Public Address & Voice Alarm Systems (PA/VA)

Life Safety & Communication Solutions

DACT is an SSAIB-accredited installer of Public Address and Voice Alarm (PA/VA) systems, designing, installing and maintaining voice alarm and mass-notification systems for commercial and public buildings across the UK.

PA/VA systems replace the standard fire alarm sounder with clear spoken instructions, which is essential in large or complex buildings where a simple tone can’t manage a phased or staged evacuation safely. They’re governed by BS 5839-8, the UK code of practice for voice alarm systems, with control equipment certified to EN 54-16. A single system can combine emergency voice evacuation with everyday public address, paging and background music. For refuge and firefighter communication, see our Emergency Voice Communication Systems page.

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BS 5839-8 VA System Types

BS 5839-8 defines five types of voice alarm system, based on how much manual control the building needs. The right type depends on the building’s size, occupancy and evacuation strategy.

  • Type V1. Automatic evacuation to a pre-defined plan, triggered by the fire alarm. The baseline voice alarm system.
  • Type V2. V1 plus a staffed emergency microphone for live all-call announcements to support evacuation.
  • Type V3. V2 plus the ability to broadcast live messages to specific pre-determined zones.
  • Type V4. Adds a fireman’s microphone or control point, typically at the fire service access level.
  • Type V5. The most complex, for very large venues such as stadiums and exhibition centres where an uncontrolled all-call could cause harm.

Whichever type your building requires, BS 5839-8 sets a minimum speech intelligibility standard so announcements are clearly understood under alarm conditions. We design, install and commission to that standard and integrate the system with your fire alarm system so voice evacuation triggers automatically on activation.

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Commercial intruder alarm monitoring options including ARC monitoring and police response installed by DACT

System Components

A PA/VA system combines several core components, each monitored for faults so the system stays reliable:

  • Control equipment. The main controller handles digital signal processing, emergency message storage, zone management and priority handling, with continuous system monitoring and fault reporting.
  • Amplification. High-efficiency amplifiers with backup amplification, zone-specific power and load monitoring, so the failure of one amplifier doesn’t silence a zone.
  • Speakers and zoning. Loudspeakers arranged into zones that align with the fire alarm zones, allowing messages to target specific areas for phased evacuation.
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Key Features

PA/VA delivers both emergency and everyday functions from one system:

  • Emergency communication. Automated evacuation messages, live announcements, phased evacuation and multi-language support, with priority management so emergency messages always override general announcements.
  • Everyday use. Zoned public address for paging, routine announcements and background music.
  • System monitoring. 24/7 supervision with line, speaker and amplifier monitoring, battery backup and automatic fault reporting.
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Why Choose Our PA/VA Systems?

  • ● SSAIB-accredited installation to BS 5839-8, with EN 54-16 certified control equipment and full commissioning documentation.
  • ● Intelligibility-tested. We commission every zone to the speech intelligibility standard BS 5839-8 requires, so announcements are clearly understood under alarm conditions.
  • ● Fire alarm integration. Voice evacuation triggers automatically from your fire alarm system, with zoning aligned for phased evacuation.
  • ● SLA-backed maintenance. Reactive callout and scheduled servicing matched to your site. See our SLA tier structure for typical response times.
  • ● One contractor for PA/VA, fire alarm and the wider system. View the full range on our commercial services hub.

Contact Us

Need help with your security systems? We’re here to assist! Whether you have questions about system design, require expert installation, or need reliable repairs and maintenance, our team has the knowledge to help. Fill out the form or give us a call for friendly advice and support.

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