National Security Inspectorate Sentinel House, 5 Reform Road, Maidenhead, SL6 8BY E: nsi@nsi.org.uk | W: nsi.org.uk Page 1 of 5 © NSI 2021 Date: 12 July 2021 To: All NACOSS Gold and Systems Silver approved companies and applicants TECHNICAL BULLETIN No: 0059 Publication of BS 8243:2021 – Design, installation and configuration of intruder and hold-up alarm systems designed to generate confirmed alarm conditions. Code of Practice BS 8243:2021 – “Design, installation and configuration of intruder and hold-up alarm systems designed to generate confirmed alarm conditions. Code of Practice” is now published. This Code of Practice has undergone a full revision. Prescription that provided a barrier to product innovation has been removed, some clauses have been rephrased to add clarity and some requirements within clauses have been moved to more appropriate clauses. The key changes to the Code of Practice includes: • the previous requirement for all intruder alarm systems to use sequential confirmation is no longer a requirement; any single or combination of confirmation method(s) are permitted; • a number of prescriptive methods that set requirements for the design of audio or visual confirmation have been removed to allow product innovation; • the requirement to declare to the response authority when using detectors incorporating two movement detectors of the same technology within a single housing has been removed; • confirmation of hold-up alarm (HUA) by telephone call back by an alarm receiving centre (ARC) is now permitted only for residential premises; • confirmation procedures have changed to accommodate the different processes relating to sequential confirmation or where the confirmation is decided at an ARC; • requirements for alarm handling which is to be included in a new ARC standard, BS 9518, have been removed; and • an option to set/unset the intruder alarm system (IAS) using a remote device has been included. Technical Bulletin No: 0059 Page 2 of 5 © NSI 2021 Text colour schemes within this document Descriptions of new or amended sections of BS 8243:2021 are given in italics and the following colour scheme is used to denote which are new and which are amended: Where descriptions denote new sections, these are represented by Green italics. Where descriptions denote amended sections, these are represented by Blue italics. Please also note that this Technical Bulletin is not a definitive list of all the changes introduced in BS 8243:2021; only significant changes are listed. Implementation timescale for approved and applicant companies BS 8243:2021 was published on the 30th of June 2021. There will be a 12-month transition period ending on the 30th of June 2022. During this period, installations can comply with either the 2010 or 2021 edition. Companies will be able to transition to the 2021 edition at any point during this 12-month period. 1 Scope The notes are new additions. 2 Normative references Standards BS 5979, BS 8473 and PD 6662 have been removed. 3.1.27 remote device This clause is a new addition. 4.1.1 Design Objectives – General This clause has been rephrased and includes a reference to a new Annex A. 4.1.2 Design objectives for intruder and hold-up alarm systems (I&HAS) This clause has been rephrased to consolidate requirements for IASs & HASs. Technical Bulletin No: 0059 Page 3 of 5 © NSI 2021 4.2 Alarm confirmation technology This clause has been amended to provide differentiation for where confirmation is decided by the CIE or by an ARC. 4.2.1 Intruder alarm systems (IAS) This clause has been amended to indicate that any single or combination of confirmation types can be used and that sequential confirmation is optional. 4.2.2 Hold-up alarm systems (HAS) This clause has been rephrased to take into account that sequential confirmation is no longer a mandatory confirmation method. 5.3.1 Design and configuration of audio confirmation I&HAS – General This clause has been amended to state that interconnections for AMDs and ALDs should be provided with tamper detection. 5.3.2 Audio confirmation of intruder detection and hold-up Some prescription for store audio has been removed. The note is a new addition. 5.3.3 Audio confirmation of audio monitoring device (AMD) activation Some prescription relating to stored audio has been removed. 5.4 Design and configuration of visual confirmation I&HAS Tamper detection for interconnections of imaging devices is required. The note is a new addition providing examples. Some prescription relating to stored images has been removed. 5.5 Confirmation of HAS using ARC telephone call back This clause has been amended to reflect that telephone call back is only permitted for properties used as residential premises. Technical Bulletin No: 0059 Page 4 of 5 © NSI 2021 6.1 General This clause has been amended to indicate that a warning regarding the use of a remote device should be included in the system design proposal and as-fitted document. The note is a new addition. 6.2 Alarm filtering at an ARC The miss operation signal option has been removed. 6.3.1 Minimizing false alarms generated by the I&HAS – General The commentary is a new addition. The notes are a new addition in order to provide further clarity in relation to timed exit procedures and the audible notification of alarm system setting, and to state that timed exit procedures are permitted on non-commercial premises. 6.3.2 Use of remote devices for setting of IAS This clause is a new addition introducing requirements when setting with a smart phone (remote device). 6.4.1 Methods of unsetting – `General This clause has been amended to consolidate the common requirements for all defined methods of unsetting. The clause also states that defined methods of setting are only required where confirmation is determined by the CIE. Also, where a remote device is used for setting and unsetting and a defined method of unsetting is required, then that method must be the default method for unsetting. 6.4.2 Prevention of entry to the supervised premises before the IAS is unset This clause has been rephrased to provide clarity. The commentary is a new addition. 6.4.3 Prevention of entry to the supervised premises before all means of intruder alarm confirmation have been disabled This clause has been rephrased to provide clarity. The prescription relating to the time a powered lock should remain secure on power failure has been removed. Technical Bulletin No: 0059 Page 5 of 5 © NSI 2021 6.4.5 Completion of unsetting using a digital key This clause has been rephrased to provide clarity. The requirement to choose this unsetting option with care has been removed. Annex A (normative) – Operational recommendations for products used for confirmed systems This annex is new and contains consolidated product requirements for manufacturers. Annex D (normative) – Information to be included in the system design proposal and as-fitted document This annex is new and contains a consolidated list of required entry in the system design proposal.