BS5839-1 Fire detection and fire alarm systems for buildings provides recommendations for the design, installation and commissioning of fire detection and fire alarm systems for non-domestic premises. Recommendations for fire detection and fire alarm systems in domestic premises are given in BS5839-6
The standards call for fire resistant cables to ‘standard’ performance or ‘enhanced’ performance. The essential difference between the ‘standard’ and ‘enhanced’ requirement is survival time under the test conditions as set out in BS EN 50200. Cables which survive for a minimum of 30 minutes are classed as ‘standard’ while cables that can survive for 120 minutes are classed as ‘enhanced’.BS5266-1 Code of practice for the emergency lighting of premises provides recommendations on the factors that need to be taken into account in the design, installation and wiring of electrical emergency lighting systems in order to provide the lighting performance needed for safety of people in the building in the event of failure of the supply to the normal lighting.
For most applications the use of ‘standard’ fire resisting cables with appropriate methods of support and jointing will probably be suitable. However, for certain applications and particularly those in large, complex or unsprinklered buildings, the use of ‘enhanced’ fire resisting cables with appropriate methods of support and jointing more likely to be required to meet the recommendations given in the standard.
FP200 Gold is Prysmian’s ‘standard’ fire resistant cable and the original alternative to mineral insulated cable. It is a tough, durable and dressable cable – easy to install and terminate. Its toughness and durability result from the conductors being encased in Insudite – a damage resistant insulation that is unique to the Prysmian FP range. Tests for abrasion, susceptibility to puncture, resistance to cut-through and damage from blunt impact all show that cables with a hard Insudite insulation skin have significantly greater damage resistance than those with a soft silicone skin.
FP Plus is Prysmian’s ‘enhanced’ easy to dress fire resistant cable. It’s conductors are encased in Insudite damage-resistant insulation with the same resistance to abrasion, puncture, cut-through and damage from blunt impact as FP200 Gold but this cable is suitable for alarm and emergency lighting circuits for applications requiring fire resistant cable requiring prolonged use.
Both cables also have Loss Prevention and Certification Board (LPCB), British Approvals Services for Cables (BASEC) approvals to support them and also Feature on the ‘Approved Products Register’ for London underground use.
Source: https://www.voltimum.co.uk/articles/meeting-standard-fp-fire-resistant-cables
