PAVA System Design, Installation & Maintenance

A public address and voice alarm system combines day-to-day announcement capability with automatic voice alarm in the event of a fire or security incident. Unlike a simple Tannoy, a compliant PAVA system is zoned to the building's fire strategy, triggers automatically from the fire alarm panel, and delivers speech at a measured intelligibility level in every occupied area.

Intelligibility is the critical factor. Background noise, reverberation and speaker placement all affect whether occupants can understand a spoken message. Poor intelligibility costs lives. Every TG Baker PAVA installation is tested to the STI (Speech Transmission Index) thresholds defined in BS 5839-8, with results documented and handed over to the client.

We specify equipment from manufacturers including Baldwin Boxall and Nexo, selected on a project-by-project basis to match acoustic conditions, architectural constraints and budget. There is no single default. Each system is engineered for its environment.

Every project follows a four-stage process. At the design stage, our engineers carry out an acoustic survey of the site, model loudspeaker coverage and produce compliant system drawings. We specify amplifier capacity, cable routes, loudspeaker types and zone configurations before any equipment is ordered.

Installation is carried out by our in-house teams. We do not subcontract first-fix or second-fix cabling. This means a single point of accountability from rack build through to cable termination. Commissioning includes full STI testing in every zone, functional integration testing with the fire alarm panel, and a documented handover pack.

Post-installation, we offer planned preventive maintenance contracts that satisfy the ongoing requirements of BS 5839-8. These include scheduled inspections, firmware updates, battery checks and annual intelligibility re-testing.

All TG Baker PAVA installations are designed and maintained to BS 5839-8:2013 (Fire detection and fire alarm systems. Voice alarm systems. Design, installation, commissioning and maintenance). Where projects fall within scope, we also work to BS EN 54-16 (Voice alarm control and indicating equipment) and BS EN 54-24 (Loudspeakers).

TG Baker is SSAIB-certified and NSI-approved. Our engineers hold relevant ECS cards and are Safe Contractor accredited. All test results, as-built drawings and O&M documentation are included in project handovers.

We install PAVA systems in stadia, transport hubs, NHS hospitals and health centres, universities and colleges, commercial office estates, retail parks and industrial facilities. Our experience ranges from 60,000-seat football grounds to single-building commercial premises. The engineering principles are the same regardless of scale: compliant design, reliable hardware, tested intelligibility.