The British Standard for Fire Alarms: What BS 5839-1 Actually Covers BS 5839-1 is not the law. That single fact catches out a lot of commercial customers. We often get asked whether a fire alarm system is "up to British Standard." The honest answer is more useful than a yes or no. BS 5839-1 (the […]
Fire Alarm Monitoring Service for Commercial Premises: Is It Worth the Investment? You've had a Fire Alarm fitted. It's tested, it's compliant, it works. But if it goes off at 3am with nobody on site, does anyone actually respond? That's the real question behind Fire Alarm monitoring for commercial premises. Is the extra cost worthwhile […]
What Really Drives Fire Alarm Costs for Commercial Buildings You want a number. That is fair - you are trying to budget. A Fire Alarm quote can feel like a boiler quote or a roof repair, something that should come down to size and spec. It does not work that way. Ask five installers for […]
Lithium-ion battery fires are no longer just a domestic problem and conventional smoke detectors often miss the early warning signs. We're a family-run fire and security firm based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex and we've designed and maintained commercial Fire Alarm Systems since 1979, holding NSI Gold Approved status since 2005. So we've written this as a […]
Fire Alarm Monitoring After BT Redcare: What Responsible Persons Need to Check Most Responsible Persons did not choose the signalling path on their Fire Alarm panel. An installer fitted it, a service contract covered it and for years it quietly worked. Then on 15 December 2025, BT Redcare shut down for good. And the question […]
Blake Contractors Ltd was delighted to team up with South Essex Homes for a fantastic children's drawing competition. Incorporating their creativity and sharing important safety messages. All young residents in the community were invited to take part by creating imaginative drawings based on safety themes.
Smoke does not wait for a fire to grow before it starts killing. According to the Home Office's detailed fire statistics for 2022/23, 259 people died in fires in England. Thirty per cent of those deaths - 77 people - were not killed by flames but by gas or smoke. They died because smoke found […]
Trusted Fire Stopping Surveys and Installation in Rayleigh We're Blake Fire & Security Systems, and we deliver fire stopping surveys and installation across Rayleigh and Essex. Our company is BM TRADA Q-Mark certified for Fire Stopping Installation, with the scheme licence held by Martin Blake, our Passive Fire Safety Manager. We map every penetration, match […]