EN 54


The EN 54 Fire detection and fire alarm systems is a series of European standards that includes product standards and application guidelines for fire detection and fire alarm systems as well as voice alarm systems.
The product standards define product characteristics, test methods and performance criteria against which the effectiveness and reliability of every component of fire detection and fire alarm system can be assessed and declared.
Many of the product standards of the EN 54 series are harmonised standards under the Construction Products Regulation EU 305/2011. Annex ZA of the harmonised standards specifies which sections of the standard apply for the purposes of the CPR. Annex ZA also describes the two-stage certification:
This standard series is partly used around the world in several countries outside of European Union, for example in Latin American countries, Brasil, African and Asian countries and several islands in the Pacific Ocean.

History

The standardization topics relating to fire protection were among the first dealt with by CEN. This is obvious since CEN numbers the European standards in numerical ascending order according to the date of project registration. The standard on fire classes is numbered EN 2 and the series of standards on portable fire extinguishers is numbered EN 3. The European standardization on fire detection and fire alarm systems started already in the 1970s. EN 54-1 and EN 54-5 were issued in 1976.

Technical Committee CEN/TC72 Fire detection and fire alarm systems

The EN 54 series has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC72 "Fire detection and fire alarm systems" of the European Committee for Standardization.
The figure shows some examples of national mirror technical committees.

EN 54 Standard Series

Current parts

The EN 54 series of standards covers the following topics and product groups related to fire detection and fire alarm systems:
  • Introduction: the introduction to the series of standards contains a diagram of a fire alarm system as well as numerous definitions of terms that are used in the other parts of the series of standards.
  • Product group control panels and power supply: These parts of EN 54 concern fire alarm control panels, voice alarm control panels and power supplies.
  • Product group alarm devices: These parts of EN 54 concern optical and acoustic alarm devices.
  • Product group detectors: These parts of EN 54 concern manual call points and automatic fire detectors according to different measuring principles.
  • Product group "other components": These parts of EN 54 concern other devices that can be connected in a fire detection system, either as a stand-alone device or integrated in another component.
  • System compatibility: This part of EN 54 deals with the compatibility of the system components of a fire detection and fire alarm system.
  • Application guidelines: These parts of EN 54 are guidelines for the application of fire alarm systems and voice alarm systems. They have the status of a technical specification.
The following table lists all parts of the EN 54 series of standards:
Topics, group of productsNumber of the standardTitle of the standardStandHarmonized
IntroductionEN 54-1Part 1: Introduction2021No
Control panels and power supplyEN 54-2Part 2: Control and indicating equipment 1997 + A1:2006 + AC:1999Yes
Alarm devicesEN 54-3Part 3: Fire alarm devices - Sounders2014 + A1:2019Yes
Control panels and power supplyEN 54-4Part 4: Power supply equipment1997 + A1:2002 + A2:2006 + AC:1999Yes
DetectorsEN 54-5Part 5: Heat detectors - Point heat detectors2017 + A1:2018Yes
DetectorsEN 54-7Part 7: Smoke detectors - Point smoke detectors using scattered light, transmitted light or ionization2018Yes
DetectorsEN 54-10Part 10: Flame detectors - Point detectors2002 + A1:2005Yes
DetectorsEN 54-11Part 11: Manual call point2001 + A1:2005Yes
DetectorsEN 54-12Part 12: Smoke detectors - Line detectors using an optical light beam2015Yes
System compatibilityEN 54-13Part 13: Compatibility and connectability assessment of system components2017 + A1:2019No
Application guidelinesCEN/TS 54-14Part 14: Guidelines for planning, design, installation, commissioning, use and maintenance 2018-10No
Control panels and power supplyEN 54-16Part 16: Voice alarm control and indicating equipment2008Yes
Other devicesEN 54-17Part 17: Short circuit isolators2005 + AC:2007Yes
Other devicesEN 54-18Part 18: Input/output devices2005 + AC:2007Yes
DetectorsEN 54-20Part 20: Aspirating smoke detectors2006 + AC:2008Yes
Other devicesEN 54-21Part 21: Alarm transmission and fault warning routing equipment2006Yes
DetectorsEN 54-22Part 22: Resettable line type heat detectors2015 + A1:2020No
Alarm devicesEN 54-23Part 23: Fire alarm devices - Visual alarm devices2010Yes
Alarm devicesEN 54-24Part 24: Component of voice alarm systems - Loudspeakers2008Yes
Other devicesEN 54-25Part 25: Components using radio links2008 + AC:2012Yes
DetectorsEN 54-26Part 26: Point fire detectors using carbon monoxide sensors2015No
DetectorsEN 54-27Part 27: Duct smoke detectors2015No
DetectorsEN 54-28Part 28: Non-resettable line-type heat detectors2016No
DetectorsEN 54-29Part 29: Multi-sensor fire detectors - Point detectors using a combination of smoke and heat sensors2015No
DetectorsEN 54-30Part 30: Multi-sensor fire detectors - Point detectors using a combination of carbon monoxide and heat sensors2015No
DetectorsEN 54-31Part 31: Multi-sensor fire detectors - Point detectors using a combination of smoke, carbon monoxide and optionally heat sensors2014 + A1:2016No
Application guidelinesCEN/TS 54-32Part 32: Guidelines for the planning, design, installation, commissioning, use and maintenance of voice alarm systems2015-07No

Withdrawn parts

  • EN 54 part 6 Heat detectors; Rate-of-Rise point detectors without a static element
  • EN 54 part 8 Components of automatic fire detection systems. Specification for high temperature heat detectors
  • EN 54 part 9 Components of automatic fire detection systems. Methods of test of sensitivity to fire

    Test fires of EN 54

The test fires TF1 to TF8 are used to test the fire sensitivity of the fire detectors according to the standard series EN 54.
The combustibles selected represent a spectrum of large and small combustion particles for both grey and black smoke. These include burning liquids, plastics and cellulosic materials, and glowing and smouldering fabrics.
Fire typeCombustibleHeat
development		Upward
flow		Smoke
development		Aerosol
spectrum		Visible
part
TF1open cellulosic firewoodstrongstrongyesmainly invisibledark
TF2Smoldering pyrolysis firewoodnegligibleweakyesvisiblebright
TF3glowing firecottonnegligiblevery weakyesmainly invisiblebright
TF4open plastics firepolyurethanestrongstrongyesmainly invisiblevery dark
TF5liquid firen-heptanestrongstrongyesmainly invisiblevery dark
TF6liquid firemethylated spiritstrongstrongnononenone
TF8liquid firedecalenenegligibleweakyesmainly invisiblevery dark

For smoke detectors according to EN 54-7 and fire detectors with smoke sensor the test fires TF2, TF3, TF4 and TF5 are used. The EN 54-20 defines the following test fires with reduced fuel quantity for aspirating smoke detectors with enhanced or very high sensitivity :
  • TF2A and TF2B
  • TF3A and TF3B
  • TF5A and TF5B
For flame detectors according to EN 54-10, the liquid fires TF5 and TF6 are used. TF5 produces a yellow sooty flame and TF6 produces a clear invisible flame.
For CO fire detectors according to EN 54-26, the smoldering fires TF2 and TF3 are used.
For duct smoke detectors according to EN 54-27 the test fires TF2, TF4 and TF8 are used.
For multi-sensor fire detectors according to EN 54-29 and EN 54-31, the test fires TF1, TF2, TF3, TF4, TF5 and TF8 are used.