, aspirating, flame and line heat detectors - how to select the correct detector, and the geometry of detector siting across flat ceilings, walls and partitions, pitched roofs and voids, honeycomb and cellular ceilings, beam and joist ceilings and perforated ceilings, plus ceiling height limits and smoke in ducts. The module finishes with control and indicating equipment, networked systems, power supplies and the Annex E standby battery capacity calculation, cables, wiring, radio links, EMC and earthing, and a thorough treatment of false alarms - their causes, the Annex F false alarm rate calculation, and the design measures that keep unwanted alarms to a minimum.

Lessons in this module

This module contains the following video lessons, each mapped to BS 5839-1:2025:

• System Category to Protected Areas
• Actuating Other Fire Protection Systems
• Special Atmospheres & System Components
• Fault Monitoring
• System Integrity: Radial vs Ring Sounder Circuits
• Fire Detection Zones: General Principles
• Cause-and-Effect Worked Example: Hotel With Lift Recall
• Zones by Device Type
• Remote Indication & Detector Locating
• Alarm Zones
• Communication with the Fire & Rescue Service
• Audible Alarms: Categories M & L Sound Pressure
• Sound Pressure Calculation Worked Example
• Audible Alarms in Category P, Hospitals, Care Homes
• Visual Alarm Signals
• EN 54-23 VAD Coverage Volumes
• Deaf & Hearing-Impaired Occupants
• Staged Alarms & Phased Evacuation
• Staff Alarms & Alert/Evacuate Signals
• Manual Call Points
• Detector Types Part 1: Heat, Smoke, Multi-Sensor, CO
• Detector Types Part 2: Beam, Aspirating, Flame, Line Heat
• Detector Selection Worked Example
• Siting Principles and Coverage Geometry
• Point Detectors on Flat Ceilings
• Detectors Near Walls, Partitions, Storage
• Detectors in Pitched Roofs and Voids
• Honeycomb and Cellular Ceilings
• Beam and Joist Ceilings
• Perforated Ceilings and Detector Siting Worked Example
• CO, Beam and Aspirating Detector Siting
• Line Heat and Flame Detector Siting
• Ceiling Height Limits and Smoke in Ducts
• Control and Indicating Equipment
• Networked Systems
• Power Supplies: Mains, PSU, Standby Concepts
• Standby Battery Capacity Calculation (Annex E)
• Cables, Wiring, Radio, EMC, Earthing
• False Alarms: Responsibility, Categories, Causes
• Investigation of False Alarms; Annex F Calculation
• Design Measures to Limit False Alarms
• Module 2 Recap and Exam Preparation

What you will be able to do after this system design course

By the end of the course you will be able to design a compliant system from category to protected areas, size sounder and VAD coverage with worked sound-pressure calculations, select and site every detector type correctly, calculate standby battery capacity to Annex E, and design out false alarms. Every lesson is grounded in BS 5839-1:2025 and illustrated with the kind of worked examples you meet on real buildings, so the knowledge transfers straight to site.

Who this system design course is for

This course is ideal for fire alarm designers, system engineers, consultants and specifiers, and installers and commissioning engineers who want to understand the design decisions behind the systems they work on. No prior qualification is required, although a basic understanding of electrical work helps. If you are new to fire systems, start here and progress through the other BS 5839-1 modules; if you are already working in the field, use it to formalise your knowledge against BS 5839-1:2025.

Fire alarm certification and career pathway

The course is structured to support recognised qualifications and third-party certification. The content maps directly onto the four BAFE SP203-1 disciplines - design, installation, commissioning and maintenance - and the final module includes two full mock examinations in the EAL and FireQual formats. Completing the training gives you the underpinning knowledge to sit a fire alarm qualification, to demonstrate competence to an employer or certification body, and to take on more responsible work to BS 5839-1:2025 with confidence.

Course format, access and price

This is a self-paced online video course of 42 narrated lessons totalling approximately 11.5 hours. You can watch on any device, pause and revisit lessons, and learn around your work. Access runs for 30 days from purchase, and the price is £99. There is no travel, no fixed timetable and no classroom - just clear, structured training you can start today.

Enrol today

Get instant access to every lesson and start learning at your own pace. Enrol on the BS 5839-1 Module 2 - System Design now and build genuine, certifiable competence in system design to BS 5839-1:2025.