BS 5839-9, the code of practice for the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of emergency voice communication systems, includes recommendations for the product features for EVC systems. The UK does not have a specification for EVC system manufacturers to conform to so it was decided that there needs to be separation between the product requirements, and the installation recommendations.

The new BS 8893 details the requirements for the product which have been derived from BS 5839-9:2021, and includes environmental tests taken from the BS EN 54 series. It is not intended to introduce additional functional requirements at this stage although they might be introduced in the future. As a consequence, BS 5839-9 will need to be revised at a later date to remove the product specific elements.

The FIA will be holding a Special Interest Group (SIG) meeting to collate member’s comments on the draft “BS 8893 - Emergency voice communication (EVC) systems - Components – Specification” from 10am until 2pm on Wednesday 28th June 2023. The draft can be read on the BSI Standards Development website by following this link.

FIA members who are interested in joining the SIG are requested to contact [email protected].