As false fire alarms continue to disrupt UK businesses and public services, BS 5839-1:2025 has reaffirmed the recommendation that all manual call points should be fitted with transparent protective covers. Safety Technology International (STI) – the original call point cover manufacturer – explains why the message remains more relevant than ever.
The newly published BS 5839-1:2025 retains a familiar but essential instruction: “All manual call points should be fitted with a transparent protective cover, which is moved to gain access to operate the device.”
That single sentence continues to define one of the most effective tools for preventing false alarms – a problem that still costs the UK over £1 billion annually through unnecessary call-outs, lost productivity, and public complacency.
Across four decades, Safety Technology International (STI) has seen that prevention through design remains the simplest way to protect life-safety systems. Since introducing the first Stopper® in 1980, the company’s transparent, impact-resistant covers have become a familiar sight across the country – from Wembley Stadium and Heathrow Airport to the National Exhibition Centre and University of Birmingham.
False alarms: the persistent challenge
Despite steady progress, false alarms continue to dominate UK fire-service activity. In England, Home Office data (year ending March 2025) records 5,733 malicious false alarms, of which 2,578 were caused by the deliberate activation of manual call points – the single largest malicious trigger nationwide.
In Wales, StatWales 2023-24 shows a similar picture: 437 malicious activations and a further 11,163 caused by apparatus such as detectors and call points. The 2025 Standard explicitly addresses such scenarios, noting that: “In situations involving manual call points mistaken for exit door releases, better signage and alarm covers can be employed to address the problem.”
It also gives practical examples: “manual call points located adjacent to fire exits from sports halls and gymnasia in which ball sports are played,” adding that “protective covers may be provided for this purpose.”
As in England, the Welsh figures suggest that where covers and clear labelling are installed, incident frequency falls; where unprotected devices remain, avoidable activations persist.
In Scotland, the Fire and Rescue Incident Statistics 2023-24 report 1,600 malicious activations and 30,445 due to apparatus. Even after policy changes that reduced Unwanted Fire Alarm Signals by almost 30 per cent, thousands of apparatus-related activations persist each year.
Home Office research and analysis of “Trends in Fire False Alarms and Fire Alarm Policies” reported a decline in false fire alarms caused by malicious or accidental activation of manual call points, and observed that it was due to the introduction of protective covers.
In short: where covers have been fitted, false activations have fallen. Where they remain absent, unwanted alarms persist – demonstrating why BS 5839-1:2025 continues to champion this straightforward preventive measure.
Proven solutions built on experience
As the original call point cover manufacturer, STI has spent more than forty years refining a simple principle: stop unwanted activations without delaying emergency access. Made from tough, transparent polycarbonate – and available in alarmed versions that emit a warning sound when lifted – Stopper® covers help deter both accidental and malicious activations.
The concept is as relevant today as when it was first introduced: a simple yet effective safeguard designed to keep alarm signals trusted and credible.
BS 5839-1:2025 does not rewrite the rulebook – it reaffirms what the industry already knows works. Protective covers remain one of the most practical, low-cost measures for reducing false alarms and maintaining confidence in fire-safety systems.
STI’s Stopper® covers continue to set that standard across the UK, proving that prevention still starts with protection.
