Call Point Test Keys

What is a Call Point Test Key?

Call point test keys are used to test your fire alarm is working correctly, they’re crucial for fire alarm systems

Why Should I Test My Call Points?

Fire alarm testing should be carried out weekly, preferably on the same day and at the same time to remain consistent. The British Standard to do with the testing of a fire alarm system is BS 5839-6: 2019 “Fire detection and fire alarm systems for buildings”. In section 25.2 it states that all fire alarm systems in commercial premises need to be tested weekly. It’s crucial in the fire detection strategy of any building that you need to make sure your system is working efficiently and correctly. If an emergency occurs and your fire alarm system isn’t working, the results could be fatal, there’ll be no early detection of fires or sounders for safe evacuations which could lead to injuries, death and plenty of damage.

How to Test My Call Points Using Keys

It’s fairly simple to carry out a call point test:

• Let everyone in the building know you’re carrying out a fire alarm test
• Call the alarm receiving centre and put the system on test
• Insert the key into the bottom of the call point to activate the system
• Wait for the sounders
• Rest the call point with the manual reset key
• At the control panel, confirm the call point address and zone are correct
• Press the red silence key to silence the sounders
• Record test in a fire alarm log book
• Call the alarm receiving centre to confirm they received the test
• Test is done
• A different call point should be tested every week
• Agree the activation time of the sounder for the test, if the time is prolonged, this means that evacuation is necessary. This rule is for the event of a fire happening in the middle of a test.

We stock call point keys from a range of manufacturers including ESP, RGL, TOK, Menvier, Gent, Sycall, Howler, CQR, Fike, Rafiki, Morley, Notifier, KAC, Ziton, Apollo, Hochiki and more so you’re bound to find the correct key for your devices.

What Not to Do When Testing Call Points

There are a few common mistakes when it comes to carrying out fire alarm tests:

• Mistaking testing for fire drills – testing and drills are completely different and should be treated as such. Testing is for checking the health of your alarms whereas drills are for checking how you and your employees react in an evacuation situation, how long it takes for everyone to get out the building and the efficiency of checking everyone actually is out.
• Altering the environment – you might be tempted to put headphones in whilst the testing is being carried out, unfortunately, you shouldn’t do this.
• Testing the same call point – you have to test a different call point every week, otherwise the tests won’t be even.
• Forgetting to document – providing written evidence of which call point you tested and when you tested it is important for the authorities and health and safety officials.
• Only having one person who knows how to carry out fire alarm testing – if this person is ill, goes on holiday or leaves your company, you’ll be stuck with no one to carry out these all-important tests every week.
• Not testing fire alarms consistently – this shows a lack of care about if your fire alarms are working properly, they need to be tested every week – not every month or fortnight.

If you're interested in these products you may also be interested in our call point covers and wireless fire alarms ranges.