Clause 3.8 of Australian Standard AS1670.1-2008 specifies the location of an external alarm to identify the Designated Building Entry Point ("DBEP"). The Standard specifies the use of a Visual Alarm Device ("VAD") mounted as follows;
- wall mounted;
- located on the front facade of the building on which the DBEP is present;
- shall be not more than 10, from the DBEP;
- be active (flashing red) when there is an active (not disabled) fire alarm condition;
- be visible from the fire appliance, approaching from at least two directions;
- have a minimum rating of W3-7.5;
- have a sign with the word "FIRE" in white capital letters on a red background with lettering not less than 50mm in bold sans-serif typeface;
- the colour and material of the sign shall be weather resistant (notionally IP65); and
- be fade resistant.
From an installation and routine servicing standard, these requirements are quite prescriptive.
