NEN 2654 maintenance of fire alarm systems — what is required and what we see in practice

A fire alarm system that is not maintained is no longer a fire alarm system — legally or practically. Dutch building regulations (the Bouwbesluit and, since 2024, the Besluit Bouwwerken Leefomgeving) require a BMI to be "adequately maintained". In the Netherlands that word is given concrete shape by NEN 2654-1.

Below: a working summary of the standard — what the law asks, which activities at what frequency, who may do them, and which points inspectors most often reject.

1. What NEN 2654-1 requires

NEN 2654-1 distinguishes three kinds of activity:

• Periodic maintenance by a certified maintenance specialist
• Operator activities by the building manager (typically facility / in-house emergency response)
• Functional tests — part of periodic maintenance

The standard prescribes in detail what action takes place at which frequency, what data goes into the logbook, and how deviations are followed up.

2. Frequency overview

In practice NEN 2654-1 translates to these rhythms:

• Monthly — visual inspection of the control panel, lamp / display test, logbook update by the building manager
• Quarterly — sample functional test of detection zones, visual inspection of call points and operator panels, battery power check
• Annually — full functional test of all detectors, call points, operator panels and signal transmission; cleaning where required; formal report to the client
• Every four years — deeper checks including component lifecycle reviews, re-check of signal transmission routes, and integration with other fire-protection installations

Exact frequencies are recorded per project in the maintenance contract, anchored to the PoR.

3. Who is responsible?

NEN 2654 is explicit:

• The building owner / manager is always ultimately responsible — even when maintenance is outsourced
• The maintenance specialist must be demonstrably certified (training via Kenteq, NIBHV, or an equivalent recognised institute)
• For signal transmission the private alarm centre (PAC) or the regional control room is responsible for the response chain

A common pitfall: the building owner thinks a maintenance contract "contracts out" the responsibility. It does not — the contractor is the executor, not legally accountable.

4. The logbook — often the decisive point at inspection

No logbook = no demonstrable maintenance = rejection. NEN 2654-1 prescribes that the logbook contains at minimum:

• Date and nature of every activity
• Name and certification of the engineer who performed it
• Any deviations and the follow-up action
• Faults, false alarms and their resolution
• Changes to the installation (added / replaced components)

In practice a digital logbook with a closed audit trail makes the difference between a smooth inspection and a rejection. Paper logbooks are still formally allowed, but the risk of lost records is real.

5. Five most common inspection failure points

From projects we have supported in 2024:

1. Incomplete logbook — the most common, and the most avoidable
2. Component lifecycle exceeded — typically optical detectors older than ~10 years without cleaning or replacement
3. Operator error — the building manager does not know the panel and cannot confirm / reset an alarm
4. Signal transmission not tested — a PAC test more than 12 months ago is increasingly rejected
5. Renovation without PoR update — small renovations that change the detection coverage without an updated PoR and revised engineering

6. Practical advice

As a building owner or manager, build in three reflexes:

• Lock in the annual maintenance date in the facility calendar and protect it. A missed annual round jeopardises the inspection certificate
• Keep a digital logbook — at minimum a shared document; better a specialist BMI maintenance system
• Request an annual status update from the maintenance partner: any end-of-life components, software updates required, relevant changes in the standard

Closing

Maintenance is not a cost line — it is evidence of careful management, for the insurer, the inspection body and the organisation itself. A maintenance contract that just ticks a box is not a contract; a contract where every action, deviation and follow-up is traceable protects you and your users.

Do you have an existing BMI where maintenance has lapsed, or does not match your insurance policy? Schedule an intake — we map the status and propose an appropriate maintenance track.