Active Fire & Security Services

Social housing and HMO landlords carry significant compliance obligations under the Fire Safety Order and Housing Act. Ark works with housing associations and registered providers across large residential portfolios, delivering fire alarm systems, AOVs, emergency lighting, warden call and access control. We understand the pressures of planned maintenance cycles, void management and the documentation requirements of the Building Safety Act regime.

Healthcare premises require systems that support phased evacuation and staff response, not just standard alarm protocols. We work within the NHS and independent healthcare sector, installing and maintaining systems in occupied environments with minimal disruption to clinical activity. Our engineers understand the specific requirements of HTM 05-03 and the inspection regime expected by CQC.

Schools, colleges and universities require systems designed around bell schedules, occupied and unoccupied periods, and the challenges of large open campuses. We deliver fire alarm design, emergency lighting and security systems across education estates, with documentation aligned to DfE guidance.

Commercial offices, business parks and mixed-use buildings need systems that integrate across multiple tenants and building management platforms. We design and maintain fire detection, emergency lighting and security systems for single occupancy and multi-let buildings, with service contracts structured around the operational needs of facilities managers.

Industrial premises present specific detection challenges: high ceilings, dust-heavy environments, and the risk of delayed detection in large open spaces. We specify beam detectors and aspirating systems where standard point detection is unsuitable, and design systems that meet insurer requirements for high-hazard storage environments.

Retail and hospitality premises require systems that work around trading hours, protect stock and cash, and meet licensing and insurance conditions. We deliver fire alarms, CCTV, intruder detection and access control for single outlets and multi-site operators, with maintenance contracts that minimise disruption to trading.

Local authorities manage complex and varied property portfolios: civic buildings, housing stock, schools, libraries and depots, each with its own compliance profile. Ark offers framework-ready pricing, transparent documentation and a single-provider model that simplifies compliance reporting across mixed-use estates.

Active fire protection refers to systems that require action to work — either automatically or manually — in response to a fire. This includes fire detection and alarm systems, suppression systems, emergency lighting, AOVs and extinguishers. Passive fire protection refers to the structural elements built into a building to contain and slow the spread of fire: fire doors, fire stopping, compartmentation and intumescent products. Both are required under current UK fire safety legislation. Ark provides both, which means your fire strategy is designed and maintained as a whole.

Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the Responsible Person for any non-domestic premises is legally required to ensure fire detection and alarm systems, emergency lighting, and other active fire systems are maintained in efficient working order and good repair. Failure to maintain systems can result in enforcement action, prohibition notices, and in serious cases prosecution. Ark provides maintenance contracts with documented service records.

BS 5839-1 recommends a minimum of two service visits per year for most commercial fire alarm systems, typically six months apart. More complex systems or high-risk premises may require quarterly visits. Emergency lighting requires monthly self-testing and a full annual discharge test, with results recorded. Ark’s maintenance contracts are structured around these requirements.

Yes. Ark covers the full project lifecycle: design, installation, commissioning and ongoing maintenance. We can enter at any stage, whether you need a system designed from scratch, an existing system upgraded, or a maintenance provider to take over a system already in place. Before accepting maintenance responsibility for a system we have not installed, we carry out a condition survey.

Yes. We work with housing associations, facilities managers and commercial operators managing portfolios of multiple sites. We structure maintenance contracts to cover all sites under a single agreement, with coordinated visit scheduling and centralised documentation. For multi-site clients, we assign a named account manager and a named lead engineer.

These categories are defined in BS 5839-1 and describe the extent of fire detection coverage in a non-domestic building. An L1 system provides automatic detection throughout the entire building, offering the highest level of protection. An L2 system covers defined areas at highest risk and escape routes. An L3 system covers escape routes only. The appropriate category is determined by the fire risk assessment.

It’s a fair question, and we’d rather you ask it than assume.

Ark Fire Protection has built its active fire division with the same commitment that built our reputation in passive. That means dedicated engineers, not passive installers handed a fire alarm manual, but trained, certified, and working in active fire systems day in, day out.

We hold the accreditations that matter, work across the full scope of active fire, and can back all of it up with documentation before you sign anything. The passive side didn’t cut corners. The active side doesn’t either.

We’re asked this a lot, and rightly so. Accreditation in active fire isn’t a nice-to-have and it’s the baseline for anyone who should be touching your systems.

For active fire work, Ark holds accreditation covering the design and installation of fire detection and alarm systems, maintenance contracts, and suppression systems where applicable.

If you want to see the certificates before we go any further, just ask. We’ll send them the same day.

Ark’s active fire division is purpose-built, not bolted on. We have a dedicated team, accredited engineers and the supply chain in place to deliver from day one.

We’re not offering active fire as an afterthought to a passive contract. It’s a structured service with its own people, its own processes and its own accountability.

Yes. We have completed projects we can reference across many sectors, including installations, system upgrades, and long-term maintenance agreements.

We can share case studies directly, orbut subject to client permission, connect you with contacts who can speak to their experience. If a reference in your specific sector matters to you, tell us and we’ll do our best to match it.

Our active fire scope covers:

• Fire detection and alarm systems (design, install, commission, maintain)
• Emergency lighting (design, install, testing, certification)
• Portable fire extinguishers (supply, installation, annual service)
• Sprinkler and suppression systems (design, install, commission, maintain) (subject to scope assessment)

If there’s a system type you need that isn’t listed, ask. We’d rather tell you honestly what we can and can’t do than overpromise.

All four. End to end, or any part of the chain depending on where you are in your project. Some clients come to us at RIBA Stage 2 for design. Others bring us in to install against a spec they already hold. Others just need a maintenance provider to take over an existing system.

What we don’t do is install systems we haven’t designed or assessed and then walk away. Wherever we enter the process, we take ownership of the work.

We work with a range of leading manufacturers across fire detection, alarm and security, including Advanced, C-Tec, Kentec, Fike, Ajax and Gent. We are not tied to a single brand by commercial arrangement.

The right system for your building is determined by the building: the risk profile, the size, the existing infrastructure and the budget. If you have a system already in place from a specific manufacturer, ask us whether we can work on it. In most cases the answer is yes.

Yes, end to end. Ark covers every stage of the BS 5839 lifecycle: survey, design, installation, commissioning and ongoing maintenance. We work to BS 5839-1 for non-domestic premises and BS 5839-6 for domestic, as applicable.

That means a single contractor holds the complete documentation trail, from the initial site survey through to live maintenance records. If you’re ever audited or face an insurance query, the paperwork is in one place and it holds up.

Our active fire work spans:

• Commercial offices and business parks
• Industrial and warehousing
• Healthcare and care facilities
• Education
• Retail and hospitality
• Residential and HMOs
• New builds

If your sector isn’t listed, we’ll be straight with you if a project requires specialist knowledge outside our experience.

Depends on the portfolio, so let’s be specific. Tell us the number of sites, system types, maintenance visit frequency, and your response time requirements. We’ll tell you honestly whether it sits comfortably within our current capacity or whether we need to discuss phasing.

We won’t take on a contract we can’t service. That’s not a position we’d put ourselves in, or you.

First, check your notice period. Most contracts run with 30–90 days’ notice, sometimes tied to a renewal date. We can help you review the relevant clause if you’re unsure.

Once notice is served, we work backwards from your exit date to plan the transition. We can operate alongside your current provider during handover, or step in clean once they’re out, whichever works. We’ve managed enough transitions to know the points where things go wrong. We plan for them.

We take on existing systems. But we do it properly. Before accepting maintenance responsibility for a system we haven’t installed, we carry out a condition survey. That gives us, giving us both a clear picture of what we’re inheriting: any defects, outstanding recommendations, or remedial work needed.

We won’t sign a maintenance contract against a system we haven’t assessed. Any provider who does should be a red flag.

Handover timelines vary on a site-by-site basis. The key variables are the size and complexity of the system, the condition of the existing installation, and whether any remedial work is required before we can accept maintenance responsibility.

We carry out a condition survey before taking on any existing system. That survey tells us what we are inheriting and what, if anything, needs to be resolved before handover is complete. We’ll give you a realistic timeline once we’ve seen the system, not before.

What we can say is that we plan transitions carefully, we communicate clearly at every stage, and we won’t sign a contract against a system we haven’t assessed.

Usually the problem isn’t doing both. The issue is doing both badly.

The common failure modes are: passive engineers being sent to do active work, account management that treats you as a number once you’re signed up, and siloed departments that don’t talk to each other when a problem spans both disciplines.

At Ark, passive and active are separate technical teams with separate accreditations. What’s shared is account management, with one point of contact who knows both sides of your fire strategy. The advantage of one provider, without the technical risk.

We’re not asking you to take that on trust. Talk to clients who’ve used us for both.

Don’t switch for the sake of it. Switch if your current provider isn’t delivering, whether that is missed visits, slow response times, poor documentation, or a maintenance contract that doesn’t reflect what’s actually on site.

What we offer isn’t a cheaper version of what you have. It’s a single provider who holds the whole fire strategy, covering both passive and active, in one place, with one point of accountability. If what you have is working, say so. We’ll still have an honest conversation about whether there’s value in bringing it under one roof.

We won’t guess, but we will benchmark. Share your current contract details (scope, site count, visit frequency, call-out terms) and we’ll produce a like-for-like comparison. If we’re cheaper, we’ll show you by how much. If we’re not, we’ll tell you that and explain what you’re getting for the difference.

Switching purely on price is one of the things that leads to the bad experiences described above.

Yes. Where a client uses Ark for both passive and active fire, we offer a reduced rate that reflects the combined value of that relationship. The saving is a genuine one, not a rounding error.

Beyond price, there are real operational benefits: one contact, one contract, coordinated visit scheduling, and no ambiguity about responsibility when an issue sits at the boundary of passive and active work.

We offer all three models. Most clients benefit from a combination: an annual maintenance contract covering PPM visits and certification; included call-outs within the annual fee; and a pre-agreed ad hoc call-out rate for anything outside the contracted scope.

We’ll recommend the structure that fits how you actually use a provider, not the one with the highest headline figure.

For the vast majority of our active fire work: no. Our own engineers carry out design, installation, commissioning, and maintenance.

Where we do work with accredited partner contractors, such as large-scale suppression in specialist environments, we tell you in advance and retain full contract responsibility. You are never passed off without your knowledge.

You’ll have a named account manager and a named lead engineer assigned to your contract. Both names, both direct contacts, in writing before you sign.

For maintenance visits, you’ll get the same engineer where we can schedule it, as consistency matters when someone needs to know your system. For emergency call-outs, you’ll have a direct number that reaches a real person, not a call centre.