Civil Defence fire alarm approval in Saudi Arabia: the steps

Who sets the rules

In Saudi Arabia, fire alarm systems must meet the requirements of the General Directorate of Civil Defense and the fire protection chapter of the Saudi Building Code, which draws on NFPA standards. The exact requirements depend on the type, size and use of the building, so always confirm the current requirements with Civil Defense and your design consultant.

In practice, approval follows the life of the system: design, installation, testing and inspection, and then periodic maintenance.

Step 1: design and drawings

The design is prepared by a qualified engineering office and usually includes:

• Fire alarm layout drawings for every floor
• A riser diagram showing panels, loops and networking
• A cause-and-effect matrix: what each alarm does to lifts, pressurisation fans, AHUs, dampers and doors
• Battery and voltage-drop calculations
• Data sheets of the panels and devices

Step 2: design approval

The design package is submitted through the Civil Defense channels that apply to the project, usually via the consultant. Comments are answered and the drawings revised until they are approved. Starting installation before approval is the most common cause of costly rework.

Step 3: installation

A licensed contractor installs containment, cabling, devices and panels according to the approved drawings, using listed equipment. Changes on site, such as moved walls or new rooms, should go back into the drawings.

Step 4: programming and cause-and-effect

Every device is addressed and labelled, and the panel is programmed with the approved cause-and-effect: lift homing, stair pressurisation, AHU and smoke-control shutdown, damper control, door release and links to the building management system.

Step 5: testing and commissioning

Each device is tested and recorded. Then the integrated systems test proves that an alarm really triggers the lifts, fans, dampers and doors as designed, together with the other contractors on site.

Step 6: Civil Defense inspection

Civil Defense inspects the installation on site. Any remarks are corrected and re-inspected. Typical reasons an inspection fails:

• Cause-and-effect not tested with the other systems
• Faults or disabled points still showing on the panel
• Devices obstructed, missing or different from the drawings
• Missing test records, as-built drawings or manuals
• Batteries or power supplies that do not match the calculations

Step 7: handover and maintenance

At handover the owner receives as-built drawings, test records, operation and maintenance manuals and operator training. After that, the system must be maintained regularly by a licensed company and the records kept, so the building stays approved.

How we help

We design, supply, install, program and commission Simplex fire alarm and voice evacuation systems and support the Civil Defense inspection through to handover, as on SEVEN Al Hamra, Edafah Tower and the KAP 2A compounds.