Summary:
Most Irish businesses assume their security and fire systems are compliant — until a claim is rejected. Independent audits reveal blind spots, wrong alarm grades, and lapsed servicing before insurers do.
Most Irish businesses have never had an independent audit of their security and fire safety systems. They assume the camera covers the till. They assume the alarm grade satisfies the insurer. They assume the emergency lighting was tested last year. Assumptions like these get expensive — and in the event of a claim, they can be the difference between a payout and a rejection letter.
The Gap Between “Installed” and “Compliant”
A system that was compliant on the day it was fitted doesn’t stay compliant on its own. Buildings change use. Staff change. Insurers update their requirements. And systems that were never serviced, or were serviced by whoever was cheapest at the time, quietly drift out of line with the standard they were supposed to meet.
In our experience carrying out independent audits across Irish commercial premises, the same issues come up again and again:
• A CCTV blind spot at the main entrance or till point — never noticed until an incident happens
• An intruder alarm running at Grade 1 when the insurer’s policy requires Grade 2 — a discovery usually made only after a claim is rejected
• A fire alarm that hasn’t been serviced in 18 months, despite a quarterly servicing requirement
• Emergency lighting batteries that have never been tested, in breach of IS 3217
None of these are visible from a desk. They only surface when someone independent walks the site and checks the system against the standard — not against what was promised at installation.
What a Proper Audit Actually Covers
A comprehensive security and fire audit isn’t a sales visit. At GME Fire & Security, our audits are completely independent — we assess systems whether we installed them or not, with no obligation to sell remedial work. We look at:
- CCTV: Coverage and blind spot mapping, image quality at key locations, NVR capacity and retention, GDPR compliance, and evidential standard assessment.
- Access Control: Entry point coverage, credential risk review (are former employees still active on the system?), and integration with CCTV.
- Intruder Alarms: Grade assessment against what your insurer actually requires, detector zone and position review, last service date, and documentation.
- Fire Detection: System category against occupancy type, detector spacing, panel fault log, and IS 3218 compliance.
- Emergency Lighting: Escape route coverage, battery status, and IS 3217 compliance testing records.
- Extinguishers: Correct type and quantity for the fire class risk present, last annual inspection, and physical condition.
Why It Matters More Than the Cost of the Audit
Insurance claims have been rejected in Ireland because systems weren’t compliant at the time of the incident — not because nothing was installed, but because what was installed no longer matched what the policy required. An audit costs a fraction of what a rejected claim costs. It also gives you documentary evidence of due diligence, which matters if a fire authority inspector ever asks to see it.
At the end of the process, you receive a written report: compliance status for every system against the relevant Irish standard; a gap analysis explaining every area of non-compliance; prioritised recommendations split into critical, recommended, and advisory; and remediation options that aren’t necessarily “replace everything.”
Who Should Book One
If your systems were installed more than a couple of years ago, if you’ve changed insurer recently, if you’ve never seen a written compliance report, or if you simply don’t know what grade your intruder alarm is running at — an audit will tell you. It typically takes two to four hours on site depending on complexity, with a written report delivered within five business days.
GME Fire & Security is PSA licensed, ISO 9001 certified, and fully compliant with IS EN 50131, 50132, and 60839. We’re Irish-owned, work exclusively with commercial clients, and audit systems across Dublin, Kildare, Meath, and Wicklow—whether we installed them or not.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How long does a security and fire audit take?
Most on-site audits take two to four hours, depending on the size and complexity of the premises. A full written report follows within five business days.
2. Will you try to sell us new equipment after the audit?
No. Our audits are completely independent, even on systems we didn’t install. There’s no obligation to buy remedial work — the report simply tells you where you stand and what your options are.
3. What if our systems were installed by a different company?
That’s not a problem. We assess any system against the relevant Irish standard regardless of who installed or services it.
4. Why would an insurance claim get rejected if we have a system installed?
Insurers require systems to meet specific standards (like intruder alarm grade or fire alarm servicing frequency) at the time of an incident — not just at installation. If a system has drifted out of compliance, a claim can be rejected even though something was in place.
5. Which areas do you cover?
We carry out audits across Dublin, Kildare, Meath, and Wicklow.
Ready to Take Control of Your Business Security?
Stop guessing and start protecting. Our team will visit your premises, assess your actual risks, and put together a fixed-price plan for a system that genuinely works for you — no jargon, no upselling, just straight advice and support from a team based locally.
Book Your Free Consultation Today
- Call: 01-9630126
- Email: info@gmesecurity.ie
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