How old is the fire alarm system?  When was it last maintained and serviced?  When was it last assesed for suitability, as the building may have changed in usage since install?  When was last fire risk assesment? Have you discussed the need for SPD in the fire panel with your current maintainer?

If you have an LPS on site you are going to need at least a Type 1 at the origin of the installation. My preference would be a combined Type 1 and Type 2.

How the company  knows you do not have an SPD already without access to your main panel is a question that you might wish to ask?

Depending on your site and what it is installed on site you may require a hierarchy of SPDs on DBs across the site.

JP 

The fire alarm was serviced within the last month or so, no mention of any surge protection then, fire risk assessment is recent, and nothing about surge protection arose from that either. The design of it is still commensurate with the use and layout of the building

I know there is a requirement for new installations, but does that apply to existing installations? I can understand adding them to boards as things are upgraded, to keep in line with the current regs. The fixed wiring testing is about to start so I will ask about it then too. We have 80 odd DBs across the site so I doubt we would get away with a single SPD

The main purpose of a type 1 SPD is as part of the LPS to prevent fire in the case of a strike. It's not there to protect equipment; that what's a type 2 is for. A type 1 temporarily equipotentially bonds the electrical system to the LPS so that there's less PD around and so the lightning isn't temped to arc across from the LPS to the electrical system and start a fire along the way. At least that's my basic understanding of it.

Is the LPS bonded to the LV earthing system? (Usually is these days, but less so in the past).

   - Andy.

Johno12345 said:

it did make me wonder if there is actually any requirement to retrofit SPD to our existing installation

The imperative may well emanate from insurance provision. 

Johno12345 said:

I have had our lightning protection systems tested recently, and it passed as expected, but I then received a quote from the same people stating that there is no surge protection on the main LV panel.

First and most importantly, if the building has an LPS, BS 7671 can't be used to design or derive the SPD requirements, only BS EN 62305 series can (this is stated in BS 7671).

What standard was the LPS installed to ... and inspected and tested to?

• If it's BS 6551, then you need to get the whole LPS re-assessed against, and bringing in line with, BS EN 62305, before even thinking about SPDs ...
  
  
• If it's BS EN 62305, then that's a good start, but you'd need to get an SPD design to fit with the design of the LPS, taking into account not just the mains coming in (and if any outbuildings, outside lights, EV charging points, going out to those too), but also any telecomms (data, CCTV, antennas and dishes, etc.) assessed against BS EN 62305, BS EN 50174-3 and BS EN 60728-11).

lyledunn said:

The imperative may well emanate from insurance provision. 

Agreed, if the above has not been taken into account, it's entirely possible the insurance company would baulk at any equipment or installation damage resulting from surges or lightning events (direct strike to building or not).