Frequently Asked Questions

Below are answers to some of the commonly asked questions relating to C-TEC’s BS 5839-1 training courses. If you cannot find an answer to your question here, please refer to our Terms & Conditions page or contact our Marketing Department on 01942 322744 or via email at marketing@c-tec.co.uk

What is BS 5839-1 2017?

BS 5839-1 2017 is the current UK Code of Practice for Fire Detection and Fire Alarm Systems. It is a fire safety standard that provides recommendations for the planning, design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of fire detection and fire alarm systems in and around non-domestic premises.

When and where are C-TEC’s BS 5839-1 courses held?

All of our BS 5839-1 courses are held at our Headquarters in Wigan, the full postal address of which is C-TEC, Challenge Way, Martland Park, Wigan WN5 0LD. Click here for directions. Upcoming dates and the number of places available are listed on each individual course page. Our one-day courses start at 9AM sharp and end at around 5PM. Exact times will be communicated to you before each session.

Do I need any prior knowledge before attending your BS 5839-1 courses?

We recommend anyone attending our Design, Installation & Commissioning or Maintenance Courses completes our Foundation Course first. There is also a practical element to our Installation & Commissioning and Maintenance courses for which a sufficient level of competency working with fire panels/electrical equipment is required.

What are CPD Hours?

The definition of CPD Hours is the time a delegate spends in “active learning”, i.e. the actual time they spend being educated on something relevant to their Continuing Professional Development objectives. Typically one CPD hour is equivalent to one CPD point. The number of CPD hours/points awarded for attending C-TEC’s BS 5839-1 courses can be found below:-

Foundation Course – 8 Hours/8 Points

Design Course – 8 Hours/8 Points

Installation & Commissioning Course – 16 Hours/16 Points

Maintenance Course - 8 Hours/8 Points

5 Day Cluster Course (All modules + exam) – 40 Hours/40 Points

CPD hours are allocated by an external CPD certification service provider.

Who or what is FireQual and what will my qualification be?

Established by BAFE, FireQual is a specialist awarding organisation for the fire protection industry working for the betterment of knowledge and skills. FireQual qualifications are delivered by Approved Training Centres such as Ember Compliance Limited who deliver C-TEC’s training courses.

Delegates who pass the FireQual exam offered by C-TEC will receive a regulated qualification in the Fundamentals of the Recommendations for Fire Detection and Fire Alarm Systems in Non-Domestic Buildings at SCQF Level 6.

In the UK, qualifications tend to be described as levels within qualification frameworks. A number of frameworks exist that use different scales to describe the qualification level achieved. This can be confusing as the broad equivalent of, say, a Level 3 qualification in one Framework may be Level 6 in another.

At present FireQual holds regulated status with the Council for Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEAR) and SQA Accreditation with applications in progress with the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) and Qualifications Wales (QW).

For ease of comparison between national qualification frameworks, the following table describes the corresponding levels between UK national qualification frameworks and the European qualification framework:-