Cel: The aim of this article is to make an overview of selected features of the voice alarm control and indicating equipment (VACIE) confirmed in the process of assessment and verification of constancy of performance. Information presented by the authors play a crucial role during the process of design and use of voice alarm systems as well as in the context of providing the safety of buildings. Wprowadzenie: Control and indicating equipment (CIE) is extremely important for the safety of buildings, affecting both the safety of the occupants and the property stored there. Given such an important role, special emphasis is placed on the reliability of the system’s operation, whose task is both to detect the fire danger early enough but also to transmit information to its various components. An important role in ensuring the safety of construction objects is the transmission of information about the threat detected by the system to the occupants of the facility. This information can be communicated through the use of, among other things, automatic visual signalling implemented by VAS. The main component of VAS is the voice alarm control and indicating equipment, which, as the heart of the system, receives and transmits information to individual elements (loudspeakers), and is responsible for their operation – powering and monitoring them. Metodologia: An overview of selected features that are confirmed in the process of assessment and verification of constancy of performance, Introduction to the testing process of selected features, which is an integral part of the conformity assessment of construction products. The article was supplemented with issues related to the design and maintenance of fire alarm systems. Wnioski: Voice alarm control and indicating equipment, in addition to control and indicating equipment, not only determine the safety of the buildings themselves, but also affect the safety of their occupants, who, as a result of various circumstances, may have to be forced to quickly and efficiently leave their place of residence. Nevertheless, the awareness of owners and managers of construction objects equipped with VAS should be important, since their special attention should be directed to maintaining all components of the system in such a condition that will enable the complete installation to fulfil its functions. An important element is the continuous education of service personnel and users of the facility (e.g. step-by-step evacuation drills), in order to maintain knowledge at the highest possible level about how to act in an emergency situation, not only related to fire, but also in the face of other local threats. Słowa kluczowe: evacuation of buildings, voice alarm system, VACIE

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Purpose: The aim of this publication is to present the results of theoretical research – evaluation of normative and legal documents used for the design and installation of voice alarm systems (VAS) in selected European countries. The aim of the research was to analyze and compare the functioning of voice alarm systems in Poland against the background of selected European countries. Introduction: Voice alarm systems are systems installed in buildings that enable the broadcast of warning signals and voice messages for the safety of people in the building. Mandatory use of voice alarm systems in selected buildings became applicable in Poland on January 16, 2006. In Europe, these systems have been present before. Over the years, there has been development of both the devices included in the systems, as well as the normative documents and legal acts that describe these systems. Methods: Within the research process, theoretical research was used, such as: analysis of literature and legal documents, synthesis, generalization, inference, comparison and analogy. As part of the research, documents from such countries as Poland, Great Britain (mainly England), Sweden, Norway, Germany and the Netherlands were analyzed. The selection of individual countries was guided by the level of development of these systems in a given country and the availability of source documents. Conclusions: The presented analysis of the requirements for the use of voice alarm systems shows how different the approach to the use of this type of systems is. Depending on individual experiences and the administrative structure of a given country, a variety of regulations, whether legal or normative (not always normative documents issued by state standardization institutions), can be seen in the field of voice alarm systems application. Unfortunately, one can get the impression that voice alarm systems are still not as popular as fire detection systems. The definition of the requirements for buildings in which the use of voice alarm systems should be obligatory and the requirements for the determination of the required level of speech intelligibility consti- tute the basis for the consistent development of this type of fire protection equipment. Such requirements should be specified either in legal regulations or in normative acts dedicated to voice alarm systems. Keywords: safety of evacuation, evacuation of buildings, voice alarm system, EN 54-16, EN 54-24, guidelines Type of article: review article

Purpose: The aim of this publication is to present the most important aspects of using smoke and carbon monoxide detectors intended for households or similar residential facilities as well as to indicate the advantages and disadvantages of the adopted system solutions that affect the number of detectors installed in this kind of buildings. The article aims to present the issues related to the Integrated Qualifications System (ZSK), i.e. newly developed market qualification, dedicated to installers and maintenance technicians of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Introduction: Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors for early detection of existing threats such as fires or escaping carbon monoxide are an important element of fire protection, dedicated primarily to owners of residential buildings. In many countries in the EU it is obligatory to install detectors in homes, whereas at the moment in Poland the only aspect regulated legally is the obligation of the manufacturer of these products to obtain a certificate. Since 2016, the ZSK has been operating in Poland, in which in 2019 the qualifications of installers/maintenance technicians of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors were distinguished. As a result, a person with a market qualification certificate is prepared for independent installation and maintenance of fire safety monitoring devices Methodology: As part of the research process, theoretical research was used, such as: analysis of literature and legal documents, synthesis, general- ization, inference, comparison and analogy. As part of the research, documents from such countries as Poland, Great Britain (mainly England), Germany and France were analysed. The selection of individual countries was guided by the level of development of these systems in a given country and the availability of source documents Conclusions: The presented analysis of the requirements for the installation of the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors shows how different the ap- proach is regarding the use of this type of devices. Depending on experiences and the administrative structure of a given country, a variety of regulations, whether legal or normative, can be discerned in the use of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. ZSK is a well-described system of formal organization and classification of competences and offers the public services at the highest possible quality level. It is also a partial solution to the problem of installing detectors. However, it is necessary to regulate this issue from the legal level, as it was the case in other EU countries, where the installation of detectors in homes is obligatory. Such action will contribute to reducing the victims of fires or inhalation of toxic gases (carbon monoxide) Keywords: Integrated Qualifications System (ZSK), smoke alarm detector, electrical apparatus for the detection of carbon monoxide, carbon monoxide, residential buildings Type of article: review article

Aim: The purpose of this publication is to present the results of ongoing theoretical research – an assessment of the newly proposed regulation that will replace Regulation (EU) No. 305/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing harmonized conditions for the marketing of construction products and repealing Council Directive 89/106/EEC. The purpose of the conducted research was to analyse and compare the legal provisions. Introduction: Regulation (EU) No. 305/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council is a document that regulates the marketing of almost all construction products in the European Union. After 11 years since the publication of Regulation 305/2011, and less than 10 since its full entry into force, the European Commission has published on its website a proposal for a regulation that will ultimately replace today’s EU-wide regulation in 2025. The changes are, among other things, an outcome of the Commission’s 2016 report on the implementation of the regulation, which identified deficiencies in its implementation and a significant number of problems related to standardization, among other issues. This state of affairs was confirmed by the 2021 report of the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Commission. Methodology: The authors used theoretical research, such as analysis of literature and legal documents, synthesis, generalization, inference, comparison and analogy. An analysis was performed of the current regulation and compared with the proposal for a new regulation, which has been published by the European Commission and is publicly available to all citizens. Conclusions: The presented analysis of the proposed regulation, which is ultimately intended to replace the existing European regulation, shows that the implementation of the new (amended) act may contribute to the complexity of the processes involved in the marketing of construction products within the European Union. The document itself is characterized by a high degree of complexity, in which, under the banner of simplification and unification of the construction product market, among other things, the scope of the European Commission’s powers is expanded, new obligations are introduced for the manufacturers of construction products, notified bodies assessing products, and new requirements for products and a new type of declaration are introduced. Its implementation will be a major challenge for EU member states and all players in the construction products market. Keywords: construction products, regulation 305/2011, European regulations, marketing of construction products