The EN 54-14 standard, which was taken as a reference in designing fire detection systems, was renewed in November 2018. With the update, many changes were made in many aspects, from the placement of the smoke detectors to the mounting height. In this series of articles, we will talk about the changes made in the current standard.

Smoke detectors are one of the most important devices of fire detection systems. Residences, shopping malls, hospitals etc. EN 54-14 standard should be applied when designing smoke detectors that are frequently used in many places. In the update made in 2018, the detection radius of smoke detectors was reduced from 7.5 meters to 6.2 meters. With this update, the number of smoke detectors that should be used in the room has increased.

Likewise, the detection radius of heat detectors has also changed. The radius, which was 5 meters in the previous version, has been revised to 4.5 meters in the 2018 version. Heat detectors, which are frequently used in kitchens and tea cookers, need to be placed more frequently with the new version.

In project planning of the fire detection system, “How can I install the detectors maximum below the ceiling?” question is encountered. In the old version of the standard, it was stated that the detectors should be mounted within the top 5% of the ceiling height. In the 2018 version, this upper limit was updated to 10%. For example, according to the current standard, the detectors can be mounted a maximum of 40 cm below the ceiling in a room with a ceiling height of 4 meters. This data was set at 20 cm in the previous version.